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Americans abroad

Yanks Abroad: Cardoso, Freeman, and Reynolds star in Europe as club play resumes

ASN's Brian Sciaretta gives you the full in-depth story from the weekend for Americans abroad as club play resumed after the long international window
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
October 12, 2026
10:50 AM

THIS PAST WEEKEND in Europe was a busy return to the club side of the game after a very long international window. Americans shined brightest in Spain where two players and a coach had good weekend. Also, we saw several American players who were not part of the U.S. roster this past month make a good case to be there in November.

Here is the complete story.

 

Reynolds notches two assists for Rennes

 

Since the start of the season, Bryan Reynolds had been slowly breaking through at Rennes in France but on Sunday, the FC Dallas product took a huge step forward when he notched two assists in a 4-1 win over Auxerre. His first came in the 53rd minute to break a 1-1 deadlock when he sent in a delightful cross that was headed home by Adrien Thomasson. His second came in stoppage time to cap the scoring. For his effort, Reynolds was named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Week.

 

The win moved Rennes into third place, but even on points with second place Lille. Both Lille and Rennes trail Monaco by just a point.

Reynolds, 25, spent the last four seasons at Westerlo, one of the smaller clubs in Belgium’s top tier. Prior to that he was at Roma where he struggled for minutes. He began his career at FC Dallas where he broke into the first team in 2020 and 2021.

 

Initially it seemed as if Rennes as bringing in Reynolds for a backup role, but the American now has a path towards becoming a starter for a Ligue 1 team that is also in the Europa League. It is a huge opportunity for Reynolds to play in the higher levels of Europe.

If he continues to play well, the U.S. national team is within reach although right back is very crowded with talented options. Alex Freeman is the likely starter after continuing to impress. Behind him is Sergino Dest who now typically starts on the wing, but can shift to the back if needed. Tim Weah is also a right back option as he plays there for Marseille. Frankie Westfield has had a great run with the Philadelphia Union but will likely spend the next two years focused on the Olympic team.

Reynolds has never had an easy time breaking through with various U.S. teams. He earned a few caps when he was with Roma, but his struggles for minutes there set him back. He was also not released by Westerlo to play for the 2024 Olympic team. Staying four years at Westerlo also saw him get overtaken by other players – such as Marlon Fossey in 2024 and 2025..

It has only been a few games, but what Reynolds has shown for Rennes has been encouraging. If he continues to climb, he could achieve a lot. He is uniquely athletic to meet the demands of the modern high-level fullback.

 

Freeman stars in loss to Real Madrid

 

Villarreal lost to Real Madrid 1-0 at the Estadio Bernabeu, but Alex Freeman had a great performance in the defeat. He was stellar at right back on both sides of the ball and was, by far, the best Villarreal player. He created multiple chances. He had seven tackles. He completed nearly all of his passes. He had seven clearances and he won most of his duels and aerials.

 

To have such a performance against such an opponent in such a big venue will surely get a ton of attention from European scouts. Villarreal identified Freeman’s upside while he was with Orlando City and the U.S. national team. But it would not be surprising if Villarreal is surprised about just how quickly Freeman is meeting expectations.

Freeman was only a first-team starter for Orlando City for a year. He will be at Villarreal for over a year, but it might not take very long for him to move to an even bigger club. His improvement over the past two years has been astonishingly fast.

 

Cardoso features in Atletico win

 

Also among the top American performers this weekend was Johnny Cardoso, when 90 minutes for Atletico Madrid in a 2-1 away win over Deportivo Alaves on Saturday. Cardoso was very effective in central midfield where he has 98 touches and was very important to Atletico having control of the midfield.

Of course, it helped that Alaves was reduced to 10 men in the 61st minute and Atletico had more space to operate. When Atletico found its late winner, it was enough to lift the club into second place in La Liga, five points behind Barcelona.

