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5 big things from Americans abroad this week (11/14-11/20)

Three 18-year-old Americans bring a youthful look to this week's highlights.

By Roderick MacNeil
Martin Willetts/Getty Images

1. Josh Perez makes Fiorentina game day roster

Maybe you're not watching much Serie A these days. If you're a USMNT fan, it's time to starting check those box scores.

U.S. U20 winger Josh Perez's move to Fiorentina is going quite well since signing in February. He's spent most of this calendar year playing for the club's U-19 side, known as Fiorentina Primavera. After scoring 4 goals in 11 appearances to finish last season, he's continued to flourish this fall, adding another 4 goals in 7 appearances.

Those numbers have gotten notice in Florence. This week he made the senior team game day roster for the first time:

For Sunday's Serie A match at Empoli, Perez was on the bench (23-man game day rosters are standard in Italy.) Perez was an unused sub in La Viola's 4-0 win. Next up for Fiorentina: Thursday in Europa League vs. PAOK.

2. Haji Wright continues to impress

More exciting youth news from Europe:

Another 18-year-old filling the net is LA Galaxy academy alum Haji Wright. The Schalke U-19 striker is posting some eye-popping numbers, boosted by this brace on Sunday:

Those numbers (6 goals, 7 assists) have come in just 10 games this season. Meanwhile, Schalke's senior team has struggled offensively, with just 14 goals thru 11 Bundesliga matches. Wright may not be on the cusp of breaking through, but with numbers like these, he's turning some heads in Germany.

3. Danny Williams & Reading Rolling

During the summer of 2016, Danny Williams reportedly drew interest from several Premier League clubs. No transfer materialized as Williams remained at Reading for a fourth season. But the way things are going, perhaps an EPL move is in the cards -- via a potential Royals promotion from The Championship.

There's a long way to go, but as we approach the midpoint of the season, surprising Reading sits third on the table. USMNT midfielder Danny Williams continues to be a big part of it, scoring a key goal on Saturday vs. Burton Albion:

Williams' third goal of the season gave Reading a 2-0 first half lead on the way to a 3-0 win. The red-hot Royals have won four straight in league play, keeping clean sheets in each. They'll look to continue that streak on Saturday vs. Bristol City.

4. Andrew Wooten's Scoring Binge

The depth of the USMNT striker pool is deeper than it's been in quite some time. While Bruce Arena will take a fresh look, it'll take something special for Andrew Wooten to break into the squad again. That being said, Wooten may be rediscovering his goal-scoring form at the right time.

On Saturday, Wooten scored a second half brace for SV Sandhausen to rally from a 1-0 deficit to a 3-1 away win at Karlsruher. The first, a 60th minute kick from the penalty spot to get things started:


Then in the 74th minute, Wooten gave SVS the lead with this goal, trailing the play at the right time to tuck one inside the post:


Wooten now has seven goals in his last seven games across all competitions, already surpassing his total from last season. He's also tied for fourth in the 2.Bundesliga Golden Boot race, and has SVS back in the top half of the table.


5. Pulisic helps take down Bayern

Another week, another big thing from Christian Pulisic.

This time he played a smaller role than in recent months, but the result was a rather big one. Pulisic came off the bench late to help close out a massive 1-0 win for Borussia Dortmund vs. mighty Bayern Munich. Here's Pulisic celebrating with teammates in front of the usual packed house at Signal Iduna Park:

The result pulled Dortmund into third place on a topsy-turvy Bundesliga table. Seven teams are now within 6 points of the lead, topped by shock upstarts RB Leipzig.

With advancement to the Champions League KO Round secured, a possible deep Pokal run, and a chase for the league title underway, it's shaping up to be an exciting second half of the season for Christian Pulisic. Bigger things ahead.

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