Americans Abroad: Christian Pulisic benched for Milan, but Folarin Balogun offers USMNT hope with another goal

And so Milan's season continues his collapse. Early on, Max Allegri's side was on top of the world, or at least Serie A. With no European football to worry about, the rejuvenated Rossoneri were in fine form, and way-too-early favorites to capture the Scudetto. And even better for those of a USMNT persuasion, Pulisic was on fire. The 'world class' talk picked up steam again, and who could blame those crying it from the rooftops? Pulisic looked the best he's ever been.

But the turn of the calendar year has brought a steady collapse. First, they fell out of the title race for good, dropping points while both Inter and Napoli racked them up. And then, Pulisic simply stopped producing. Sure, there were a few knocks here and there, but the American's drop off has been truly weird. Allegri tried to shuffle his pack all together on Sunday, benching Pulisic against lowly Sassuolo, presumably hoping that a cameo off the bench might take some pressure off the America.

it didn't go to plan. Milan had aman sent off after 24 minutes. They were 2-0 down after 47. In 30 minutes, Pulisic managed 17 touches, put one shot on goal, and went 0 for two in dribbles. The slump continues...

If 2026 has brought misery for Pulisic, then the turn of the year has brought jubilance for Balogun. The striker was admittedly streaky towards the back end of 2025, not quite sharp and failing to deliver on a consistent basis. It wasn't that he was outright bad; the chances just weren't quite falling his way. And whether it be luck or confidence, he's looked excellent of late. Heading into Saturday's fixture, he had bagged seven goals in his last eight games for his club. in short, Balogun has been on fire.

Good timing, too. Monaco are flirting with a European spot, steadily picking up points here and there while those around them do enough to play themselves out of contention. Metz still felt like a must-win, though. They are bottom of Ligue 1, and, in theory, should be an easy side to beat. It wasn't quite that simple, in the end. Monaco went 1-0 down in the second half.

But Balogun led the charge back. He took his goal wonderfully, an arrowed shot into the bottom corner. And Monaco did the rest. Ansu Fati bagged a 91st minute winner that could be crucial in their European hopes. Balogun is finding form. And it couldn't come at a better time for the USMNT.

Freeman knew he was going to Europe. The move just came a little earlier than he thought. As Freeman tells it, he basically had to throw his life into a couple of suitcases and get over to Spain when Villarreal had an urgent need at right back due to injury. In the early days of his Spanish stint, Freeman was rather wrapped in cotton wool. There were chances here and there, but his minutes were limited.

But in recent games, manager Marcelino García has taken the handbrake off. Freeman has now started two straight, and impressed in 90 minutes against Levante on Saturday. In truth, Villarreal didn't have loads of defending to do; Freeman spent most of his time circulating possession. But he still won five ground duels, provided a couple of clearances, and ensured that Levante didn't have much joy down his wing. Villarreal walked away with a comfortable 5-1 win, and secured Champions League qualification in the process. Job done.

Very quietly, it's been an excellent season for Gianluca Busio. Yes, it's Serie B. Yes, Venezia don't play the sexiest football. But Busio? Well, he has done rather well in the middle of the park, bossing games as part of a five-man midfield. Venezia were always favorites to earn promotion back to the top flight, such is their quality and experience.

And even if they didn't make it particularly easy for themselves, the Italian side secured it Saturday with a 2-2 draw against Spezia. Busio was at the center of the action, as per usual. He had the most touches, the most shots, and kept things tidy in a professional sort of showing in the middle. He has started 36 games, plays pretty much every minute, and now has 10 goal contributions to his name this year. Does that make him USMNT quality? The verdict is still out there. But it's been a good season for a footballer who still has a lot to give.

+ Dest returned from injury for PSV, providing a tidy 30 minutes against Ajax in a 2-2 draw.

+ It was also a good afternoon for Ricardo Pepi, who scored his 14th goal of the season for the Eredivisie champs

+ Yunus Musah managed just five minutes in Atalanta's scoreless draw with Genoa

+ Malik Tillman had to settle for bench minutes once again in Bayer Leverkusen's 4-1 win over RB Leipzig

+ Gio Reyna managed 20 minutes in Borussia Monchengladbach's 1-0 win against Borussia Dortmund. Joe Scally played all 90 at left back.

+ It was an afternoon to forget for Antonee Robinson, who struggled against Bukayo Saka in Fulham's 3-0 loss to Arsenal

+ Weston McKennie turned in another solid shift for Juve, but they settled for a frustrating 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona

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