Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic and AC Milan hit a low point while striker competition heats up with goals from Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi

The Eredivisie season is over and PSV are champions. For Ricardo Pepi, though, there is still so much to play for. The World Cup is coming and Pepi has ambitions. The best way to reach those ambitions? Goals.

Pepi got one of those this weekend, scoring in a routine win over Sparta Rotterdam. The goal was Pepi's 11th in just 1,086 minutes. It has been another season of Pepi scoring at an absurd rate, which is why Premier League clubs are circling.

On the USMNT front, though, Pepi is in a fight. He played just a few minutes in March and, while he did make the most of those minutes by assisting Patrick Agyemang via an effort-filled press against Belgium, he did not play in the next game against Portugal. It seems that he is second in the pecking order, at the very least.

The problem for Pepi, though, is that he was not the only one to score. The player who seems to be atop the depth chart did, too.

Folarin Balogun's goal was not quite as vital as Pepi's. It came in a 4-1 loss to Paris FC, one that greatly damaged Monaco's push up the table. When Balogun scored, his side was already down 3-0, so it was far from a game-changing finish.

It will, however, do wonders to keep Balogun's confidence high. At the moment, there may not be a more confident player, not just in the USMNT player pool but perhaps in Europe.

With his goal this weekend, Balogun has now scored in six consecutive matches for Monaco. The striker is seemingly peaking at the best possible time, and both Monaco and the USMNT will hope he carries that form through the end of the season. For years, Balogun has had the potential to be an elite striker and, over the last few weeks, he has turned that potential into something real.

The weekend was frustrating for Haji Wright and Coventry City. They were held to a 0-0 draw with Sheffield United, with Wright coming off midway through the second half. With the draw, Coventry missed an opportunity to clinch promotion. Even so, they still moved one step closer.

With their point and other results around the Championship, Coventry's promotion is all but assured. They will need just one point from their final four games to secure their place in the Premier League for the first time in 25 years. While it will certainly feel like a negative that they did not clinch a spot in England's top flight this weekend at the first opportunity, they can take some solace in knowing they still improved their position.

Four games remain, and Coventry also have a title pursuit underway. They are in a good place and, even after a scoreless draw, there is every reason to believe they will get it done in the very near future.

In terms of results, this was about as bad as it gets for AC Milan. As questions swirl about the team's performances and how those performances will impact the club's future, Milan laid an egg. A 3-0 loss to Udinese will always be inexcusable. Losing at home in the midst of a race for Champions League spots is no good at all.

Christian Pulisic was somewhat good, to his credit. He was far and away the best of Milan's three attacking players. He was, however, not good enough to truly change the game, which remains a theme and a talking point heading into the season's final weeks.

Pulisic is still scoreless this year, and there is no debating the impact that has had on Milan. They were in the title race in the fall when he was flying, and they have fallen back toward the pack in this recent downturn. They are now third in the league, but just five points ahead of fifth-place Como, who have a game in hand. Milan have lost three of four, with this latest loss the worst of the lot. Can they turn it around? Can Pulisic? The answer to those questions may ultimately define their season.

+ Chris Richards and Crystal Palace came from behind but fell to a 2-1 loss to Newcastle.

+ Mark McKenzie was sent off with a red card in Toulouse's 4-0 loss to Lille.

+ Malik Tillman continued his rough run of form for Leverkusen and managed just a few stoppage-time minutes off the bench in a 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.

+ Tyler Adams turned in a solid 20 minutes to help Bournemouth pick up a title race-altering 2-1 win over Arsenal.

+ Tim Weah played all 90 minutes in Marseille's comfortable 3-1 win over Metz.

+ Antonee Robinson endured a difficult hour against Mohamed Salah before being substituted in Fulham's loss at Liverpool.

+ Gio Reyna did not make it off the bench in Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-0 loss to RB Leipzig. Joe Scally played 90 minutes at right back.

+ USMNT left back John Tolkin suffered a serious knee injury in Holstein Kiel's 2-1 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf.

+ Daryl Dike endured 85 frustrating minutes in West Brom's hard-fought scoreless draw with Millwall.

+ Weston McKennie missed Juve's game with Atalanta due to suspension.