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All eyes were on the strikers this weekend. To be fair, that’s been the case quite often lately. The U.S. men’s national team’s No. 9s have been scoring in bunches, and two of the top players in that position were on the scoresheet again this weekend.
That’s good news, but it wasn’t the story. Instead, those goals were overshadowed by another injury, one that will dramatically alter how the USMNT looks in Mauricio Pochettino’s first camp.
Josh Sargent, Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun were all on target for their clubs, but the injury to the latter overshadowed those efforts. Balogun, along with Tim Weah and Johnny Cardoso, is now out of the squad, shaking up the striker situation for the USMNT. That’s a tough blow for Balogun, who was surely eager to impress the new coach.
It could, however, open the door for Sargent, who is overdue for an opportunity. He’s fit, confident and scoring. How it will play out with two upcoming friendlies is anyone’s guess, but this camp could be an opportunity for Sargent to make his mark after what seems like an eternity between chances.
GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend’s Americans Abroad.
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GettyFolarin Balogun’s bad luck
Just when things were starting to go well…
Folarin Balogun is scoring, and he’s scoring in bunches. He made it three in a row this weekend, netting the match-winner for Monaco in a 2-1 win over Rennes. After a tough start to the season, the confidence and the goals are certainly there.
Unfortunately, that score was overshadowed by a later development. Midway through the second half, the striker sustained a shoulder injury, one that appeared bad at the moment and may be worse when taken into consideration what it means.
Balogun is now officially out of the USMNT squad for the upcoming camp, which means no debut under Pochettino. The striker was riding high, surely impressing his new coach from afar. It’s unfortunate and unlucky for a player that really stands to benefit from Pochettino’s arrival.
That’ll have to wait, though. As for the man who will likely replace him as the No. 9…
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Getty Images SportJosh Sargent’s big chance
Josh Sargent needs this chance. He deserves it, too. And, with Balogun’s injury, there’s no doubt that he should get it in this upcoming camp.
The striker has played less than 30 minutes for the USMNT since the World Cup. That was nearly two years ago. In that time, he’s scored numerous goals for Norwich City, and he got another this weekend.
This one was his fourth of the season, a tidy finish at the back post in a 4-0 Norwich win. It’s also his second in as many games. Despite missing a penalty along the way, Sargent is still scoring, and that’s meaningful momentum heading into USMNT camp.
Without Balogun, it has to be Sargent’s time, right? He missed out on a chance in September camp due to injury, having missed plenty of others for similar reasons. Sargent is healthy and scoring now, though. Now’s his moment to prove himself to the new coach. He’ll know better than most how important it is to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise.
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Getty Images SportChristian Pulisic still scoring
Another week, another goal for Christian Pulisic. Ho hum. It’s becoming a familiar sight, for sure, but it sure as hell isn’t getting old.
With his stunning goal against Fiorentina, Pulisic has now scored in five of his last six games for Milan, including each of his last four in Serie A. When taking his USMNT goal against New Zealand into account, it’s six goals in his last seven games in all competitions.
It’s absurd and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before from an American. Quality and quantity are both there. Pulisic is executing at an unprecedented level for a USMNT player.
Unfortunately for him, Milan aren’t benefitting from it. They’ve lost three of the games in which Pulisic has scored in, highlighting some of the deficiencies in that team. Pulisic certainly isn’t one of them; in fact, he just may be the best player in Serie A.
He’ll head into the international break on a high, which is a big change considering his issues at Chelsea from several years ago. A confident Pulisic is proving to be unstoppable at Milan, so what will he do now in a USMNT shirt?
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Getty Images SportPaxten Aaronson’s rise
While his older brother has shined at Leeds, the younger Aaronson is starting to find himself, too. Paxten Aaronson scored his second goal in as many weeks, leading Utrecht to a 3-2 win over RKS Waalwijk.
That goal came after a big one in another win over AZ, as Aaronson continues to directly impact results while on loan.
That’s all you can ask from a young player. The ex-Philadelphia Union starlet has bounced all over since moving to Europe, playing for Eintracht Frankfurt, Vitesse and, now, Utrecht. It’s certainly been a challenge, but Aaronson is stepping up to it.
Is he ready for the USMNT? He’s getting close. Aaronson is a player who’s gotten a taste, but has largely been on the U23 level. Just 21, he still has maturing to do. Utrecht seems like a good place to do it, though, as he continues to make an impact
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Getty Images SportAuston Trusty responds
There’s no downplaying it: Auston Trusty and Celtic got smacked by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. It was a beating of epic proportions, one that would shake many players’ confidence.
A win over Ross County doesn’t erase that. Ross County isn’t Dortmund, to put it lightly. Still, you can only play who is in front of you, and Trusty did what he had to do in the win.
Trusty completed a ridiculous 104 of his 109 passes as Celtic dominated an inferior opponent. He won eight of his 13 duels, too. Trusty was involved throughout, which is good for a player still acclimating to his new team.
The American, like just about everyone else on the team, failed the test against Dortmund. There are more challenges coming up. This response was much-needed, though, as Trusty looks to build confidence and trust in his new team.
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Getty Images SportMoments you might have missed
• Weston McKennie returned to the bench on Sunday, subbing into the match in the second half. Juventus ended up settling for a 1-1 draw with Cagliari after conceding a late penalty that came with a red card.
• The injury bug had a big impact on this weekend as Chris Richards, Gio Reyna, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Weah and Caleb Wiley all missed games. All of those will miss the USMNT camp.
• Cole Campbell, the U.S. youth international, made Dortmund’s bench for the first time in a 2-1 loss to Union Berlin.
• It was relatively quiet for the USMNT players at PSV, but, even so, they squeaked out a 2-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam despite going down to 10 men.
• It was tough weekend for Antonee Robinson and Fulham, who ran into the Manchester City juggernaut. They put up a good fight, falling 3-2, but Fulham missed too many chances to really take down the Premier League’s best team.
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