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Americans abroad

Yanks Abroad: Cardoso injured, Jedi progressing, Pepi's dilemma, Klinsmann's stunner, and much more

ASN's Brian Sciaretta breaks down all the news with Americans in Europe, starting with good and bad news in injuries, along with big picture thoughts on Tessmann, Klinsmann, Adams, Pepi, and others.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
December 03, 2025
10:05 AM

THE PAST WEEK HAS been an interesting time for Americas abroad. There were two amazing goals scored, a few good performances, too many mediocre shifts, and a lot of news on the injury front.

Here are some thoughts on it all.

 

Lots of injury news

 

Antonee Robinson has had a tough year dating back to last season. The USMNT left back was limited in training in the spring and only played games for Fulham. He had a knee surgery in May but has struggled to return to the field due to subsequent reinjuries in August.

But Fulham manager Marco Silva said this week that Robinson is making progress. As of now, he is still training individually

"Not yet, but he is getting better,” Silva said at a recent press conference regarding Robinosn’s return.

"He is getting good feelings but is doing individual work, nice to see him on the pitch.

"He is getting better and more confident. Not just about his knees but his mindset. Soon we can have more news, but right now we have no timescale."

“We are positive that when he [Robinson] is back, it will not be with setbacks, because we need him and he can be a very good ‘signing’ for us in the second half of the season.”

It would seem like the hope is to have Robinson back later in the month of December. Fulham plays a Carabao Cup match on December 17 and that might be a proper environment for him to shake off the rust, if he is able. It still seems like a volatile situation.

On Tuesday, Johnny Cardoso earned the start for Atletico Madrid but had to be subbed out in the 14th minute after Barcelona’s Dani Olmo went up for a header and came down on Cardoso's foot. The U.S. national team midfielder tried to walk it off, but couldn’t continue and was subbed out. Barcelona won 3-1 as Atletico remained in fourth place.

On Wednesday, Atletico provided an update but did not give a timetable for his return. The club said Cardoso "suffered a severe contusion to the posterolateral angle [corner] of his left knee without associated joint injuries."



It’s been a tough start to the season for Cardoso who has dealt with injuries and has been unable to find rhythm. For the national team, he is in a tricky position. He’s playing at a high level, but has never been able to translate his club success over to the full national team. When you add injuries into the mix, he is far from a safe pick. If he can get going by March, a call-up seems likely. But he needs to do something that shows Pochettino he can be trusted.

Christian Pulisic missed AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Lazio on Sunday but the good news is that he should be back soon, potentially as early as this week.

But there is a lot of injury news to players who are both inside and outside of the USMNT picture right now.

Haji Wright is expected to miss a few more weeks for Coventry, who keep winning with or without the USMNT forward. The most recent 3-1 win over Charlton gives Coventry a 10 point lead atop the Championship table.

Aidan Morris is also now out for Middlesbrough with a leg injury but is expected back in December. Morris and Boro currently sit second place.

Charlie Kelman is out for a few more weeks at Charleton and the club has now lost four in a row to fall to 17th in the Championship.

Taylor Booth is expected back soon for Twente, which defeated AZ Alkmaar over the weekend 1-0 to move to seventh in the Eredivisie. He’s been out since November 6 and has only played 346 minutes this season in league play.

Zach Booth has been out for Excelsior since September 13 and does not have a time table for return yet.

Rokas Pukstas missed Hajdul Split’s 1-1 draw with Varazdin over the weekend and is rumored to be out a few more weeks. If true, he would miss the Eternal Derby against Dinamo Zagreb this weekend.

Kevin Paredes is finally back to training with Wolfsburg. The former DC United and U.S. Olympic team winger has missed most of the past 15 months with injuries. Per Wolfsburg manager Daniel Bauer: “Kevin Paredes has already completed parts of the team training, and we hope to welcome him back into the matchday squad soon.”


 

Pepi’s battle for playing time

 

Ricardo Pepi earned a rare start for PSV over the weekend, played 90 minutes, and scored a highlight bicycle kick goal in a 3-0 win over Volendam.

But the question is always a matter of trust with PSV manager Peter Bosz and nothing seems to change. Pepi now has an impressive four goals and one assist just 421 Eredivisie minutes. He has 2 goals in 132 Champions League minutes this season. Last season it was 11 goals in 683 Eredivisie minutes and 2 goals in 161 Champions League minutes.

Between the Champions League and Eredivisie, he has 19 goals in 1397 across the last two seasons.



Yet he continues to be the backup forward. Last season he backed up Luuk de Jong. This season he is backing up Guus Til. Both de Jong and Til have played well and Til already has 10 goals in the Eredivisie and one in the Champions League.

At some point soon, PSV will need to make a choice with Pepi. Is he ready to be their starting forward, or do they sell him to a team that wants him as their No. 1. It is hard to imagine that things do not change for Pepi either in January or in the summer.