 

Cardoso, 25, has been maddeningly frustrating for American fans as his talent is apparent after featuring for Internacional in Brazil, and then Real Betis and Atletico Madrid in Spain. These are three massive clubs.

Despite being around the national team program for over five years, he has never quite fit into the squad. He has suffered untimely injuries, such as what ruled him out of the World Cup this summer. But even when he as been called up, he has yet to having a defining performance where he helped the club to an important win.

Playing at Atletico will keep him around the national team, as it should. But he remains one of the biggest sources of untapped potential for Mauricio Pochettino. The question for Pochettino is whether he can finally get Cardoso to translate that quality from the club level over to the international level.

 

Yanks in the Premier League

 

The weekend in the Premier League had one highlight with Chris Richards playing well for Crystal Palace in a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest. The Alabama native won his duels, passed well out of the back, and was solid in every metric of the game.

 

The rest of the Americans in the Premier League had a tough weekend.

Zavier Gozo was not even part of the matchday squad for Palace as he also returned from the international break. It has been a tough few weeks for Gozo as he did not play much for the U.S. team as well during the window.  

Brenden Aaronson played the final 19 minutes for Leeds in a 2-1 loss away to Arsenal but was limited to just nine touches. Arsenal had just taken a 2-1 lead a minute before Aaronson entered the game but the New Jersey native was not able to make much of an impact as Leeds pushed for an equalizer.

Tyler Adams and Bournemouth were completely outplayed by Chelsea in a 5-1 loss at Stamford Bridge. Adams played all 90 minutes in what was a tough day for all Bournemouth players.

Antonee Robinson picked up an ankle injury in his first Fulham training after the international window and did not play in Fulham’s 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town on Saturday. Fulham allowed two late goals to squander the result and the Cottagers are now the only winless team in the league with just two points from six games.

Meanwhile, Haji Wright remains injured until November, at the earliest, as Coventry hosted Newcastle United on Monday.  

 

Yanks in the Championship

 

Three Americans featured for Middlesbrough in a 1-0 win over Wolves that moved the club to second in the Championship table. Aidan Morris played the entire 90 minutes and was very strong in central midfield and his heatmap showed that he covered a ton of ground to keep Middlesbrough in control of the midfield.

Sebastian Berhalter returned from international break to play 70 minutes in a decent but not especially strong outing. Max Arfsten only played the final few minutes as he was almost a time-wasting sub to help kill of the game and preserve the win.

 

The biggest concern, however, is Rokas Pukstas who was not in the matchday squad for Boro despite no injury mention from coach Kim Hellberg in the pre-match press conference. He is still yet to make his debut for the club an will only find it harder as the club continues to win without him on the field.

Stoke City came away with an impressive with a 2-1 away win over Bolton despite being reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute when the score was 0-0. Jack McGlynn started for Stoke and created four chances despite his team being shorthanded. In the 62nd minute, McGlynn assisted on Stoke’s second goal with a perfectly placed free kick that found the head of Ben Wilmot. Four minutes later, McGlynn was subbed out.

 

Luca Bombino, meanwhile, played the second half for Stoke and was tasked with defending to preserve the lead – which he did well. He did not have much of an opportunity to get forward. But the win was important as it was the third straight win for Stoke City to move into fourth place.

Aside from that, there wasn’t much to report from Americans in the Championship.

Birmingham City defeated West Bromwich 1-0 with George Campbell going as an unused substitute for West Brom just days after starting for the USMNT against Canada. Kristoffer Lund, however, wasn’t even part of the matchday squad for Birmingham City. His move to England has not worked out yet in the early goings of the season.

Caleb Wiley is apparently injured and was not part of the matchday squad for Preston North End in a 1-0 loss to Millwall.

Charlie Kelman played the final 13 minutes for Charlton Athletic in a 1-1 draw with Bristol City.

 

Yanks in Ligue 1

 

We covered Reynolds earlier, but there were still several more Americans to write about in France.

