It’s a MASSIVE midweek window for USMNT talent as Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah take on Liverpool. What more could you want here? You have a truly top tier European clash between two of the top ~10 teams in the world, plus you have two young Americans, and Pulisic has been on fire lately so he could really put himself on the global map here with a big performance. On top of that, it’s a rematch of the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals so both sets of supporters will be amped to say the least.
We also have a Champions League match that could legitimately feature 5 Americans on the pitch at the same time. Unheard of. Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi (and Ricky Ledesma) travel to Turin to take on Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie. The big question is how much playing time Weah and McKennie will see, but with Juve manager Thiago Motta seemingly displeased by his starting XI from this weekend (which featured 0 Americans) so they both could get opportunities to impress.
Tillman has been in great form for PSV – and we thought he was the lone outfield US player who did well against Canada. PSV has been facing weaker competition in the Eredivisie thus far this season though, so we get a chance to see if Malik can produce the goods against top tier European competition.
The Carabao Cup also provides some excellent opportunities to check out USMNT talent in action. First, we have Gabriel Slonina taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford. What a massive experience and massive opportunity for the 20-year old GK prospect. He’s been in good form for Barnsley this season but United at Old Trafford is a different test. Let’s see how he does.
Finally – Haji Wright will get an opportunity to show he can perform at a Premier League level when Coventry take on Tottenham. Tottenham’s manager – Ange Postecoglou – also recently went on record as saying he “always” (his words, not ours) wins a trophy in his second year at a club. This is year 2 at Tottenham and honestly the Carabao Cup might be their best opportunity…so we think Tottenham will send out a strong squad.
Enjoy – and we’ll be back later this week to recap the best and worst from the midweek action.
most recent usmnt Player Updates
10.4 – Weekend Recap
The last match window before the USMNT all gather in Austin for Pochettino’s first camp was action packed.
Pulisic scored, and was Milan’s best player, again! It’s almost every game this year he’s been either the best player by the data or as voted by fans. …But we get some bad vibes from his teammates twice stripping him of the PK responsibility against the coach’s orders. Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham both had their PKs saved by David de Gea – so they probably should have let Pulisic, who is 10/10 in his career, take them.
September 2024 “team of the month”
This is basically how the USMNT would line up in our first matches under Pochettino – if he made his decisions based ONLY on current club form. He obviously won’t do that – but it’s a cool way to look at who is playing well, and who isn’t, for the USMNT.
10.4 – Weekend preview
Best matches of the weekend, brought to you by #DosACero. This is the final match window before the guys head to #Austin for the FIRST CAMP WITH POCHETTINO. Here’s hoping for a strong set of performances, with everyone coming in hot. LFG!