GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including consequential goals from Pepi and Adams
There were two U.S. men’s national team stars on the scoresheet this weekend. One was expected – Ricardo Pepi, given how often he scores. The other? Not so much. Who had Tyler Adams popping up with a goal?
Pepi's goal came off the bench in a win. Adams, meanwhile, wasn't so lucky as his Bournemouth side succumbed to Manchester City, as so many do.
They weren’t the only ones to impress. While Christian Pulisic, Malik Tillman, and Antonee Robinson were unavailable, several other USMNT regulars made their mark at the club level. Chris Richards helped Crystal Palace keep a clean sheet, while Weston McKennie showed another layer to his game under a fresh manager.
The November international break is around the corner, and there will be some difficult decisions to make with that squad. This weekend, though, was largely a good one, setting the scene for the roster selection to come later this week.
GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.
Getty Images SportPSV's Pepi problem
Since making his return from injury, Pepi hasn't been starting for PSV. Instead, they've been leaning on Guus Til and Ismael Saibari to lead the attack. Peter Bosz, the club's manager, is the first to acknowledge that, while Til and Saibari have done so many things right, it is a bit unlucky that Pepi isn't getting his chance, too.
"Pepi is my first striker," Bosz said. "It's just that things are going so well right now…. And he understands that."
To Bosz's point, PSV have been scoring without Pepi. Saibari and Til both found the back of the net on Friday, but Pepi made sure he got in on the fun, too, scoring to send a message to his coach that things could be even better with him in the XI.
Pepi netted PSV's fourth in a 5-2 beatdown of Fortuna Sittard, finding the back of the net in the 82nd minute. The goal came as part of a 30-minute cameo, one that Pepi, as always, made the most of. He now has three league goals in less than 300 minutes played. You can mix in his goal and assist in a six-minute cameo against Napoli in the Champions League, too.
It seems, then, that it's a matter of when, not if, Pepi gets back into the starting XI. For now, though, PSV have a good problem: too many goal scorers scoring too many goals.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportAdams stars, but Man City too much for Bournemouth
Adams doesn't score often. In fact, he hadn't scored a single goal since arriving at Bournemouth. That changed on Sunday against Manchester City. For a few minutes, it seemed as if Adams' first Premier League goal would make a difference. It didn't happen that way because Erling Haaland exists, but it's still worth acknowledging what Adams' goal means in the big picture.
After conceding an early goal to Haaland, Bournemouth fought back on Adams' first for the club: a scrappy finish to cap a set piece. What followed was, largely, not Adams' fault. City added two more goals of their own, one from Haaland and one from Nico O'Reilly, to effectively bury in the first 60 minutes en route to a routine 3-0 victory.
Back to Adams, though. He has taken his game to a new level this season, running the show from the midfield. He's also now adding goal contributions to his game, which has long been the big knock against him. At this level, there are few better defensive midfielders in the world. Adams is proving that every week.
Bournemouth will hope that the Adams' late injury scare Adams – he limped off the field – is just that and nothing more serious. They can’t afford to lose him. Sunday was further proof of that.
GettyReason for Reyna optimism
It's no secret that Gio Reyna hasn't had the easiest season, or few seasons, to put it frankly. Maybe this weekend was a sign of progress, then, even if that was ever so slight.
Having played just 36 minutes this month, Reyna got 12 minutes to work in Borussia Monchengladbach's 4-0 win over St. Pauli. In those 12, he looked something like the old Reyna. He created a chance, completed 16 of his 18 passes and completed two passes into the final third. Reyna, to put it simply, was dangerous.
Yes, there are obvious caveats when it comes to the state of the game and the time left in it. But when it comes to Reyna, any sign of progress is worth applauding. The hope is still that, at some point, he can break into the starting XI, but, for now, this cameo provided some reason for optimism for a player that sure could use a little bit of that right now.
Getty Images SportRichards' usage an issue?
Richards has been playing a lot of soccer recently. He logged another 90 minutes on Saturday in a 2-0 win over Brentford. Even ahead of that game, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner took aim at the USMNT for Richards' workload.
“My only complaint is the U.S. team didn’t talk to us because Chris was struggling with his calf for many weeks,” he said on Friday. “We talked to them and said he should rest as they were just friendlies. But they played him twice, every single minute. That’s a little bit disappointing. On the other side, we’ve tried to manage his minutes here, resting him against AEK Larnaca, but you can’t cheat your body."
Glasner became the second coach to raise concerns about USMNT duty, following AC Milan’s frustrations over Christian Pulisic’s usage. Yet the U.S. find themselves in a unique situation as World Cup hosts. Yes, they’re playing “friendlies,” but those matches are all they have to prepare without qualifiers.
International soccer is part of every top player’s workload, and it naturally brings fatigue. The USMNT, as a result, are facing growing scrutiny – fair or not. It's a good problem, in a way. It's an indication that Richards is as vital for club as he is for country. As long as that continues, expect Richards to continue being among the first names on Glasner's starting XI.