Three Americans found the back of the net while two others provided assists on a wild Tuesday
For two electrifying hours on Tuesday afternoon, it felt like everything was happening all at once. Different games, different countries, different stakes – no matter where you looked, a U.S. men’s national team star was making headlines.
The day began with a negative early as Christian Pulisic left with a minor injury, but from there, fireworks. Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna were all on the scoresheet. Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson provided assists, too. In Robinson's case, that's assists as in plural as he pushed even closer to the league leaders in that statistic.
It wasn't just the Americans, though, but rather the chaos of it all. Without Pulisic, Milan fought from a goal down to get a much-needed win against Como. Fulham nearly completed a comeback against West Ham thanks to those Robinson assists. PSV? Well, they were the wildest of all, going back and forth in a nine-goal cup thriller against Excelsior.
It was a wild day for fans following from across the Atlantic. GOAL looks at key takeaways from Americans Abroad.
AFPReyna makes his case
Given the result, few at Borussia Dortmund could leave Tuesday's 4-2 shellacking at the hands of Holstein Kiel with their heads held high. Reyna was one of those few, though. Given another half-opportunity to impress, he showed exactly what he can do when given a legitimate look.
Reyna's finish was spectacular. Amid fog and haze pouring in from the stands, Reyna was still able to pick his corner from distance, slotting a shot into the back of the net for his second goal of the season. Reyna now has the same amount of goals as the amount of games he started this season. In total, he's played just 156 Bundesliga minutes.
Will this change anything? Who knows? The most likely change might just be at the top, with manager Nuri Sahin now under immense pressure. This season hasn't gone to plan for Dortmund, which could lead to another managerial change if things don't turn around. That could change the equation for Reyna, but we've heard this before, haven't we?
The American's future is still a mystery. It's still relatively quiet on the transfer front, despite the lack of minutes. Maybe Tuesday's goal changes that. Maybe this is the turning point he needs.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe risk Milan take with Pulisic
The moment Pulisic went down against Como, fans on both sides of the Atlantic held their breath. AC Milan can't afford to lose him. Neither can the USMNT. Given the level he's played at this season, another Pulisic injury would be a nightmare.
Early reports say it's not a serious injury for Pulisic, just muscle fatigue. That's good news, obviously, but also a reminder of how cautious Milan need to be going forward.
Yes, the club is in a tight spot and needs to ride their stars as hard as they can – it needs results. Pulisic has been Milan's star this season, so of course they'll rely on him through these games that, ultimately, will define their season for better or worse.
Even so, Pulisic is only human. He just returned from a month-long injury lay-off on Jan. 3, and the injury suffered on Tuesday in the 2-1 win over Como came in his fourth game since. It's a heavy workload for any player, especially factoring in the trip to Saudi Arabia for the cup triumph. Factor in Pulisic's injury history and it's all just very risky.
Milan will need to weigh that risk going forward, whenever Pulisic is cleared to play again. It's a fine line to walk but, given their spot in the table, Milan have to try and walk it.
AFPPepi and Tillman lead stunning PSV comeback
This wasn’t just the Americans Abroad game of the week – it might have been the game of the year. Nine goals, three scored by Americans, and endless drama in the Netherlands as PSV and Excelsior went head-to-head in a wild KNVB Cup showdown.
Pepi and Tillman were the heroes for PSV, but it took a Herculean effort to secure the win. Trailing 2-0, Tillman sparked the comeback with a goal, only for PSV to concede again, making it 3-1. Pepi answered with a strike to cut the deficit before Ismael Saibari’s last-second equalizer forced extra time. In the added period, Pepi delivered a stunning one-on-one finish, and Ivan Perisic seemingly sealed it. "Seemingly" was the key word — Excelsior clawed back yet again, making PSV sweat out a thrilling 5-4 victory.
If there's one thing to take away from this match, it's the continued brilliance of Pepi. What a run this is for him, to put it lightly. Every time he steps onto the field as a starter, you can pencil in at least a goal or two. He's scoring at a rate matched by few, if any, in the world. PSV's Earnie Stewart tells GOAL that the club wants to keep him, but, with every big goal scored by Pepi, that feels like it'll get harder and harder.
Tillman, meanwhile, has been fantastic as well. His breakout was last season, but he's following it up this season, too, having already hit 11 goals in all competitions. He's been just as good, even if Pepi's recent goalscoring heroics have overshadowed him a bit.
PSV has some stars on their hands, and those stars carried them to another ridiculous win on Tuesday.
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Getty Images SportNo stopping 'Jedi'
Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, Robinson – that's the list of players with nine or more assists. Those aren't just the Premier League's top-five assist providers; they're the top three in any of the top five leagues.
Elite company, to put it lightly. Robinson continues to play at a legitimately world-class level.
It wasn't enough on Tuesday. Fulham still fell to a 3-2 defeat as Robinson's pair of assists couldn't complete a comeback against West Ham. It's unfortunate for Robinson and Alex Iwobi, who scored the brace. Those two did everything they could to drag Fulham back, but it just wasn't to be.
Reports say Fulham are desperate to keep hold of Robinson to push for Europe, but every defeat like this takes them further away from that goal. Could another loss or two before the January window close change their stance? What would it take for a club to actually convince Fulham that selling would be in their best interest?
The story remains ongoing, as does Robinson, who keeps offering more evidence that he should be counted among the world's best.