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Josh Sargent scores again, Chris Richards' dominant performance and Giovanni Reyna sidelined

Josh Sargent Werder Bremen March 2021

The United States men's national team are entering what could be their best years of soccer, with multiple stars playing across Europe, we are continuing to follow their progress.

While Christian Pulisic is having to stay patient and wait for an opportunity at Chelsea, Josh Sargent, Sergino Dest and Chris Richards are all performing well in their respective European leagues.

Weston McKennie, previously on loan from Schalke, has just signed permanently for Juventus and Tyler Adams is starting to make a name for himself under the stewardship of Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is just over a year away and the United States, perhaps due to the inexperience of their young talent, are priced way out at 60-1 by Paddy Power for World Cup glory.

Nevertheless, with American soccer producing what could be a golden generation of players, Planet Sport will continue to track their every move with a weekly progress report.

Christian Pulisic

Monday 8 March, Chelsea 2-0 Everton

Pulisic's wait for a starting chance under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea goes on, as he was named on the bench for the hosting of Everton on Monday night.

After a brief but sharp substitute appearance away at Anfield, the American may have hoped he could have forced his way into the Blues' side.

This wasn't to be the case with Pulisic only afforded a 90th-minute substitute appearance as the hosts coasted past Carlo Ancelotti's men at Stamford Bridge.

However, with Chelsea in remarkable form under Tuchel, Pulisic is likely to understand his lack of minutes as of yet and, when the opportunity arises, he will understand the importance of grasping his chance.

Rating: N/A

Deandre Yedlin

Sunday 7 March, Galatasaray 2-2 Sivasspor

Despite performing well since his loan to Turkey, Yedlin found himself an unused substitute as the hosts limped to a 2-2 draw, courtesy of Max Gradel's late equaliser for the away side.

The right-back, who had started the last three games, remained on the bench for the entirety of the Super Lig draw, with Martin Linnes preferred ahead of the American in defence.

Rating: N/A

Sergino Dest

Saturday 6 March, Osasuna 0-2 Barcelona

After impressing at right wing-back against Sevilla last week, it came as no surprise the American was once again offered the chance to start for Ronald Koeman on the right-hand side.

The visitors coasted to yet another victory but also made it three consecutive La Liga fixtures without conceding a goal.
Sergino Dest Barcelona

Dest operated as a right wing-back again on Saturday as Barcelona recorded their third consecutive La Liga clean sheet

Dest, who was consistently a bright spark down the right, was perhaps outperformed by his fellow wing-back Jordi Alba on the opposite touchline.
Nevertheless, with the American finding a new lease of life within Koeman's 3-5-2 formation, Dest has a lot to look forward to as this season heads towards its conclusion.

Rating: 6.5/10

Giovanni Reyna

Saturday 6 March, Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund

Reyna has endured a fairly quiet spell in the Bundesliga, failing to score or assist in his last 11 top-flight fixtures.
For the trip to Munich, the 18-year-old American was left out of the squad entirely as he has been struggling with muscular problems.

The visitors, without Reyna, Jadon Sancho or Raphael Guerreiro, went two goals ahead early on at the weekend but wasted their two-goal advantage as Bayern smashed four unanswered goals past them to cruise to victory in Der Klassiker.

Dortmund's Champions League second leg against Sevilla may prove a step too soon for Reyna but he could return to action the following week in the Bundesliga.

Rating: N/A

Matthew Hoppe

Friday 5 March, Schalke 0-0 Mainz

As has been the case since Hoppe's fine run of January form ended, Schalke limped to a draw at home with Mainz to leave themselves nine points adrift at the bottom of the league.

Hoppe, who is now goalless in seven, is carrying the burden of a lowly team struggling for both goals and form, in what is the American's breakthrough season in the Bundesliga.
The forward lasted just 61 minutes before his removal, failing to muster a shot all game as the hosts looked incredibly impotent.

However, Hoppe can take away some positives from Friday night's fixture, as new boss Dimitrios Grammozis still picked the American in his starting line-up, despite making numerous changes to the rest of his side.

Rating: 6/10

Tyler Adams

Saturday 6 March, Freiburg 0-3 RB Leipzig

Adams, who was arguably the best United States men's national team performer last week, was moved out to right wing-back against Freiburg, despite impressing through the middle against Borussia Monchengladbach previously.

With Kevin Kampl preferred to sit as the one man at the base of Julian Nagelsmann's midfield, the American was forced to operate down the right flank as the visitors raced past a poor Freiburg side.

Praised by Nagelsmann for his hard work in midweek against Wolfsburg, Adams is quickly becoming one of the first names on Leipzig's team sheet, whether that be out wide or centrally.
The right wing-back put in another solid performance, rarely giving possession away, while enjoying the freedom to attack down the right-hand touchline.
He has now made nine starts in his last 10 games, earning the trust of the Leipzig coaching staff by producing consistent performances on a weekly basis to lift hit side to second in the Bundesliga.

