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Giovanni Reyna triumphs in DFB-Pokal, Christian Pulisic loses FA Cup final

Giovanni Reyna Dortmund May 2021

Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna played in cup finals over the last week. However, only one of them ended up winning their respective domestic trophy.

Numerous American soccer stars continue to perform at the highest level across Europe, with Claudio Reyna, Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic all looking likely to be playing Champions League soccer again next season too.

Younger stars such as Tim Weah and Matthew Hoppe, who scored for the first time since January, are also continuing to develop.

With USA lively outsiders for the next World Cup - Paddy Power have them at 60/1 - Planet Sport is following the progress of their emerging talent.

Christian Pulisic

May 15, Chelsea 0-1 Leicester City

Having started on the bench for the Champions League semi-final second-leg tie against Real Madrid in midweek, Pulisic again had to settle for a place among the substitutes in the FA Cup final.

Whether Thomas Tuchel still sees him as his best option as an impact substitute or not, it must be becoming frustrating for the American forward as he is regularly left out of big games.

With the German manager starting Marcos Alonso and Kepa Arrizabalaga over Edouard Mendy and Ben Chilwell as well, perhaps he felt his rotation policy was the best way forward.
Nevertheless, Pulisic appeared as a second-half substitute and within minutes of his introduction, he was already influencing the final with his direct running and quick feet.

However, despite a positive 20-minute cameo, Chelsea's sole American couldn't get his side back into the game as they fell to a 1-0 loss against Leicester City.

The defeat on Saturday means the Blues have now lost two successive FA Cup finals, which doesn't bode well for their Champions League final with Manchester City at the end of May.

Rating: 6/10

Sergino Dest

May 16, Barcelona 1-2 Celta Vigo

Barcelona bowed out of the La Liga title race with a surprise 2-1 loss at home to Celta Vigo.

Ronald Koeman stuck with his three-man defence yet opted for Ousmane Dembele in an unfamiliar right wing-back position as he left Dest on the bench.

The American wing-back did appear as a second-half substitute. However, he didn't impact the game as much as he would have liked as the hosts succumbed to defeat.

Rating: 6/10

Giovanni Reyna

May 13, RB Leipzig 1-4 Borussia Dortmund

Eighteen-year-old Reyna - the son of former player Claudio Reyna - had fired his side to the DFB-Pokal final with a semi-final brace against Holstein Kiel.

However, the return of Erling Haaland meant the midfielder had to settle for a place on the bench as his team took on Julian Nagelsmann's Leipzig in the final.

A first-half double from Jadon Sancho gave Edin Terzic's men the advantage before Haaland added a brace to secure Dortmund's fifth DFB-Pokal success.

Reyna had to wait until the 90th minute to appear in the briefest of cameos, replacing the evergreen Marco Reus.

Despite a lack of minutes in the final, the youngster will be delighted to collect his first-ever senior trophy, following in the footsteps of Pulisic, who won the trophy in 2017 with Dortmund.

Rating: N/A

Tyler Adams

May 13, RB Leipzig 1-4 Borussia Dortmund

In the same game, Adams was ruled out with a back injury for Nagelsmann's team.

Nordi Mukiele started in Adams' usual right wing-back position and did a decent job. However, Leipzig undoubtedly missed the American's presence.

As Dortmund continued to sit deep and invite their opponents onto them, the DFB-Pokal runners-up could have utilised Adam's calming influence in the middle of the park, too.

Rating: N/A

Daryl Dike

May 17, Barnsley 0-1 Swansea

Dike was embroiled in a physical battle with Swansea centre-backs Ben Cabango and Marc Guehi from start to finish of the play-off semi-final first-leg tie and was, perhaps, lucky to escape a booking.

Buoyed by the return of the Barnsley faithful and Valerien Ismael's insistence on a direct style of play, Dike saw a lot of the ball sent over his head and into the channels to chase.

A first-half half-chance nearly found the forward as he snuck in at the front post. However, goalkeeper Freddie Woodman was there to pounce before the American could capitalise.

Daryl Dike Barnsley

Dike has been in remarkable form for Barnsley, scoring nine times since his loan to the Championship

Joined by Carlton Morris in the second half, the hosts went even more direct, launching crosses and long passes towards Morris and Dike as the away side camped on the edge of their area.

Despite Barnsley's desire to attack and the Swans being happy to defend their one-goal advantage, Dike didn't get any more chances to test Woodman's goal.

The forward did, however, create a few chances for his team-mates. Unfortunately, Morris and Cauley Woodrow were unable to convert.

Rating: 6.5/10

Matthew Hoppe

May 15, Schalke 4-3 Eintracht Frankfurt

With Schalke already relegated, Hoppe was introduced at half-time to replace forward Mark Uth.

