Several U.S. men's national team stars dealt with the aftereffects of the international break, although one injury didn't impact a key striker.
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Pulisic scores for MilanSargent starts, Balogun comes off benchRobinson starts for FulhamGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
Christian Pulisic was the Saturday's big winner, as he scored and assisted in Milan's 4-0 battering of Venezia. Gianluca Busio was, unfortunately, on the other side of that contest, playing 79 minutes for the newly-promoted side. Elsewhere in Italy, Tim Weah returned for Juve while Weston McKennie remained on the bench in a 0-0 draw with Empoli.
After missing the USMNT's draw with New Zealand during the international break, Josh Sargent was back in the starting XI for Norwich. Despite an ankle injury, Sargent went all 90 minutes for Norwich, who fell 1-0 to Swansea City.
He wasn't the only USMNT striker in action, though. Folarin Balogun came off the bench for Monaco as he remains in a battle for a starting spot with Breel Embolo. After starting both USMNT matches, he played 26 minutes in a 3-0 win over Auxerre.
Left out of the USMNT squad, Antonee Robinson took advantage of the extra week of rest, putting in a strong shift for Fulham in a 1-1 draw with West Ham.
In the Championship, both Coventry's Haji Wright and Leeds' Brenden Aaronson featured, the former off the bench in a 1-1 draw Watford and the latter in a 1-0 defeat to Burnley. Meanwhile, Aidan Morris also came off the bench in Middlesbrough's 1-1 draw with Preston North End.
Finally, Cameron Carter-Vickers started in Celtic's 2-0 win over Hearts while new signing Auston Trusty didn't feature after not playing in either USMNT friendly either.
AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It was a rough week for the USMNT, but one ultimately defined by hope. The U.S. was poor in a 2-1 loss to Canada and then suffered through a frustrating 1-1 draw with New Zealand in their first two games post-Copa America. That was followed by several key players seeing limited or no action in this weekend's club action, including Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah.
However, the arrival of new U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino will change things, and the USMNT's top stars are now all on high alert with a new coach coming in. Everyone will need to impress the new coach, who will have his eyes on the entire player pool over the coming weeks.
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All eyes will be on the Champions League after this weekend, which will see multiple key Americans playing on the biggest stage. McKennie, Weah and Juventus are set to take on PSV and their American contingent, while Pulisic's Milan hosts Liverpool in one of the week's marquee matches.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR USMNT STARS?
Luca de la Torre, Mark McKenzie, Caleb Wiley and Tanner Tessmann are among the American players that will be in action on Sunday for their respective clubs.