League-leaders Monaco and likely relegation-battlers Toulouse played to a surprising 2-2 draw on Saturday. Mark McKenzie played 90 minutes for Toulouse while Folarin Balogun entered the game in the 58th minute for Monaco.

The highlight from either American came in the 47th minute when McKenzie was fouled to draw a penalty. It was later converted as Toulouse began its comeback from 2-0 down to force a draw. Aside from that, McKenzie did not stand out much – which is typically a good thing for a central defender.

Balogun had only 14 touches, three completed passes, and one shot from 25 yards out that was blocked. The U.S. World Cup forward did not make much of an impact in this game.

Tim Weah was suspended for Marseille’s 2-0 away win over Troyes. That win snapped a four-game losing streak for Marseille.

Lens defeated Lyon 2-1 on Friday. Tanner Tessmann played the final 13 minutes for Lyon and came into the game with his team trailing 2-0. Overall, he made a positive contribution despite his team coming up short. He completed 20/21 passes and was effective in getting the ball into the attack as Lyon pushed for goals. This performance boosted his case to return to the starting lineup.

It was not surprising to see Gio Reyna not start for Strasbourg in its 2-1 loss to Nice on Sunday. Reyna had started all four of the U.S. team’s games over the international window. But the two-time World Cup veteran came off the bench in the 63rd minute with the score 1-1.  He played a deeper-lying playmaking position and his best chance came when his free kick in the 87th set up Pape Demba Diop for a header that was sent over the bar.

 

Yanks in the Bundesliga

 

Joe Scally scored an equalizer in the 39th minute for Borussia Monchengladbach with a header from close range but he could not help his team avoid a 2-1 loss to rivals FC Koln. Borussia Monchengladbach has now lost all five of its games to start the Bundesliga season.



Scally is in a tricky place in his career. He does not have a contract beyond this year and playing for a relegation-battling club doesn’t help. On top of that, he appears to be losing ground in the right back depth chart for the U.S. team. Despite the goal, players like Freeman, Dest, and now Reynolds and Westfield are starting to emerge.

Santiago Castaneda played 90 minutes for Paderborn in a 2-0 loss at home to VfB Stuttgart. The American hit a shot from distance in the 32nd minute that required a save, but other than that did not stand out much. Newly promoted Paderborn has now lost three of four and is close to falling into the league’s bottom three.

Bayer Leverkusen defeated Mainz 4-3 away to end the weekend in fourth place in the Bundesliga. Malik Tillman only played the last 15 minutes for Bayer and his minutes appear to be declining for the club. While beginning on the bench is normal for players returning from international duty, Tillman has not started a Bundesliga game for Bayer since September 5 and will likely continue to do so as the club keeps winning.

Defensive midfielder Lennard Maloney made a rare appearance for Mainz in the loss when he came off the bench in the 81st minute. He has now made three appearances on the year for a total of 12 minutes.

Mathis Albert was an unused substitute for Borussia Dortmund which conceded two late goals to settle for a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen.

Timothy Chandler also did not get off the bench for Eintracht Frankfurt in an ugly 6-0 loss away to RB Leipzig.

 

Yanks in the 2.Bundesliga

 

It is becoming a difficult situation for John Tolkin who started for Holstein Kiel, played decently for 90 minutes, but saw his team lost 1-0 to Eintracht Braunschweig to fall into the bottom of the 2.Bundesliga. Tolkin is too good for relegation battle at this level and it was not long since he was in Pochettino’s picture (he started the 5-1 win over Uruguay in to cap 2025).

For his sake and his ambitions at both the club an international level, he needs to make a move in January.

Jordan Pefok played the final 15 minutes for Greuther Furth in a 2-1 loss to Hertha BSC to fall to 15th place. Pefok continues to only see sub minutes for Fruth.

Isaiah Young, 28, played the full 90 at left wing for Arminia Bielefeld in a 1-0 win over Bochum. It was a rare start for the New Jersey native.

