Another weekend of European soccer action, another series of performances by American talent. There has been a wave of Yanks making the move across the Atlantic in recent times and here are some of the best displays turned in over the weekend by Americans currently plying their trade in the European leagues.
Tyler Adams | RB Leipzig
Two starts, two wins for RB Leipzig. Tyler Adams has made quite the early impression in the Bundesliga. After an impressive debut the week before, the young midfielder once again turned in a good performance for his new club, this time in a 3-0 away win over Hannover.
Adams has settled in nicely at RB Leipzig. Against Hanover, he made more passes than any other player on the pitch, besides one. This wasn't conservative, sideways passing from the teenager, though. His range was impressive and that was a contributing factor to the way RB Leipzig managed to stretch and pull their opponents around the pitch.
Matt Miazga | Reading
Few at Nantes were upset to see the back of Matt Miazga. The former New York Red Bulls defender endured a difficult loan spell at the French club, returning to parent club Chelsea in January before beaming farmed out to Reading. Things are already looking brighter for Miazga there.
The 23-year-old played the full 90 minutes in Reading’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. Miazga succeeded in keeping the Championship’s second-top scorer, Tammy Abraham, quiet, turning in a solid performance. Miazga will hope to use this as a platform to make up for lost time over the second half of the season.
Christian Pulisic | Borussia Dortmund
American soccer’s golden boy has struggled for game time this season, but was handed 25 minutes of play by Lucien Favre as Borussia Dortmund labored to a 1-1 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Everything Christian Pulisic does right now is magnified as he prepares for his summer move to Chelsea. Some new fans of his new club took to social media after this game to express concern over the American’s recent performance. This wasn’t a poor display by Pulisic, but he didn’t have the impact Favre must have hoped for. It feels like Pulisic’s career is on hold until the end of the season.
Timothy Weah | Celtic
Another game, another goal for Timothy Weah, the teenage American who is quickly turning into the signing of the season in Scotland. Celtic were struggling away to St Johnstone when Weah was introduced off the bench with 15 minutes left on the clock. The scoreline was tied at 0-0 and the Scottish champions were struggling to find a way through a stubborn defensive block.
Weah changed the game, though. Within minutes, he contributed an assist for the opener and then scored himself following a rapid counterattack to put the finishing touches on the victory and keep Celtic six points clear at the top of the table. The addition of Weah has been key in maintaining the Hoops’ advantage in recent weeks.
DeAndre Yedlin | Newcastle United
A mainstay of the Premier League for a number of years now, DeAndre Yedlin is often overlooked as an export of the American game. Newcastle United enjoyed a big week last week, derailing Manchester City’s title challenge with a shocking 2-1 win over the champions on Tuesday. And for much of Saturday’s match away to Spurs, it looked like they Magpies’ week was about to get better.
Yedlin played on the right side of a back five. That succeeded in frustrating Spurs in the first half, with the American full-back playing a role as Newcastle started to create some opportunities of their own in the second half. Spurs eventually ground out a 1-0 win, but on another day, Yedlin would have helped his side claim a valuable point at Wembley.
Graham Ruthven is a soccer writer based in the U.K. He has written for the New York Times, Guardian, Eurosport, Bleacher Report, and others.