 

Klinsmann’s best outing

 

Jonathan Klinsmann had what was likely the best performance of his career over the weekend in Serie B when his fourth-place Cesena defeated third-place Modena 1-0.

His stats were amazing:

  • 6 saves
  • 1 penalty save
  • 0 goals conceded
  • 1 assist on the game’s only goal

All of this came in a big game between two teams that will be a race for promotion to Serie A next season.

While Klinsmann has been called up to the national team twice in the fall, he is still without a cap as Matt Freese gets the starting nod every time.

Klinsmann is in an interesting spot. Even assuming Turner and Matt Freese are the top two choices, Klinsmann has a good chance to build his resume as MLS enters the offseason and he is the only goalkeeper in the pool playing games.

 Toni Jiménez has been the long-time goalkeeping coach of Mauricio Pohcettino and likely has a lot of input on decisions for goalkeeping. He has worked in two camps with Klinsmann. The fact that Klinsmann hasn’t gotten the chance yet isn’t a great sign and the team is heavily invested in Freese.

But if Klinsmann continues to play well, he might still make the roster as three goalkeepers are required. If he has his foot in the door, he’s still in the mix.

 

McKennie rising

 

Last month, when Juventus hired Luciano Spalletti as the new head coach, the lackluster results continued. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino left McKennie off the November roster to continue to work with Spalletti.

Some were critical of the decision with the USMNT building towards the World Cup. But weeks later in hindsight, it looks like a smart move.

Juventus has won its last three games, each in three different competitions. The first was an away win over Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, over the weekend was a 2-1 win over Cagliari in Serie A, and on Tuesday it was a 2-0 win over Udinese in the Coppa Italia.



McKennie has been a driving force in this success with a goal against Bodo/Glimt and a first-rate assist against Udinese.

For many years, McKennie has always been a tough player to read as he drifts in an out of the plans of managers and clubs. But right now, he’s in a good place for Juventus at an important period in his career.

Even more importantly, his attacking strengths are as good as they’ve ever been – which gives Pochettino and Spalletti options.

 

Musah’s tough situation

 

Yunus Musah is not in a good situation these days at Atalanta. He joined the club in the summer on loan from AC Milan and now he is simply not playing. He did not get off the bench over the weekend in a 2-0 win over Fiorentina. On Wednesday, he did not get off the bench in a 4-0 win over Genoa in the Coppa Italia – despite five changes being made to the starting lineup.

It's too early to call this loan a total bust, but it’s getting there quickly. Things need to change for Musah soon. He only plays as a late sub, if at all.

Musah is a player who needs playing time and quality coaching. His problems in 2025 began when talk of his prospective move this summer shifted from a full transfer to a loan. He needs a club that is invested in his development. He’s been stagnating and it’s tough to say if he is any better now than he was four years ago.  

Instead, he moved to a club that finished higher than AC Milan last season. His loan is only accompanied by a high option to purchase and Atalanta likely determined already Musah is not worth it. So now he just sits as a backup option.

Musah needed a full transfer or a loan with a cheap option to a level where he can play every week.

For now, we will wait to see if AC Milan has the ability to recall him in January. They likely do not want to see their asset depreciate further.

 

Adams & Bournemouth hitting the wall

 

On Saturday, Tyler Adams scored one of the best goals in the Premier League this season with a stunning 45-yard lob against Sunderland.

The unfortunate reality is that aside from that one moment, he’s not playing particularly well and Bournemouth is sinking fast. The club lost against Sunderland 3-2 despite the Adams goal. Bournemouth has just one point from its last five games.

On Tuesday, Bournemouth dropped a 1-0 decision to Everton at home to fall to 14th place (when they were inside the top five before the recent five-game skid). Adams picked up a yellow card against Everton an will be suspended this weekend against Chelsea.



For Adams, he still defends well and gets involved in tackles and duels enthusiastically, but he doesn’t contribute much to creating chances or getting the ball into dangerous positions.

For the U.S. national team and Bournemouth, it puts more of that responsibility on other players in the midfield or with the wingbacks. It will be worth following in March if Pochettino sees Adams as a set member of the starting XI given that the team has played well this fall in games he did not start.

 

Weah and McKenzie

 

Marseille no longer sits atop the Ligue 1 table, and instead fell to third behind Lens and Paris St. Germain after a 2-2 draw against Toulouse on Sunday.

Marseille should have won the game but fell asleep in stoppage time to concede an equalizer off a long throw-in from USMNT defender Mark McKenzie. On the play, McKenzie’s long toss found 20-year-old Argentine Santiago Hidalgo for the tying goal on a header. McKenzie’s long throw-ins are an aspect of his game that he doesn’t show with the U.S. team but Toulouse has been trying to utilize.

It was a magnificent throw-in that should raise Pochettino’s eyebrows in that it could give him another weapon in his arsenal.