Jonathan Gomez started and played 61 minutes at left wingback for Osnabruck in a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Dresden. Leon Flach played the second half in defensive midfield as well for Osnabruck for his club debut. Onsabruck moved to 10th place with the win.

 

Yanks in Serie A

 

Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started for AC Milan in a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo on Sunday and both Americans were subbed out in the 78th minute. Musah had a few nice moments in central midfield where he dribbled to create a passing lane and was able to hit long-range passes. But overall, it remains to be seen if he will keep his starting job. Either way, he is in a much better place than a year ago and Milan might be able to sell him for a decent price should they want to part ways.

 

As for Pulisic, he was very active and covered the most ground of any player before he exited the game. He looked sharp but his problem was that far too often, he got the ball too far from goal. This made it difficult for him to contribute offensively.

Weston McKennie started for Juventus but was pulled at halftime in a 1-1 draw with Cagliari. Juventus was trailing 1-0 when McKennie was subbed out. McKennie left as part of a tactical switch to change formation, although McKennie wasn’t playing poorly and he nearly picked up an assist midway through the half. Juventus has just one win in its last four Serie A games.

Benjamin Cremaschi did not get off the bench for Parma in a 3-0 loss to Inter Milan and Gianluca Busio remains out injured for Venezia  in a 3-1 loss to Atalanta.

 

Yanks Elsewhere

 

Sergino Dest was his usual impressive self in Eredivisie play where he went the full 90 for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-0 win over Heerenveen to keep pace with leaders Feyenoord who are just one point ahead. Dest did not factor into either goal, but he was constantly involved in the attack while playing right back and helped PSV be on the front foot offensively. Ricardo Pepi remained out injured for PSV after he was forced to withdraw from the U.S. national team’s recent fall camp.  

In Spain, American head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo saw his Real Sociedad defeat Deportivo A Coruña 3-2 to move into sixth place.

In the Scottish Premiership, Auston Trusty was an unused substitute for Celtic in a 2-0 win over Motherwell. Trusty just returned from international duty with the U.S. team. Jacob Murrell scored his second goal of the season for Falkirk in a 2-1 loss at home to Dundee FC when the former DC United forward converted a 31st minute penalty. His fellow American teammate CJ Fodrey did not get off the bench while Matai Akinmboni did not get off the bench for Dundee FC. Falkirk sits in 11th place in the 12-team league. Finally, JJ Williams played the final 17 minutes for Hearts in a 5-0 win over St. Mirren.

 

In the Austrian Bundesliga, defending champions LASK lost at home 2-0 to Rapid Vienna. George Bello started and played 61 minutes for LASK while Sam Adeniran played the final 17 minutes as he gradually returns from cheekbone surgery. LASK fell to third place with the loss. Drew Murray, 20, went the full 90 minutes for WSG Tirol in a 2-1 loss to Ried but the Bay Area native led the game with 111 touches. Murray is age-eligible for the U.S. Olympic team.

In Poland’s Ekstraklasa, Robert Diezel Jr., 21, turned in a very impressive effort for Legia Warsaw in a 2-0 away over Wisla Krakow. Diezel has been enjoying a breakout season for one of Poland’s biggest clubs that now sits into third place. The Palm Beach native could be in the mix for the Olympic team. In fourth place sits Pogo? Szczecin which defeated Korona Kielce 2-0. Kellyn Acosta came into the game in the 83rd minute for Pogo? Szczecin.

In the Danish Superliga, Diego Kochen made two saves for Lyngby in an ugly 5-2 loss to Brondby. Lyngby remains in 11th place in the 12-team league. For Kochen, he will be under fire all season long.

In Norway, U.S. U-20 winger Grabriel Wessah played the last 13 minutes for Fredrikstad in a 1-1 draw with Tromso. Wessah recently played with the U.S. U-19 team during the international window.

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