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Americans Abroad 1-1GOAL

Americans Abroad: Gio Reyna, Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi are in-form, while all eyes remain on USMNT star Christian Pulisic

GOAL previews the biggest storylines of U.S. internationals playing abroad this weekend.

Ryan Tolmich

  • For some U.S. Men's National Team stars, this weekend is about keeping the momentum going. For others, simply getting back on the field would be a welcome start.

    Gio Reyna is among those playing well. So, too, are fellow World Cup veterans Ricardo Pepi and Sergino Dest of PSV. If you're looking for a new face, you could introduce yourself to SV Elversberg's Cole Campbell, who is hoping to play his way onto the USMNT radar as the program begins this new World Cup cycle.

    Still, there are some eyes on stars and, more specifically, their absences. Might we see Folarin Balogun this weekend? Christian Pulisic, perhaps?

    Without further ado, here’s what to watch as GOAL previews the main storylines involving Americans abroad this weekend.

  • Reyna and Strasbourg face Balogun's Monaco

    imago-sport-1082486577.jpg
    PsnewZ

    Gio Reyna has emerged as the American to watch in Ligue 1 so far.


    The USMNT has an attacker shining in Ligue 1. It just isn't the attacker that everyone is used to seeing do that.

    This weekend, there's a slight chance that the USMNT's newest Ligue 1 attacker, Gio Reyna, could face the most established, Folarin Balogun, when Strasbourg face Monaco. It all depends, of course, on Balogun's status, which remains, to put it lightly, a little bit up in the air.

    The striker, of course, neared a move to Everton before backing out of the deal at the last moment. His decision left everyone scrambling, including Monaco, who had already planned for life without the USMNT star. As a result, Balogun was omitted from the team's Conference League roster. An injury has kept him sidelined in Ligue 1, meanwhile, and reports out of France say that, despite a return to training, Balogun doesn't seem likely to feature this weekend.

    Reyna, meanwhile, almost certainly will. He shined last week in a 6-2 win over Troyes, netting his first goal for his new club. The Strasbourg midfielder is building both fitness and confidence, both of which have been in short supply in recent years. Another good performance against Monaco, then, would be a huge lift to him, particularly with the international break looming, too.

  • Campbell takes on Bayern

    imago-sport-1082395001.jpg
    Jan Huebner

    The young winger gets to test himself against a true elite this weekend.

    After emerging as a rising star with Borussia Dortmund, Cole Campbell's stock has taken a bit of a hit in recent years. He's started his rebuild this season at Elversberg, and he's started it well, scoring a goal while helping his new club begin its season with three consecutive wins, including two in the Bundesliga against established top-flight sides.

    To call this weekend's opponent an "established top-flight side" would be putting it lightly, though. That's because this weekend, Campbell and Elversberg face Bayern Munich.

    Bayern, of course, remain the measuring stick as they continue their domination of the Bundesliga. Through two games, though, they find themselves looking up at Elversberg in the table. It would be foolish to bet that that would continue much longer, but if Campbell and Co. can somehow find a result this weekend, it would do wonders for the belief in a newly-promoted club.

    For Campbell, this is quite a personal test. As a player with plenty of potential but few moments so far where that potential has been able to shine through, this is an opportunity. There's no better team to prove yourself against than Bayern and, while it's a difficult challenge, it's not impossible.

  • Pulisic watch continues

    Christian Pulisic AC Milan 2025-26 new kit
    Getty

    Could America's most famous soccer star finally see the field this weekend?

    We've seen Christian Pulisic on AC Milan's bench this season, but we've yet to see him on the field. Could this be the weekend that he makes his big return?

    On Saturday, Milan are set to face Lazio and, after nearly a month of training with the team, it seems Pulisic is just about fit enough to rejoing USMNT teammate Yunus Musah in the Milan team. Reports out of Italy say Pulisic could make his first appearance of the season this weekend and, if he does, it would be his first game since the USMNT's loss to Belgium in July.

    Throughout the summer and early fall, Milan boss Ruben Amorim has been full of praise for Pulisic, but he's yet to actually play him as the club eases him back from his summer injury. His return, though, is highly anticipated because, if Pulisic is at his best, he's still a player that brings Milan to a different level.

    How long will it take for him to get back to his best? That'll be the big question, and while it almost certainly won't happen this weekend, it could be a start.

  • PSV look to keep momentum alive

    imago-sport-1081790738.jpg
    DeFodi Images

    Life's been good for PSV. It has been even better for PSV's Americans.

    Ricardo Pepi and Sergino Dest have started the season hot, and they'll look to continue that start this weekend against Sparta Rotterdam.

    Dest might just be the USMNT's most in-form player, and that continued with a goal on Thursday in a Champions League draw with Shakhtar Donetsk. With that goal, Dest now has three goals and two assists in his first five games in all competitions. Even for a player with the attacking skillset of Dest, that's a heck of a haul for a full back.

    Pepi can't be overlooked, though. He, too, already has three goals this season and looks to be on pace for another big campaign in the Eredivisie. Expectations, of course, are high for both Pepi and PSV, but this season could be a challenging one with AZ Alkmaar off to a strong start and Feyenoord in the mix, too, through five games.

    Pepi and Dest are in form, though, which is good news for the USMNT with the international break looming, but even better news for PSV as they look to make an early run towards another title.