A smart comeback, Folarin Balogun’s return to business, and Bob Bradley’s fluid dream appear on this week’s USMNT player tracker.
Every Monday, we bring you updates on the participation of American players (and coaches) in European leagues over the weekend.
With the Copa America taking place this year and the 2026 World Cup, also partly at home, looming more and more on the horizon, we are keeping an eye on his performance.
How the Copa America at The Athletic. . .
Minutes restricted. That’s the term that determined the extent of Tyler Adams’ involvement in the USMNT’s successful crusade in the CONCACAF Nations League.
The captain’s availability for the semi-final against Jamaica and the final against Mexico was not easy. Rather, it was the result of a controlled procedure in collaboration between the club’s medical groups and Adams, a technique that ultimately paid off. .
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Adam’s injury was such – he had missed six months of the Premier League campaign at Bournemouth due to a serious hamstring problem – that there may be no shortcuts when the time comes for his return.
Instead, every minute he could play in the box with the USMNT was agreed upon in advance, and Adams really made them count. His sensational long-range goal sparked an excellent start in the 2-0 final win over Mexico and, later admitting his frustration at not being able to play the entire match in Dallas, allowed him to shine even brighter for his club.
The 25-year-old made his first Premier League debut for Bournemouth on Saturday as they beat Everton 2-1. The midfielder was present throughout the match and generated an in-form and power-packed guy along the way. The first time Adams played 90 minutes for a club in just over a year dates back to Leeds’ 2-2 draw with Brighton.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” he told Bournemouth’s website. “It took us a while, so I’m pleased that we contributed decisively to getting the three points. Matches like that are my favorites. It’s vital for us to be physical from the start. “We started and that’s how we scored goals.
Speaking about his rehabilitation, Adams added: “The progression we’ve had over the last 20 weeks has been slow and steady. We did it in a slow and smart way. We were wise in the process.
“I would like to thank all the doctors on the U. S. national team. They were in communication with Bournemouth and came up with the smartest plan for me to be fit, come back and have an influence on the team here. So, “I’m thankful that they put in place a plan of action that allowed me to do what I wanted. I did it today.
GO FURTHER
‘It felt natural’: Tyler Adams on his return from injury and his return to the USMNT
In other words, Folarin Balogun needed it.
The USMNT forward has struggled for form and purpose in France this year, and even lost his starting spot with the national team in the CONCACAF Nations League final. With their festival for the USMNT spot, all with sequences of goals, with Josh Sargent and Haji Wright. By locating the net in England’s second tier, it was vital for the Arsenal manager to remind everyone what he can do ahead of the summer.
Scoring his side’s fourth and fifth goals in Monaco’s 5-2 win at Metz on Saturday would possibly have necessarily been the icing on the cake for the visitors, but that brace would have boosted their confidence in a productive 25-minute appearance.
According to Opta, the brace made him the first USMNT player to score two goals as a substitute in a match in Europe’s top five leagues since Charlie Davies with Sochaux in August 2009.
– OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) March 30, 2024
Balogun now has seven passes and 4 assists in Ligue 1 this season, he still has a long way to go to surpass his 21 league passes with Reims while on loan from Arsenal last season. It was this productive season that earned him his arrival in the Principality.
Maybe that’s why the 22-year-old wasn’t obviously in seventh heaven despite his upcoming goals. “I expect a lot from myself,” he told Prime Video Sport France. “I’m satisfied to be able to help the team, however, I just need to go in and get ready for the next game.
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“I’m disappointed, but I expected more from myself and in the next match I hope to do better. “
Balogun obviously has top-notch private criteria and the preference to regain that automatic selection for Gregg Berhalter’s national team will have to be among his goals.
Former USMNT coach Bob Bradley is preparing to celebrate 43 years as a coach. He has lately been in his second spell with Norwegian side Stabaek (he joined last September after managing them in 2014-15 before leaving for French club Le Havre) with the club. The crusade against Aalesund begins.
When asked about the taste for football he would implement, the 66-year-old said it is due to one key issue: fluidity.
“Fluidity is simply the way a team stays connected and moves,” he said. “When you talk about fluidity with the ball, the ball moves temporarily and smart groups have a clever way of betting from the inside to the outside and then from the outside. From the outside to the inside. So there are a lot of tactics to get in and around the area. This is how the most productive groups create all kinds of opportunities.
“So we communicate a lot about that — the connection between the time, the movements and the passes that tie it all together. “
Sargent’s impressive good fortune with promotion hopes to the Championship continued when he scored his 14th goal in 19 league games (he is now in 20 league games) in the Canaries’ 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on Friday.
However, the striker found life particularly trickier when he led the opposite line to the team in contention for the lead, Leicester City, on Monday. They worked hard but lacked dominance as Norwich gave up a lead to succumb 3-1.
It’s a tough weekend for Scally. The USMNT defender came on in the 75th minute for Borussia Mönchengladbach, who were trailing 3-0 at home to Freiburg on Saturday. The whole defeat has left them in the middle of the table, with the league crusade in danger. of running out of strength.
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The loanee American would likely have found himself in danger when Cardiff were beaten 2-0 at home to Sunderland on Friday, but his performance was positive for the hosts. The result would have been much worse had it not been for his saves. against Abdoullah Ba, Chris Rigg and Luis Semedo.
Dest was the lone starter for PSV’s American trio in their surprise 3-1 loss to NEC Nijmegen on Saturday, a result that ended their hopes of going unbeaten in the Eredivisie campaign.
Peter Bosz brought in Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi as his team continued the game, but neither could prevent the hosts from missing out on a chance to enter the record books. However, Dest
GO FURTHER
Interview with Dest, Tillman and Pepi: PSV’s quest for ‘invincibility’ and World Cup hopes
(All Eastern Time)
PSV’s Americans will be able to temporarily redeem themselves from their defeat when they face Excelsior in the league on Tuesday (2:00 p. m. , ESPN).
Also on Tuesday, we’ll see if Gio Reyna can build on Saturday’s appearance against Crystal Palace when Nottingham Forest take on Fulham, who have compatriots Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream in their squad (2:30pm CET).
On Saturday, Heidenheim’s Lennard Maloney is expected to play rival Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich (09:30, ESPN).
GO FURTHER
Despite his ability for the USMNT, Reyna started a game for Nottingham Forest. For what?
(Top photos: Getty Images)