Trophy chase: Americans in Europe's big 5 leagues have shots at 12 trophies

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Apr 29, 2021

Before the 2020-21 season, Americans playing for teams in Europe's big 5 leagues had won 13 league and cup trophies, beginning with Thomas Dooley's 1990 German Cup title with Kaiserslautern.

In 2020-21, Americans have already won four domestic cups in these big 5 countries and have a shot at winning eight more league or cup trophies before the end of the season.

Consider ...

-- Teams with Americans enter the weekend with the league lead in England (Zack Steffen's Manchester City) and France (Tim Weah's Lille). Bayern Munich (for which Chris Richards played three games before his loan move to Hoffenheim) can clinch the Bundesliga on May 8. Sergino Dest's Barcelona blew a chance to take LaLiga lead on Thursday when it lost its makeup game to Granada, 2-1, at home. It remains third two points behind leader Atletico Madrid, which it hosts on May 8.

-- Dest already won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona, and Christian Pulisic's Chelsea and Weston McKennie's Juventus have already advanced to the finals of their respective cups. Three of the four semifinalists competing this weekend in Germany DFB Pokal have Americans, assuring them of at least one spot in the final.

-- The biggest prize of them all is the UEFA Champions League in which Steffen's Manchester City (2-1 winner at Paris St. Germain) and Pulisic's Chelsea (1-1 tie at Real Madrid) have the edge heading into next week's semifinal second legs. If Chelsea advances to the Champions League final May 29 in Istanbul, Pulisic, the goalscorer against Real Madrid, would not only likely become the first American to play in the final but he would be one game's main protagonists. Steffen has been Brazilian Ederson's backup keeper at Manchester City, making all but two of his 12 starts in the League Cup (which he won) and FA Cup, but just making the bench for the UEFA Champions League final would be a feat in and of itself. No American, not even Joven Kirovski when Dortmund make back-to-back appearances in the Champions League final, has ever dressed in UEFA's showcase game, now in its 66th year.

Zack Steffen (Manchester City, England).
Playing for ...
Premier League
UEFA Champions League
Already won ...
League Cup

Schedule:
May 1: at Crystal Palace (Premier League)
May 5: vs. Paris SG (UEFA Champions League semifinals)
May 8: vs. Chelsea (Premier League)
May 12: at Newcastle United (Premier League)
May 15: at Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League)
May 23: vs. Everton (Premier League)
May 29: potential (UEFA Champions League final)

Standings:
1. Manchester City, 77 points
2. Manchester United, 67 points
3. Leicester City, 62 points
4. Chelsea, 58 points
-----------------------------------
5. West Ham United, 55 points
6. Liverpool, 54 points
7. Tottenham , 53 points
8. Everton, 52 points (32 games)
Note: All other teams have played 33 of 38 games.

Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, England).
Playing for ...
FA Cup
UEFA Champions League

Schedule:
May 1: vs. Fulham (Premier League)
May 5: vs. Real Madrid (Premier League)
May 8: at Manchester City (Premier League)
May 12: vs. Arsenal (Premier League)
May 15: vs. Leicester City (FA Cup final)
May 23: vs. Aston Villa (Premier League)
May 29: potential (UEFA Champions League final)
To be rescheduled: vs. Leicester City (original date: May 15)

Standings:
1. Manchester City, 77 points
2. Manchester United, 67 points
3. Leicester City, 62 points
4. Chelsea, 58 points
-----------------------------------
5. West Ham United, 55 points
6. Liverpool, 54 points
7. Tottenham , 53 points
8. Everton, 52 points (32 games)
Note:  All other teams have played 33 games.

Tim Weah (Lille, France).
Playing for ...
Ligue 1

Schedule:
May 1: vs. Nice
May 7: at Lens
May 16: vs. St. Etienne
May 23: at Angers

Standings:
1. Lille 73 points
2. PSG 72 points
3. Monaco 71 points
-----------------------------------
4. Lyon, 67 points
Note: All teams have played 34 of 38 games.

