Reyna Scores First Ligue 1 Goal in Strasbourg Victory

Gio Reyna has his first Ligue 1 goal, and it comes with a sense of relief as much as celebration.

On just his third appearance for Strasbourg, the American found the net in a wild 6-2 dismantling of Troyes on the road. In the context of the scoreline, his strike was a small piece of a rout. For Reyna himself, it was huge – another step in the long, stuttering journey of getting his club career moving again.

The signs have been building. A brief cameo in the opener against Marseille. Then a sharp first start against Lens, where he completed 92 percent of his passes and carved out three chances. Against Troyes, he added end product: a goal, 18 completed passes from 21 attempts, and two efforts on target.

It’s early in the season, but Reyna is already bending games in Ligue 1. The question, as ever, is his body. Fitness has been his biggest opponent. If he can stay on the pitch, these opening weeks suggest Strasbourg have a playmaker capable of shaping matches in the French top flight.

Pepi keeps firing as PSV roll

All is calm at PSV. All is sharp in front of goal for Ricardo Pepi.

The striker scored five minutes into a 3-1 win over Ajax on Saturday, giving him three goals in his last four games. With Pepi in form, PSV have rattled off four straight victories by a combined 16-4. The season is still stretching out in front of them, but they already look like a side ready to sprint away from the rest of the Eredivisie again if this scoring pace holds.

One issue hangs over it all: will Pepi still be there to finish the job? Transfer rumors have followed him for years and haven’t gone away. A move can’t happen before January, though, and if his recent history is any guide, he could easily be in double figures by the time that window opens.

Musah carries the flag as Milan let Juve off the hook

When Milan meet Juventus, American eyes usually split between two stars. This time, one was missing and the other never left the bench.

Weston McKennie didn’t make the Juve squad as he nurses a muscle injury. Christian Pulisic was named among Milan’s substitutes but stayed there, still waiting for his first minutes of the season as the club manages his return from a World Cup injury.

So it fell to Yunus Musah to represent the USMNT in a heavyweight Serie A clash that ended 1-1 after late drama.

Milan had the game where they wanted it. Musah, alongside Luka Modric in central midfield, helped control long stretches as the hosts edged toward a statement win. Then came the sting. A late Juventus set piece, a scrambled finish, and two points vanished in an instant. The San Siro crowd watched a near-certain victory turn into a result that felt like a defeat for Milan and an unlikely escape for Juve.

For American fans, the bigger frustration lay off the ball. McKennie’s absence was expected. Pulisic’s continued wait is more unsettling. Three times he has been named in a matchday squad this season; three times he has gone unused. Milan are clearly in no rush to push him back into full throttle. When he will finally be ready to influence games remains an open question.

Maybe next week offers a different picture. For now, one of the showcase fixtures of the Italian calendar passed with only one of the USMNT’s headline names on the pitch.

Scally scores, then watches chaos unfold

Joe Scally spent the summer linked with a move away from Borussia Monchengladbach. Like Reyna, he stayed put. Days after the transfer deadline, he delivered a reminder of why keeping him might prove smart business.

Gladbach lost 4-3 in a breathless contest against Elversberg on Saturday, but Scally was among the scorers, finding the net for just the sixth time in his career. His goal, in the 56th minute, looked big at the time, stretching the lead to 3-1 and seemingly putting his side in control.

The game had other ideas. Elversberg pulled one back to make it 3-2. Scally was substituted soon after and could only watch as the match flipped completely, with two late goals turning his potential winner into a mere footnote.

Defensively, he wasn’t flawless; an error of his contributed to one of Elversberg’s strikes. Yet the long-standing criticism of Scally has focused less on his defending and more on what he offers going forward. Modern fullbacks are judged on their attacking punch. Scally hasn’t always shown that consistently at the top level.

He did this weekend. Now he needs that attacking spark to become a pattern, not a one-off, as he fights to nail down his place in the Gladbach XI.

Americans abroad: quick hits

• Folarin Balogun did not dress for Monaco’s comeback 2-1 upset of Paris Saint-Germain after a week dominated by transfer noise around his future.
• Sebastian Berhalter, Aidan Morris and Max Arfsten all started, while Rokas Pukstas made his debut off the bench, in Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
• Gianluca Busio supplied an assist for Venezia, but they slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Frosinone.
• Chris Richards came out on top in the all-American duel with Antonee Robinson as Crystal Palace beat Fulham 3-2.
• Noahkai Banks turned in a strong performance for Augsburg in a 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
• Jack McGlynn made his Stoke City debut with a substitute appearance in a 4-0 rout of Charlton Athletic.
• Tim Weah captained Marseille, but Lassine Sinayoko’s hat-trick powered Paris FC to a 3-2 win.
• Tanner Tessmann entered in the 76th minute of Lyon’s 3-1 win over Auxerre.
• Lyngby goalkeeper Diego Kochen made four saves to preserve a clean sheet away to Viborg.
• Tyler Adams dictated play in midfield, but Bournemouth were held to a 2-2 draw by Newcastle.
• Brenden Aaronson came on in the 62nd minute of Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Brighton.
• Johnny Cardoso made a late cameo for Atletico Madrid in a shock 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao.
• Alex Freeman played the full 90 minutes in Villarreal’s 3-2 loss to Deportivo La Coruña.
• George Campbell helped West Brom see out a 1-0 win over Watford with a clean sheet.
• John Tolkin logged 63 minutes in Holstein Kiel’s 2-2 draw with FC Nurnberg.
• Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers both started in central defense as Celtic edged St. Mirren 2-1.
• Caleb Wiley played 59 minutes in Preston’s 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.
• Malik Tillman featured for 67 minutes in Bayer Leverkusen’s emphatic 4-0 demolition of Union Berlin.

From France to Germany, Italy to England, the American footprint keeps spreading. The next step is obvious: can this growing influence turn into decisive moments when titles and seasons are on the line?