Red card rage, Josh Sargent on target and Malik Tillman flair all play a part in this week’s USMNT tracker.
Each Monday, we bring you updates on how the American players who play in various leagues around Europe fared over the weekend.
With the Copa America this year and the 2026 World Cup on home soil looming ever larger on the horizon, we’re keeping tabs on how they are performing.
Issue of the weekend
It was the dramatic finale that endeared Christian Pulisic even more to AC Milan fans — even if it also made his social media mentions particularly unpleasant reading.
The USMNT captain has more normally made the headlines in Italy for his goals and sparkling performances this season but, on Friday, it was his part in a fiery end to Milan’s 1-0 win at Lazio that grabbed the attention.
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Lazio had two players sent off in stoppage time at the end after another had been shown a red card earlier in the game — and Pulisic was involved in two of the dismissals.
Defender Luca Pellegrini was sent off on 57 minutes after being booked twice for separate fouls on Pulisic. Then, in the 97th minute, not long after Lazio’s Adam Marusic was also sent off, the former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi was also given his marching orders for his furious reaction to a foul by the American, who was also booked.
Pulisic subsequently took to Instagram to post a picture of himself and his team-mates celebrating above the caption: “Nothing but love for this squad and the entire Rossoneri family.”
It triggered a deluge of comments with some threatening his life, even prompting team-mate Theo Hernandez to post: “Puliiiii I am your security.”
The win meant Milan reduced the gap on second-place Juventus to a point, although they are 13 behind table-topping rivals Inter (who also play this evening against Genoa).
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Pulsic has seven goals and six assists so far this season in the league for Milan and, due to his fine form in Italy, the former USMNT star Cobi Jones believes the player can continue to inspire the national team ahead of this summer’s Copa America.
“I’m very impressed with what Christian is doing: scoring goals and playing at a top level,” Jones told the FIFA website. “Of course, as the captain, he’s a big player for the United States. Not only because he’s a huge talent, but for his experience and leadership abilities.
“You must have a good group dynamic if you’re going to have success. In 1994 (when the U.S. reached the round of 16), by no right should we have accomplished so much — but it was because we had a great group.
“In 2002 (reaching the quarter-finals), how did we do so well? It was the same. We had a group that fought together. There are other times when we didn’t do so well, and that’s usually when the group is separated and there are different dynamics going on.
“France 1998 was the perfect example (when the USMNT were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup in France). You’ve got to be united. For Pulisic, bringing the squad together is going to be his biggest job and, with his experience, I’m sure he can be that leader.”
Player of the weekend
Malik Tillman has been one of the best breakthrough young talents across Europe this season.
His sensational goal for the still-unbeaten Dutch league leaders, PSV Eindhoven, lit up the clash with Feyenoord on Sunday.
The 21-year-old picked up the ball in midfield and nutmegged defender Feyenoord defender David Hancko before continuing his run into the box and drilling a shot into the bottom corner to put hosts PSV 1-0 up.
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Second-place Feyenoord threatened an upset at the Philips Stadion in the second half when they came back to make it 2-1, but Guus Til ensured PSV remain without a defeat in the Eredivisie this term with a 71st-minute equaliser.
Tillman, who was making his ninth start of the season in the league, put in a man-of-the-match display. He also produced a strong defensive effort, winning both of his aerial duels, all three of his tackles and 77 per cent of his ground duels.
24 – Americans have recorded 24 goal contributions for PSV in the Eredivisie this season, tied for the most by any country other than the Netherlands for a single team this season (Mexico – 24 for Feyenoord, all by Santiago Giménez). Concacaf. pic.twitter.com/O9zwwhr416
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) March 3, 2024
“It was a very good start,” Tillman told PSV’s website afterwards. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the win, but we’re still undefeated so it’s a good thing. It’s an amazing feeling to score, especially against Feyenoord. We conceded easy goals but we still got one point and we can live with that. We can take it.
“Confidence is very high. We’re still undefeated and 10 points ahead. We will try to win every game.”
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Quote of the weekend
Another week, another Norwich goal for Josh Sargent.
The USMNT striker scored the only goal of the game to seal a 1-0 win against Sunderland and keep Norwich in the hunt for the Championship play-offs as they sit seventh in the league.
That’s 11 goals in 15 games for the forward, who missed a huge chunk of the early part of the campaign with an ankle injury. His manager David Wagner thinks there could be more to come.
“The stats speak for themselves,” Wagner said after the game at Carrow Road. “You see his presence and how he works for the team. He’s a big player for us, and the team works very hard with and for him.
“You have to have a player who puts the ball in the back of the net, and this is Josh at the minute. Luckily, we have him. He’s growing fitness-wise as well.”
The day before the game, Sargent was also named Norwich’s player of the month for February.
No player in the top four leagues of English football has scored more league goals than Josh Sargent (six) since the beginning of February — an honour he shares with Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday’s Ike Ugbo.
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Graphic of the weekend
How did other U.S. players get on?
Name: Zach Booth
Club: Volendam
Position: Midfield
Appearances: 18
Goals: Two
The 20-year-old’s sublime goal for Volendam was perhaps the only positive from their 5-2 defeat by NEC Nijmegen on Friday, a loss which left them rooted to the bottom of the Eredivisie table.
Booth, who is on loan from Leicester City, has two goals and an assist in the Eredivisie this season. He has started Volendam’s last five games.
🟠⚫ 2️⃣ – 4️⃣ ⚪🟤
😁 86' | Booth maakt de stand iets dragelijker. Hij schiet de bal goed in de korte hoek.pic.twitter.com/pnBO67NnVx
— FC Volendam 🔶 (@fcvolendam) March 1, 2024
Name: Cameron Carter-Vickers
Club: Celtic
Position: Centre-Back
Appearances: 17
Goals: One
The defender had a week of fluctuating fortunes with Celtic. He scored a header to start the rout as Brendan Rodgers’ side thrashed Dundee 7-1 on Wednesday. However, when presented with the chance to go top of the Premiership on Sunday after rivals Rangers faltered 2-1 against Motherwell, Celtic lost 2-0 to Hearts and remain second.
Name: Ethan Horvath
Club: Cardiff City
Position: Goalkeeper
Appearances: Five
After conceding six goals in his first two games for loan club Cardiff City, the USMNT goalkeeper has kept clean sheets in two of the next three fixtures. Horvath, who is out in the cold at Nottingham Forest, made three saves as his side beat Bristol City 1-0 on Saturday.
Name: Haji Wright
Club: Coventry City
Position: Striker
Appearances: 33
Goals: 11
Wright came off the bench to score a penalty for Coventry on Friday, but it was not enough for his side to take anything from their Midlands derby with West Bromwich Albion. The 25-year-old has 11 goals in 33 league appearances for ninth-placed Coventry this season.
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What’s coming up?
(All times Eastern)
Watch Pulisic’s Milan back in Europa League action on Thursday against Slavia Prague (3pm Paramount +). Then, on Saturday, Joe Scally and Jordan Pefok’s Borussia Monchengladbach face Cologne in the Rhine Derby in the Bundesliga (9:30am ESPN+).
Also on Saturday, Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream will likely feature for Fulham in the Premier League against Wolverhampton Wanderers (10am, Peacock Premium). And tune in on Sunday to see if Giovanni Reyna, missing with an injury in the last game, can get any minutes for Nottingham Forest against Brighton (10am, Peacock Premium).
(Top photos: Getty Images)