Overall, it was a good game from McKenzie who kept Aubameyang invisible and wasn’t involved in either of Marseille’s goals, He now has positive momentum with both he U.S. team and Toulouse.

He often flies under the radar, but he is trending upward.

Meanwhile, Tim Weah was dangerous during the game and while he didn’t score or register an assist, his long pass to Aubameyang was part of the buildup to the second goal in the 74th minute.

Weah has been in great form the past few weeks for Marseille and looks exceptionally comfortable this season in his return to Ligue 1. Now that he has left Juventus, he is in a place where he can see his career soar. Hopefully this loan is made permanent and hopefully he remains at Marseille for several years.

 

Tessmann continues in central defense

Lyon defeated Nanes 3-0 to snap a four-game winless skid. Nantes made it easy for Lyon after picking up a first half red card. Lyon then scored three goals in the second half to climb up to sixth place.

The biggest talking point from the game is that Tanner Tessmann went 89 minutes in central defense to make his third appearance in this new position. He was subbed out late after suffering cramps. The USMNT midfielder has been playing there because he is a competent player and has the physical tools to play in the middle of the backline. Injuries at Lyon have created a needed in the backline and Tessmann checks enough boxes to get the assignment.

Overall, he continues to be okay in this role. He will likely keep it until the club can acquire central defenders in January. Then, hopefully, he will return to the midfield.

Being able to play different positions is both a blessing and a curse. It makes you more valuable to be versatile, but it often results in these players being used to fill whatever hole a team has at that moment. Players struggle to thrive if they are always moving around. The goal for players should be to be so valuable at one position that the manager builds the team around you in that role.

Tessmann isn’t facing this problem yet. Lyon is still dealing with the problems from the fallout of the previous owner and the subsequent sale. The team is stretched thin due to unusual circumstances and it’s good Tessmann can fill in. But if Tessmann continues to play central defense past January, it won’t be a good thing. He belongs in the midfield, and he can best help his team there.

 

Agyemang  keeps scoring

 

With Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright in the mix for the U.S. team, Patrick Agyemang is likely outside the USMNT picture. But Balogun, Pepi, and Wright are rarely all healthy at the same time (such as the case now). If one of them is not healthy come March or May, players like Agyemang, Brian White, and Josh Sargent become relevant.

Over the weekend, Agyemang bagged his third Championship goal of the season and it was a good one where he showed impressive mobility.



Ultimately, Derby lost to second-place Middlesbrough, who were without Aidan Morris.  

It is important to consider that Agyemang arrived at Derby recovering from double hernia surgery. A slow start was to be expected. But he has played well.

Brian White deserves to be in the mix because he scores a lot for a good Vancouver team and is lethal close to goal. Agyemang can move a little better in transition and that might be why Pochettino preferred him at the Gold Cup.

But Agyemang is doing well and is playing better now that he is healthy. Over the Gold Cup, there were people who wanted Damion Downs to start over Agyemang but Pochettino preferred Agyemang. In the months since then, Pochettino looks like he got it right.

 

Other Notes

 

It must be added to the above that the last three sales of American players from MLS teams to Championship teams have all gone very well: Aidan Morris to Middlesbrough, George Campbell to West Bromwich Albion (who won over the weekend against Swansea to climb to 12th place), and Patrick Agyemang to Derby County. All three of those English clubs are happy with their purchase. That will certainly have more scouts from teams in that league watching MLS games next season.

In the Bundesliga, Augsburg sacked manager Sandro Wagner. This could affect young American central defender Noahkai Banks. It’s never a sure thing that a new manager who walks into a relegation fight will trust a teenager in the backline.

The last weekend was almost a total wipeout for Americans in the 2.Bundesliga.

Julian Green and Max Dietz fell further into the relegation zone with Greuther Furth after a 3-0 loss at home to Bochum. John Tolkin and Holstein Kiel lost 1-0 at home to Hertha. Mael Corboz, Isaiah Young, and Arminia Bielefeld lost at home to Preussen Munster. Santiago Castaneda and Paderborn lost 2-1 away to Schalke to fall from first place and into second.

The only winner in the 2.Bundesliga was Jonathan Gomez and Eintracht Braunschweig who defeated Kaiserslautern to move third from the bottom.

In the German Cup on Tuesday, St. Pauli defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 away to advance to the quarterfinals. It was a reunion of three former NYCFC academy products as Gio Reyna and Joe Scally started for M’Gladbach while James Sands started for St. Pauli.

Sands went 89 minutes in a very physical outing. He was lucky he didn't pick up a second yellow card, but was otherwise good. He picked up what would be called a “hockey assist” on winning goal via a header. Scally was competent across a full 90 minutes in a three-man backline. He passed well, won duels, but didn't get forward. Reyna went 68 minutes in an outing that saw him have quality touches and good passing. Best moments were early in 2nd half. He was good, not great. But that along is a step in the right direction.

 

 

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