Americans Abroad: Four things to know about weekend performances

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Sep 17, 2023

U.S. national team center forwards Folarin Balogun (left) and Ricardo Pepi each scored their first league goals for their new clubs. The latter after a penalty-kick taker argument.

• Folarin Balogun  scores his first for Monaco (VIDEO)

The England-raised U.S. national team center forward scored his first goal for Monaco since the principality-based club paid more than $30 million to Arsenal for his acquisition after he scored 21 goals last season while on loan to Ligue 1's Reims. He came off the bench in the 66th minute and scored three minutes later with a powerful shot inside the near post to give Monaco a fleeting 2-1 lead in the 2-2 tie at Lorient.

• Ricardo Pepi  scores his first for PSV (VIDEO)

The Texan is battling with Balogun for the USA's center forward position —both scored against Oman on Tuesday — and scored his first Dutch Eredivisie goal since joining PSV in the summer. Against NEC, Pepi came on in the 83rd minute for Luuk de Jong, who had scored two goals. After winning an argument with Mexican Chucky Lozano — thanks to a nod from Coach Peter Bosz —  about who to take the penalty kick (for a handball caused by Pepi's header), the 20-year-old American converted for a 4-0 final score. Pepi has three appearances in the season's first five Eredivisie games, all as a late sub.

• Weston McKennie  gets high grades in Juventus win (VIDEO)

For the fourth straight Juventus game, McKennie and fellow American Tim Weah were subbed for each other to play wingback, wide in midfield. In the last two, including Saturday's 3-1 win over Lazio, McKennie started and Weah came on. McKennie's 72-minute performance was rated the second best among Juventus players by Gazzetto dello Sport.

Elsewhere in Italy's Serie A, Christian Pulisic's honeymoon with AC Milan —the 25-year-old American scored twice during AC Milan's 3-0-0 start — got a negative jolt when Inter Milan won the derby, 5-1. Pulisic was replaced in the 56th minute by Samuel Chukwueze. Pulisic's U.S. teammate Yunus Musah came on the 86th minute for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The central defender, after starting for the USA in its September wins over Uzbekistan (3-0) and Oman (4-0), upon his return to Crystal Palace started against Aston Villa after staying on the bench for the season's first four games.

But the Crystal Palace backline broke down trying to hold down a 1-0 lead created in the 47th minute and conceded three times in the last 14 minutes of play for a 3-1 loss. The winning goal in stoppage time came on a controversial penalty awarded for a foul by Richards.