Rating: 7/10

Josh Sargent

Sunday 7 March, FC Koln 1-1 Werder Bremen

Enjoying success as an attacking midfielder - a little deeper than he would usually play - last week, Sargent continued his fine form away at Koln.
The American, who again played in behind the visitors' two-man strike pairing, looked a persistent threat, threading passes through for the likes of Milot Rashica to attack in front of him.
The crowning moment of Sargent's game, however, came in the 66th minute, as he drifted towards the back post, finding himself unmarked to head into the bottom left corner after a wonderful cross by Romano Schmid.
His goal away at Koln now means he has scored in back-to-back Bundesliga fixtures, taking him up to four goals for the season as he starts to find his feet for Werder Bremen.

As Sargent continues to thrive in a deeper playmaking role, perhaps the American, for the time being, has found his strongest position.

Rating: 8/10

Chris Richards

Saturday 6 March, Hoffenheim 2-1 Wolfsburg

The loanee centre-back put in yet another commanding performance for Hoffenheim, as they defeated Wolfsburg, who sit third in the German top flight.

Operating as part of a three-man defence, Richards looked at ease for the majority of the game, dominating aerially while also looking comfortable whenever the visitors tried to play around him on the left-hand side.
Since arriving last month, when fit, Richards has not missed a single minute for the hosts, playing the entirety of the five games he has started and making the centre-back role his own for Hoffenheim.
Whether the American stays at Hoffenheim next season or goes back to Bayern remains unclear but, for now, Richards is enjoying a fair amount of success, given his relatively unknown status at the start of the 2020/21 season.

Rating: 7.5/10

Weston McKennie

Saturday 6 March, Juventus 3-1 Lazio

After a run of games for Andrea Pirlo's side, McKennie is now having to remain patient as he waits to get back in the Old Lady's good books.
The home side crushed Lazio 3-1, however, the American midfielder had to wait until the 70th minute for his introduction.
With just 20 minutes left to play, McKennie didn't really have a chance to impact the game but he may not mind as Juventus carry on their charge at the top of Serie A, chasing first-placed Inter, who are currently seven points ahead of them.
In more positive news, McKennie's move to Italy on a permanent basis was confirmed in midweek, after initially being loaned to Juventus by Schalke.
Given Pirlo's wealth of midfield knowledge, McKennie will be delighted to have the chance to continue to work and learn under the Italian manager, nailing down a long-term contract until 2025 for the Old Lady.

Rating: 6/10

Tim Weah

Sunday 7 March, GFC Ajaccio 1-3 Lille

Weah started for Lille away in the Coupe de France but, despite Lille's dominance for large parts of the cup tie, the American failed to register any significant attacking contributions.
WIth his lack of attacking success in the cup tie, the forward's frustrations became apparent in the 52nd minute, when he needlessly got himself a yellow card for committing a careless foul up top.
The 21-year-old attacker, who is son of George Weah, has only scored three times this season in Ligue 1 and has struggled to find form, given the preference for Jonathan David and Jonathan Ikone to start ahead of him for the French side.

Rating: 6/10

Antonee Robinson

Sunday 7 March, Liverpool 0-1 Fulham

Despite doing well against both Crystal Palace and Tottenham, Robinson was overlooked for Ola Aina by Scott Parker for the Cottagers' trip to Anfield.
Antonee Robinson Fulham

Robinson continues to battle for the left-back spot with Ola Aina at Fulham

Defending a one-goal lead in the closing stages, the left-back was sent on for Ademola Lookman as an 83rd-minute substitute in an attempt to provide more cover on the left-hand side.

The American provided additional protection, teaming up with Aina to monitor Mohamed Salah and earn an incredibly valuable three points for Fulham.

While Robinson may have been frustrated to be out the starting eleven, the healthy competition which is forming between him and Aina for the left-back spot is a factor which could benefit both of their progressions in the coming weeks.

Rating: 6/10

Tim Ream

Sunday 7 March, Liverpool 0-1 Fulham

In the same fixture, Ream was named on the bench but didn't appear for the visitors as Tosin Adarabioyo and Joachim Andersen continue to nail down their centre-back partnership for Parker.
With games coming thick and fast, Fulham may require Ream if there is an injury to one of their reliable centre-back pairing but, as of yet, the opportunity hasn't come for the American.

Rating: N/A

Bryan Reynolds

Sunday 7 March, Roma 1-0 Genoa

Reynolds, after making his move from FC Dallas, finally made Roma's squad for the first time in three months, given his previous visa-related issues and fitness problems.
While Reynolds didn't get the chance to appear for the hosts, the American did get his first taste of a Serie A matchday in the Italian capital.

The right-back has now made the matchday squad for Roma, so the next step on his transition to European football is to get in the starting line-up.

Rating: N/A

Indiana Vassilev

Saturday 6 March, Cheltenham Town 3-2 Port Vale

As has been the case since being loaned by Aston Villa to Cheltenham, Vasillev was again a substitute for the visit of Port Vale.

Having to wait until the 80th minute to get a chance to shine, the American rarely got to touch the ball as the visitors nearly mounted a comeback from 3-0 down, eventually losing 3-2.
Alfie May, Cheltenham's striker who starts ahead of Vassilev, scored twice on Saturday so it could be a long time before the American gets the opportunity for a prolonged run of games in the League Two side.

Rating: N/A

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