GOAL's key takeaways from Americans player in Europe, including impact goals from USMNT stars Pulisic, Sargent and Pepi
It was a weekend full of goals and assists from U.S. men's national team stars, both expected and unexpected.
Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent – you're used to seeing these names on the scoresheet. All three have proven that they can score at the top levels of their respective leagues, and all three were instrumental in wins this weekend. The March international break will be here before you know it, and all three can certainly build even more momentum.
Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah, though? They're known for their work in midfield more than the attacking third, but both had big assists. Adams, in fact, had two, showing once again that he can play at an elite level in the Premier League.
Those USMNT stars all made headlines, but so too did a young star on the rise. Young Noahkai Banks, just 18, might actually be this weekend's big winner, which is wild to say considering others' accomplishments.
This weekend certainly was eventful for USMNT stars in Europe, and GOAL looks at key takeaways from Americans Abroad.
AFPAdams continues to power incredible Bournemouth run
With Saturday's 5-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth are now unbeaten in 11. Wonder why?
Oh yeah, the return of Tyler Adams. The U.S. international made his return from injury in November which is, not coincidentally, when this run all kicked off. There are plenty of factors that have lead to Bournemouth's surge up the table, but Adams is clearly one of them.
Just look at his most recent performance against Forest. Adams was the defensive bulldog American fans know and love, winning seven of his 10 duels while providing two tackles, two interceptions and three clearances. He wasn't dribbled past once, either. When you talk about presence in the midfield, that's Adams. Since returning from his injury, no Premier League midfiedler is being credited with mor tackles or interceptions per 90 minutes.
Don't forget the attacking side, though. Adams was credited with two assists, although, admittedly, the first one was all Justin Kluivert. With those assists, he builds on one in the prior game, becoming the first American to provide three Premier League assists over two games. Not Dempsey, not Pulisi. But Adams.
Who would have seen that coming? Well, anyone who has watched Adams' recent run. He's so important to Bournemouth, much as he is to the USMNT. It's been more than two years since we've seen him at his best in a U.S. shirt, but this Bournemouth run shows that, despite all of the injury issues, he's still getting better.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTeenager ready for run at USMNT centerback spot?
The USMNT centerback race is already crowded, but is there room for one more? Noahkai Banks will sure hope so. Check back in a year on him. He may very well be in it.
Banks made his first Bundesliga start for Augsburgon Saturday and, if that's the level he'll be playing at going forward, it'll be the first of many. Banks was incredible, completing 98 percent of his passes including all seven of his long-distance ones in a 2-1 win over Heidenheim. Both on and off the ball, Banks looked more than ready for the challenge, and it is a big challenge playing in the Bundesliga at 18.
That number is important: 18. Banks is still young, and centerbacks generally peak later. He still has so much to learn – and still so much to prove if he realistically wants to push for a USMNT job in the near future. This was just his fourth appearance and his first start. it's a very small sample size.
Still, he's currently playing in a position that is somewhat open, even if there is a slew of competitors currently sitting ahead of him. Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Miles Robinson are all still in that mix, but that's what it is at the moment: a mix. There's no penciled in pairing and, because of that, youngsters such as Banks have hope.
It's early days, and Banks still has to prove that he can play at this level regularly. In terms of early impressions, though, the young defender couldn't be doing much better.
Getty Images SportSargent is officially back
Josh Sargent is back. He'd returned to the field in recent weeks, but Saturday settled it: he's actually all the way back.
Sargent scored twice in Norwich's 5-1 smashing of Swansea, which was his first goalscoring performance since Oct. 5. A groin injury took him out soon after, only for him to make his return earlier this month. It took some time to get going, and Norwich were careful to ease him in, but these goals feel like a true return to form from a player that makes all the difference for his club.
Last season, Sargent fired 16 goals to lead the club to a sixth-place finish. This season, without Sargent for significant stretches, the Canaries sit 11th, and they only that high due to the goals scored by league-leader Borja Sainz. It's tempting to wonder where they'd be if Sargent was around throughout this Championship season.
There's still some hope for Norwich. Just five points separate them from fifth-place Sunderland, and all of the clubs between will also believe they have a shot. Their run is beginning and, with a healthy Sargent.
GettyPulisic and Musah shine for Milan
Oh, did they need that. AC Milan were in desperate need of a win to get their Serie A campaign back on track, and they got it in a 3-2 win over Parma Sunday, with their two Americans helping lead the charge.
Christian Pulisic was up first, scoring from the penalty spot to net his first goal since his minor injury scare a few weeks back. This was his first game back in the starting XI since, and he marked it with a goal. It doesn't get much better than that. That's 11 on the season now, leaving him only four away from last season's haul in just about half the games so far.
Yunus Musah made his mark, too. With Milan down 2-1 in stoppage time, Musah's picture-perfect ball to Tijani Reijnders allowed Milan to level it up, seemingly grabbing a point. It turned out to be three, as Samuel Chukwueze added another goal five minutes into stoppage time to perhaps save Milan's season.
With the win, Milan are up into sixth, three points behind Juventus, who have a game in hand. They're also five points behind Lazio for that coveted fourth-place spot. It's an uphill climb but, to get there, Milan need points. They got three big ones on Sunday.