Sergino Dest (Barcelona, Spain).
Playing for ...
LaLiga
Already won ...
Copa del Rey

Schedule:
May 2: at Valencia
May 8: vs. Atletico Madrid
May 11: at Levante
May 15: vs. Celta Vigo
May 22: at Eibar

Standings:
1. Atletico Madrid 73 points;
2. Real Madrid 71 points;
3. Barcelona 71 points;
4. Sevilla 70 points
-----------------------------------
Note: All teams have played 33 of 38 games.



Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy).
Playing for ...
Coppa Italia
(Note: Juventus is mathematically alive in Serie but would have to make up 13-point deficit with five games to play.)
Already won ...
Supercoppa Italia

Schedule:
May 2: at Udinese (Serie A)
May 9: vs. AC Milan (Serie A)
May 12: at Sassuolo (Serie A)
May 15: vs. Inter Milan (Serie A)
May 18: vs. Atalanta (Coppa Italia final)
May 22: at Bologna

Standings:
1. Inter Milan, 79 points
2. Atalanta, 68 points
3. Napoli, 66 points
4. Juventus, 66 points
-----------------------------------
5. AC Milan, 66 points
6. Lazio, 61 points
Note: All teams have played 33 of 38 games.

Chris Richards (*Bayern Munich, Germany).
Playing for ...
Bundesliga
Already won ...
DFL-Super Cup
*Moved on loan to Hoffenheim in January after playing 3 games.

Schedule:
May 8: vs. Borussia M'gladbach
May 15: at Freiburg
May 22: vs. Augsburg

Standings:
1. Bayern Munich, 71 points
2. RB Leipzig, 64 points
3. Wolfsburg, 57 points
4. Eintracht Frankfurt, 56 points
-----------------------------------
5. Borussia Dortmund, 55 points
6. Bayer Leverkusen, 51 points
Note: All teams have played 31 of 34 games.

Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig, Germany).
Playing for ...
DFB Pokal
(Note: RB Leipzig is mathematically alive in the Bundesliga but would have to make up seven-point deficit with three games to play.)

Schedule:
April 30: at Werder Bremen (DFB Pokal semifinals)
May 8: Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga)
May 13: potential (DFB Pokal final)
May 15: Wolfsburg (Bundesliga)
May 22: at Union Berlin (Bundesliga)

Standings:
1. Bayern Munich, 71 points
2. RB Leipzig, 64 points
3. Wolfsburg, 57 points
4. Eintracht Frankfurt, 56 points
-----------------------------------
5. Borussia Dortmund, 55 points
6. Bayer Leverkusen, 51 points
Note: All teams have played 31 of 34 games.

Gio Reyna (Bor. Dortmund, Germany).
Playing for ...
DFB Pokal

Schedule:
May 1: vs. Holstein Kiel (DFB Pokal semifinals)
May 8: vs. RB Leipzig (Bundesliga)
May 13: potential (DFB Pokal final)
May 15: at Mainz (Bundesliga)
May 22: vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga)

Standings:
1. Bayern Munich, 71 points
2. RB Leipzig, 64 points
3. Wolfsburg, 57 points
4. Eintracht Frankfurt, 56 points
-----------------------------------
5. Borussia Dortmund, 55 points
6. Bayer Leverkusen, 51 points
Note: All teams have played 31 of 34 games.

Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, Germany).
Playing for ...
DFB Pokal

Schedule:
April 30: vs. RB Leipzig (DFB Pokal semifinals)
May 8: vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga)
May 13: potential (DFB Pokal final)
May 15: at Augsburg (Bundesliga)
May 22: vs. Borussia M'Gladbach (Bundesliga)

Standings:
12. Mainz, 34 points (30 games)
13. Augsburg 33 points
14. Werder Bremen, 30 points
15. Arminia Bielefeld. 30 points
-----------------------------------
16. FC Cologne, 29 points
-----------------------------------
17. Hertha Berlin. 28 points (28 games)
18. Schalke 04, 13 points (30 games)
Note: All other teams have played 31 of 34 games.