American Players Abroad

The United States men’s national team made a massive announcement on Monday that 21-year-old Stade Reims striker Folarin Balogun will make a one-time nationality switch to represent the U.S. instead of England.

FIFA approved the switch meaning Balogun could be playing for the Stars and Stripes as soon as the Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. Mexico in June. Balogun has been electric in France’s Ligue 1 this season with 19 goals in 34 games (fifth best in the league).

LEEDS — Defender Rasmus Kristensen scored a late equalizer to give Leeds United a share of the points in a thrilling Premier League 2-2 draw with Newcastle United that saw Leeds miss one spot kick, concede two more and have a man sent off in stoppage time.

Leeds are still in the relegation zone but move up one spot to 18th on 31 points, one point behind Everton in 17th, while Newcastle remain third in the table on 66 points, three ahead of Manchester United and four ahead of Liverpool.

The United States men’s national is set to face bitter rival Mexico in a month’s time in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a litany of injuries to the team we felt that a potential USMNT starting XI vs Mexico was necessary.

Mexico and the U.S. faced off in a snooze fest with their B-teams in the Continental Clásico in April, but on June 15 the star players should be back on the field.

The summer transfer window must be approaching because the Christian Pulisic transfer rumors are back. A week after Olivier Giroud said that AC Milan would love to have Pulisic, Napoli and Juventus are also showing interest.

There were a few bright spots for Major Leeds Soccer as they only lost 2-1 to Manchester City on Saturday and gave the league leaders a late scare. One of the rare positive moments from the game was the Weston McKennie long throw strategy.

If you support the United States men’s national team then you know all about McKennie’s throw-in abilities. For some reason Leeds have rarely asked the American to utilize his skills.

New Leeds manager Sam Allardyce was all over it and asked McKennie to huck a ball into City’s box in the 10th minute.

AC Milan forward Olivier Giroud said that USMNT star Christian Pulisic was a “happy boy” at Chelsea when they played together, compared the American to Eden Hazard and claimed he’d be welcomed in Milan.

Giroud made a guest appearance on the CBS Sports GOLAZO! Network on Thursday and shared his experiences of playing with Pulisic. The 36-year-old Frenchman and Pulisic played together for two seasons at Chelsea in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, winning the UEFA Champions League in the process.

Here’s what Giroud had to say about Captain America.

Relegation-threatened Leeds United have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed veteran coach Sam Allardyce until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

With four games left, only a superior goal difference is keeping 17th-placed Leeds out of the relegation zone after taking only one point from their last five games.

Allardyce will be the club's third coach this season after American Jesse Marsch was sacked in February.

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund's title chances suffered a serious blow on Friday after they stumbled to a 1-1 draw at struggling VfL Bochum in the mini Ruhr derby with four games left to play.

Dortmund are on 61 points, two points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich, who will take over the lead if they beat bottom club Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

I don't know if Sergiño Dest likes Berlin, but the idea of living there during the 2023-24 season is starting to take shape for the U.S. international.

According to several reports in Germany and Spain, the player who is on loan at AC Milan from FC Barcelona has reportedly agreed to a new loan deal with Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.

Fulham defeated Leeds United 2-1 on Saturday in the highly anticipated USMNT showdown between the duos of Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson vs. Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson.

The American quartet sat down for a humorous interview ahead of Saturday’s game with the four players laughing and joking around.

For Saturday's 90 minutes the love was lost as the two duos fought for three points at Craven Cottage.