The American forward thrived off his partnership with veteran Klaas Jan Hunterlaar and produced a smart assist, driving in from the right-hand channel before a disguised pass allowed Florian Flick to score.

Hoppe then added Schalke's fourth - his first goal since January when he notched five in six appearances.

The 20-year-old attacker picked up the ball on the left-hand touchline and powered over the half-way line to reach the left of goal before calmly slotting a low, right-footed finish into the bottom right corner.

Rating: 7.5/10

Weston McKennie

May 15, Juventus 3-2 Inter Milan

McKennie appeared as a 58th-minute substitute, slotting in behind Cristiano Ronaldo up top to do a fair share of defensive work for 10-man Juventus.

The American midfielder did what was asked of him, working incredibly hard through the middle and remaining disciplined to stifle the Inter attack.

While not seeing a lot of possession, McKennie looked confident on the ball and carried out his defensive duties to great effect.

The vital victory for the Old Lady keeps them a point behind third-placed Milan and fourth-placed Napoli in the battle for Champions League qualification.

Rating: 6/10

Deandre Yedlin

May 15, Galatasaray 3-1 Yeni Malatyaspor

After recovering from injury and returning to the Galatasaray starting XI in recent weeks, Yedlin started in the Turkish side's final game of the season.

For the first time in the right-back's European career, he was involved in a title race for the Super Lig trophy as the hosts had to better Besiktas' result to win the league.
Galatasaray and Yedlin did their part with a 3-1 win as the American defender played the majority of the game before his second-half removal.

However, Besiktas' 2-1 win over Goztepe meant they won the Super Lig in the most dramatic of fashions, by virtue of one goal.

Rating: 6.5/10

Tim Weah

May 16, Lille 0-0 Saint-Etienne

Slowly making his way back from injury, Weah was named among the substitutes as his side were held to a goalless draw at home to Saint-Etienne.

The 21-year-old forward didn't make it onto the pitch but will take comfort from the fact Lille are one victory away from a memorable Ligue 1 title.
They face 12th-placed Angers on the last day of the season, knowing a victory will confirm their first top-flight success since 2010 when Eden Hazard carried them to glory.
Whatever the outcome next weekend, Weah will look fondly back on this learning curve of a season, in which he has scored five goals for Christophe Galtier's men in all competitions.

Rating: N/A

Antonee Robinson

May 15, Southampton 3-1 Fulham

Antonee Robinson Fulham

Robinson, who has impressed in his debut Premier League campaign, is set for a spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury

Robinson missed his side's visit to St Mary's Stadium due to an ankle injury sustained in the relegation-confirming loss to Burnley.

The left-back is expected to miss the Cottagers' next game against Manchester United too as Scott Parker confirmed the American's absence from training in midweek.

Rumours persist as to whether Robinson will be playing Championship soccer next season given his impressive debut campaign in the Premier League.

Rating: N/A

Tim Ream

May 15, Southampton 3-1 Fulham

Despite Parker opting for a three-man defence at Southampton, Ream was overlooked as the visitors preferred Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo ahead of him.

If the Cottagers do keep hold of their preferred centre-back pairing for second-tier soccer next campaign then it may be time for Ream to move on.

Alternatively, with Ream's Championship knowhow, he could come back into the reckoning next season as the Cottagers look to bounce back at the first attempt.

Rating: N/A

Josh Sargent

May 15, Augsburg 2-0 Werder Bremen

Sargent went the whole 90 minutes for the visitors who fell to a 2-0 victory which leaves them in the Bundesliga's relegation play-off places.

The American forward covered an incredible amount of ground. However, with a lack of quality around him, he struggled to influence proceedings in the final third.

Given his team's predicament, Sargent has found chances hard to come by, something Jurgen Klinsmann acknowledged after the game.

Bremen sit a point from safety ahead of the weekend's season finale at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Rating: 6/10

Chris Richards

May 15, Arminia Bielfeld 1-1 Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim were held to a draw on the road as centre-back Richards missed out for the third successive game with injury.

However, after impressing on loan, Richards could return to Bayern Munich's side next year, adding yet another American to the Champions League roster.

Rating: N/A

Bryan Reynolds

May 15, Roma 2-0 Lazio

Despite having started and impressed against bottom-placed Crotone, Reynolds was an unused substitute as Roma damaged Lazio's European hopes with a 2-0 home win.

With Jose Mourinho set to come in next season, it'll be interesting to see how the wing-back fares in the Portuguese manager's thoughts.

Davide Santon, Bruno Peres and Rick Karsdorp all present alternate options at full-back.

Rating: N/A

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