HAPPY WEDNESDAY MORNING to all ASN readers and we have reached the midweek of a busy few days where MLS, European competitions, and the English Championships all have a full slate.

With that said, let’s start in the Champions League

Yanks in the Champions League

Most of the Americans in the Champions League were involved in Tuesday’s games with most promising performances coming in Spain.

Johnny Cardoso was the only Atletico Madrid midfielder to play all 90 minutes in a 2-0 home win over Manchester United. The New Jersey-born midfielder even had a first half goal called back due to a handball in the buildup. While that was disappointing, it does not take away what was a very good performance where he helped Atletico win control of the midfield. He made one mistake at the end when under-hit a pass in his own third and gifted Manchester United a great chance.

But other than that, he was terrific and Atletico manager Diego Simeone agrees that Cardoso has been playing well.

“[Johnny Cardoso] is in great form at the moment,” Simeone said. “In the match against Real Sociedad, when he came on, he started playing at a high level. We need this player. He’s the player the club went out to sign. Any competition is good for us.”

Perhaps we will be approaching a time when Mauricio Pochettino will find a way for Cardoso to be just as useful for the U.S. national team.

Alex Freeman played the last 24 minutes for Villarreal in a 3-1 win over Napoli. Freeman played well after coming into the game but he was not as good as Villarreal’s starting right back, Santiago Mouriño, who was excellent and scored a fantastic goal in the 56^th minute to break a 1-1 deadlock. Freeman is developing well and there is nothing wrong with him facing tough competition. Eventually, he will be a regular starter at a very high level.

Finally, Sergino Dest played all 90 minutes for PSV in a 1-0 loss away to RB Leipzig. Dest had the most touches of any player in the game at 93 and had a good chance to score in the 57^th minute but saw his shot from the right side deep inside box saved.

On Wednesday, LASK hosts Liverpool with Sam Adeniran likely to make his Champions League debut while his fellow American teammate George Bello is out injured. U.S. U-20 goalkeeper Georgio De Marzi is likely to be on the bench for AS Roma when it hosts Real Madrid. Finaly, Mathis Albert is also likely to be on the bench for Borussia Dortmund when it travels north of the Arctic Circle to face Bodo/Glimt.

Yanks in the Championship

In a busy matchday for Americans in the Championship, the highlight came with Middlesbrough defeating Stoke City 3-2 away to move into second place. In the game, five Americans took part.

The best performance came from Aidan Morris when went 90 minutes in Middlesbrough’s midfield. The Ft. Lauderdale native had 98 touches, 10 passes into the final third, six tackles, and won 7/10 of his ground duels.  He is one of the team’s top players and will be a leader in what is expected to be another promotional race.

Sebastian Berhalter played 63 minutes and created a few solid chances but was not as involved defensively – which is likely why he left the game with his team likely looking to preserve a 1-1 draw.

Max Arfsten meanwhile was subbed into the game in the 77^th minute and was lively and energetic as Boro was able to continue to push until it found a stoppage time winner.

This team never gives in ???? https://t.co/t6KMV2V9ZS

— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) October 13, 2026

For Stoke City, the performances were lackluster as Jack McGlynn went 90 minutes but was quiet. The same was said for Luca Bombino who came off the bench in the 79^th minute but did not do much.

Of disappointing news is that Rokas Pukstas will need to wait for his Middlesbrough debut. He returned to the United States during the last international window and suffered a hamstring injury during a private workout at home. Boro manager Kim Hellberg said that Pukstas will not return until November.

It was a promising performance from Geroge Campbell who did not play for West Brom over the weekend after just returning from international duty with the U.S. team. On Tuesday, however he returned to West Brom’s starting lineup as the team’s captain and central defender to oversee a 2-1 comeback win away against Wrexham. Campbell was overall solid as West Brom moved to fourth in the table.

The only other American to see the field in the Championship on Tuesday was Charlie Kelman who played the last 15 minutes for Charlton Athletic in a 1-1 draw with Burnley. The English-born forward was limited to just four touches.

In other notes, Caleb Wiley was out injured for Preston North End in a 4-0 loss to Birmingham City.  Meanwhile, Kristoffer Lund was not even selected to be in the matchday squad for Birmingham City and was not listed or mentioned as being injured.

Full MLS slate for Wednesday

MLS has a full slate of games on Wednesday, with some solid matchups. Here are the top 5.

Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union

Most eyes will be on the Philadelphia Union, who take a 13-game unbeaten streak into Chicago to face Robert Lewendowski and the Chicago Fire. Philadelphia is led by a wave of promising young players who are among the best prospects in American soccer. This includes Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, and Frankie Westfield. But on top of that, they have been receiving important veteran contributions from several players including Milan Illoski who has five goals in his last three games and 17 goals on the season.

Cav is becoming a @MLS Team of the Matchday regular! https://t.co/lNL97PJG7A

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) October 12, 2026

Nashville vs. Sporting Kansas City

League leading Nashville SC can continue to run away with the Supporters Shield when it hosts the league-worst Sporting KC. Nashville is fun to watch and Olympic hopefuls Matthew Corcoran in central midfield and Reed Baker-Whiting at fullback continue to start.

What also makes this game fun to watch is that while Sporting KC is bad, Andre Luiz looks very much like the $15 million price tag paid for him.

St. Louis CITY vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

The top two teams in the Western Conference face off in Missouri when second place St. Louis CITY hosts Vancouver Whitecaps with just a point separating the two teams. The winner of this game will likely lock-in homefield advantage through the playoffs.

Focused for #STLvVAN ???? #AllForCITY x @BJC_HealthCare https://t.co/uQMFuWRckq

— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) October 13, 2026

FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders

The Seattle Sounders are back after a midseason slump. With a resounding 3-0 away win over New England on Saturday, Seattle has now won four in a row to climb back into the playoff positions at seventh in the West. Under Brian Schmetzer, Seattle boasts one of the most American-oriented teams in the league with a starting lineup that is typically either six or seven American-born players.

Meanwhile FC Dallas returns home after a disappointing 3-2 away loss to Charlotte. But Dallas is one of the more improved teams in the league and sits third in the West behind one of the best forwards in the league in Petar Musa.

Cincinnati vs. New England

Cincinnati have been underperforming this season and are on the edge of the playoff line in ninth place. A win over Atlanta moved them back above the line on Saturday but now they will face a New England team that is solid, sitting fourth, but who is coming off a terrible loss at home to Seattle.

New England has been starting eight American players, including Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines who both played for the USMNT this past window.  The question for Marko Mitrovic’s team is fatigue as the season enters its final weeks.