Americans Abroad: Weston McKennie and Tim Weah put on a show, Ricardo Pepi scores brace and USMNT captain Tyler Adams makes long-awaited return

With Christian Pulisic unexpectedly off for the weekend, with flooding in Bologna forcing a postponement of their match with AC Milan, the focus turned toward the U.S. men’s national team’s supporting cast. So many key players were missing during the October international break, largely due to injury. Several are on the mend and several made huge impacts this weekend as we start looking ahead to the November window.

When healthy, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are among the USMNT’s most important players. All three were vital at the 2022 World Cup and, despite all of the changes since, all three will almost certainly be important again on the road to 2026. Yet, to start the season, all three have had ups and downs. This weekend, though, they were on the field in big moments for their clubs.

Adams made his long-awaited return from injury, while McKennie and Weah were the defining forces of a major derby in Italy, scoring and assisting in what was no doubt the game of the weekend in Europe. Meanwhile, Cole Campbell, a player that very well could be the future of the USMNT made his debut in Germany for the world’s biggest talent developer, and Ricardo Pepi, No. 9 contender, sent another message to Mauricio Pochettino with a big-time brace.

It was a busy week of Americans Abroad, and GOAL breaks it all down.

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    Adams is back

    It was a welcome sight for American soccer, to put it lightly. It was a welcome sight for Bournemouth, too. Tyler Adams is back on the field, and the hope is that it’s for good this time.

    Adams has been in battling the injury bug essentially since the 2022 World Cup. He went down in March 2023, keeping him out until the start of the 2023 season. In that time, he moved to Bournemouth after that injury prevented him from saving Leeds from relegation. He made just four appearances for Bournemouth last season before injuries took him out again. Now healthy, Adams made his first appearance of the season, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw with surging Aston Villa.

    It’s a small step, but in some ways also a monumental one. Adams has played for the USMNT in the midst of all of this, famously scoring a stunner against Mexico before also featuring at the Copa America. That always looked like Adams at 70 or 80 percent max, though. He never quite looked himself and, ultimately, he paid the price for those moments by missing more time on the club level.

    For the USMNT to be the best team it can be, Adams needs to be there. He’s clearly still the best No. 6 in this group when healthy. Mauricio Pochettino will love him but, as they say, the best ability is availability.

    Hopefully, Adams can feature in the USMNT’s upcoming November camp, at least to just get acclimated to life under the new boss. If we’ve learned anything, though, it’s that Adams should take it steady as he ramps up ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

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  McKennie and Weah headline wild derby

  Juventus may or may not be title contenders this season. Their 4-4 back-and-forth duel with Inter Sunday showed they can go toe-to-toe with anyone, but there are still points to prove for the Old Lady.

  And whatever Juventus do accomplish, McKennie and Weah are assured to be a big part of it, just as they were in an incredible derby.

  McKennie assisted Juve’s opening goal, setting up Dusan Vlahovic to give his side an early equalizer. Six minutes later, Weah got a goal of his own, scoring his second of the season. McKennie wasn’t done in the second half, either, as he assisted Kenan Yildiz’s goal to bring Juve back within a goal. Yildiz, of course, was the hero from there, scoring again to earn Juve a point with a 4-4 draw, but McKennie and Weah were major catalysts in Juve’s goal explosion.

  Both have a point to prove under new coach Thiago Motta, and both showed that they can directly contribute to goals. The result wasn’t ideal but, for McKennie and Weah, the performance was timely as both look to get going after stop-start beginnings to the season.

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  Welcome to the show, Cole Campbell

  Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and now Cole Campbell – the Borussia Dortmund-USMNT connection continues on.

  Campbell became the latest American to make his senior debut for Dortmund on Saturday, as he came on in the final minutes of a 2-1 loss to Augsburg. Given the scoreline, this wasn’t a ceremonial appearance – Dortmund thought he could influence the game. He only got four touches but, hey, it was still a big night.

  Dortmund are high on Campbell, which means America should be, too. The teenager made the one-time switch from Iceland to the U.S. earlier this year, committing his future to American soccer going forward. It’s was a big risk, in a way, but Campbell is betting on himself to be a USMNT star – and given the track record at Dortmund, in particular, that bet feels safe.

  There is no better club in the world at turning young players into stars. Campbell is the latest to arrive on that conveyor belt looking to become a regular at Dortmund. If he does, if he follows in the footsteps of players such as Pulisic, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland – no easy task – he’ll be one heck of a player. It’s early, though, but, even so, it’s worth keeping an eye on Dortmund’s newest rising star.

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  Pepi just keeps scoring

  When Ricardo Pepi plays, he scores. When he starts, it feels like he scores multiple.

  That’s what happened on Saturday, when Pepi accounted for two of PSV’s six goals in a win over PEC Zwolle. That takes him to five goals in just 340 Eredivisie minutes. It’s an absurd goal haul, even for a team as dominant as PSV.

  That’s what PSV is: dominant. Through 10 matches, they’re unbeaten with a +29 goal difference. After winning the league last season, PSV look like they’re going to cruise again this time around.

  In addition to Pepi, it’s also worth shouting out Malik Tillman, who was also on the scoresheet for the Dutch giants. He how has five goals and an assist in 10 matches, continuing his stellar start to the campaign.

  For American fans, PSV is about as fun as it gets. American stars are putting up videogame numbers in the Eredivisie, and that’s even before Sergino Dest returns to provide some sauce at fullback. Pepi and Tillman are thriving, and both look like players that could be poached by big teams going forward thanks to their incredible form.

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  Wright’s game-winner

  It surely was scrappy, but it was also a game-winner. It was a big moment for Coventry City and, of course, a big moment for Haji Wright.

  The American forward scored in stoppage time to earn Coventry three points as they from a 3-2 win over Luton Town. The goal came off a set pice battle, with Wright pouncing from inside the six-yard box to smash home and win his side the match. It was a good performance from Wright, even outside of the goal. He created four chances and had seven shots, putting Luton under pressure all night. As a result, it was somewhat fitting that Wright was the one that finally profited from the breakthrough – he had been threatening to all day.

  After scoring 16 last season, Wright has five this campaign, proving last year in the Championship was no fluke. The more he scored, the more evidence be provides Pochettino that he deserves more run, even in an increasingly crowded USMNT forward picture.

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  Moments you might have missed

  + Christian Pulisic is normally a headliner for the USMNT players abroad, especially with his current form. Not this time. Flooding postponed Milan’s clash with Bologna, putting a temporary pause on Pulisic’s goalscoring run. He’ll be back Tuesday against Napoli.

  + Antonee Robinson had a meaningful game, going toe-to-toe with boyhood club Everton at Goodison Park. Robinson was solid as usual, helping Fulham to a 1-1 draw.

  + Tanner Tessmann was in the starting XI for Lyon’s 2-2 draw with Auxerre. The midfielder was solid, too, completing 35 of 38 passes and creating two chances while impacting the game defensively. Overall, a step forward for the 23-year-old midfielder.

  + It was a wild one for Greuther Furth, as both of their Americans featured. Julian Green had an assist in the 4-3 win over Schalke, while Maximilian Dietz started in central defense.

  + Norwich and Middlesbrough had a wild back-and-forth battle with an American on either side. Josh Sargent started for Norwich, but didn’t contribute to any of their goals, while Aidan Morris was at the hart of Middlesbrough’s midfield in the chaotic 3-3 draw.

  + Some concerns in England’s League One as Gabriel Slonina was benched by Barnsley after a few errors. A tough setback for the young goalkeeper.