How good will Patrick Agyeman get? Another goal at the weekend raised that question as the great striker continues to grow and improve his game.
And in Italy, Weston McKennie shone at the San Siro on Sunday, while Christian Pulisic also made a welcome return.
Welcome to this week’s USMNT Player Tracker, as the World Cup finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada quickly approach.
A corner kick, a towering leap and an unstoppable header. Agyeman scored his 10th goal of the Championship season in typical centre-forward fashion.
It was a breakthrough moment for him, with the 25-year-old surprising many with the speed of his adaptation to European football since joining Derby County from Charlotte FC last summer.
Agyeman has scored the same number of goals in the league this season as compatriot Haji Wright, and if he continues this form he could surpass the Coventry striker’s tally on his debut in England (16). He is also on track to dethrone Josh Sargent, who scored 13 goals for Norwich City in his first year in the Championship, albeit after scoring two in the Premier League last season.
But whereas Wright came to England having enjoyed success in Turkey’s top flight with Antalyaspor and Bundesliga experience with Schalke, Agyeman’s background is very different.
The striker has no MLS academy experience and began his college soccer at third-division Eastern Connecticut University, transferring to Rhode Island in 2020 and remaining there until being drafted by Charlotte in 2022.
The MLS club, like Derby’s scouts, saw his true potential and paid him £8 million after two seasons in MLS.
Now, USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino must be thinking seriously about the Connecticut-born forward.
As club manager John Eustace points out, Agyeman is still developing and is already scoring in double figures, so how high is the ceiling for the 6ft 4in (193cm) player?
Is he already ahead of Sargent? Could it be that he was stuck in the middle of an attempt to leave Norwich during the winter period, with Wright overtaken in the pecking order to support first-choice Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi?
Patrick Agyeman scored his second derby goal against Swansea. (Leila Coker/Getty Images)
“I thought Patrick couldn’t play at times today” Eustace he told the Derby website. After a 2-0 win over Swansea on Saturday. “He really caused a lot of problems for their defense, but you can see him growing and getting more confident.
“His work rate off the ball was much better today and it’s improving all the time. He’s gradually understanding the tactical side.”
“Carlton (Morris) has been his mentor since the beginning of the season and even when he’s been injured he’s looked after Patrick and helped him, so those two guys are going to play a big role in what we want to do until the end of the season.”
Agyeman could play in the USMNT’s next World Cup warm-up games against Belgium next month and Portugal in April.
The striker, who made his international debut against Venezuela just over a year ago, continues to develop. It’s a timely trajectory.
Another week and another shocking performance from McKennie for Juventus.
The big talking point after the Turin side lost 3-2 to league leaders Inter may have been the team’s controversial red card.
But McKechnie’s continued contributions cannot go unnoticed. After scoring in last week’s draw with Lazio, he was appointed creator on Saturday and set up two of Juve’s goals at the San Siro.
The American’s performance won’t be remembered as much as his awful second yellow (and red) for Pierre Karls and yet another VAR controversy, but it’s fair to wonder if there’s any Serie A midfielder in better form than the 27-year-old this season when the dust settles.
It may have only been 17 minutes, but Christian Pulisic was back on the pitch on Friday, enjoying the feeling of Milan’s victory.
The USMNT star has not started for the Rossoneri since January 18 as he seeks to overcome persistent muscle issues.
He was again forced onto the bench against Pisa on Friday, but came on as a substitute in the 77th minute to help Max Allegri’s team win and keep the pressure on leaders Inter.
Christian Pulisic (left) and Luka Modric have made welcome returns. (Gabriele Martinti/Getty Images)
Elsewhere in Italy, two American players faced off in the second division on Saturday.
In the end, Gianluca Busio of Venice outscored Cesena goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, and Gianluca Busio’s team won 4-0.
Busio started the rout with an impressive free-kick, taking Venice to the top of Serie B and on track for promotion.
What will happen this week?
It’s Champions League season once again, and several Americans are participating in the playoff games that will determine their team’s progress.
The game begins Tuesday when Juventus faces a difficult trip to Turkey’s Galatasaray (12:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+). At least with this type of McKennie, you have a player who can unlock any defense.
Later in the day, Balogun and Monaco will have a tough matchup against a familiar opponent as they take on reigning French and European champions Paris Saint-Germain (3 p.m. ET, Paramount+).
Weston McKennie is in great shape. (Isabella Bonotto/AFP via Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Bayer Leverkusen heads to Olympiakos for the first leg of a doubleheader (3 p.m. ET, Paramount+). The German team will be hoping USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman, who played the second half of the team’s 4-0 Bundesliga win against St. Pauli over the weekend, can regain the form he showed in the last league game, when he scored twice against Villarreal.
It will also be interesting to see if Johnny Cardoso can retain his place in Atletico Madrid’s starting XI (he played in Sunday’s 3-0 La Liga loss to Rayo Vallecano). Diego Simeone’s team will have to travel to Belgium to face Club Brugge (Wednesday, 3pm ET, Paramount+).
In the Europa League, Auston Trusty and Celtic will be looking to continue their good form after Sunday’s 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Kilmarnock put them in contention for the Scottish title. On Thursday, the Glasgow club face Bundesliga fourth-placed Stuttgart in another two-legged play-off for a place in the last 16 (3pm, Paramount+).
The same format will apply in the Conference League, with Chris Richards and Crystal Palace, who took a weekend off after being eliminated from the FA Cup last round, heading to Bosnia on Thursday to face Zrinjski Mostar (12:45pm ET, Paramount+).
Finally, on Wednesday, Villarreal faces Levante in a domestic game (2 p.m., ESPN+). USMNT defender Alex Freeman came on as a substitute in the 79th minute against Getafe over the weekend, inching closer to making his first start for the Spanish team since arriving from Orlando City in the winter.