USMNT weekend viewing guide: Holy ESPN+, Batman!

There is a ton of action on this weekend, including Bundesliga matches, FA Cup action, and Serie A matches. Almost all of it is exclusively on ESPN+, which is probably exactly what their executives were dreaming of when they snatched up the Bundesliga rights. If you haven’t already dropped the $5 a month (or tried out a free preview), now is definitely the time to do so. There are 12 games this weekend alone where United States internationals have a decent chance to at least make an appearance in the match for clubs in the top leagues of Europe, and they can all be seen on ESPN+. So here we go:

Friday

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace - 2:45p on ESPN+

The two Friday matches feature 20-year-old Americans making their way in Europe so we’ll start with the one who seems a bit more likely to start as Owen Otasowie’s Wolverhampton Wanderers face Crystal Palace in FA Cup action on Friday afternoon. Cup games are often a chance for managers to rotate their sides, and that will presumably be in full force this year with the congested schedules in England. So, it seems like Friday could be a good opportunity for Otasowie to play. The young man has appeared in four of the last five matches for Wolverhampton and received his first start in mid-December. The club is coming off a 3-3 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion last Saturday in which Otasowie came off the bench late and just missed scoring the match winner for his club.

Looking through the paywall:

• Chris Richards and Bayern Munich face Borussia Mönchengladbach at 2:30p on ESPN+. Richards hasn’t made it off the bench in the last four matches, but continues to make the matchday squad.

Saturday

RB Leipzig v Borussia Dortmund - 12:30p on ESPN+

There are seven matches on Saturday, but the highlight is easily Tyler Adams’ second place RB Leipzig facing off against Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund. It’s a top four matchup and it has an American on each side likely to make an impact on the match, so this one has everything a USMNT fan could ask for. RB Leipzig is coming in on a nine match undefeated streak, stretching back to their 1-0 Champions League loss to PSG in Champions League play. It also happened to be the last game in which Tyler Adams didn’t appear. Correlation is causation.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have taken their lumps this season and fired Lucien Favre in mid-December, but Giovanni Reyna continues to be a regular, important presence for the team. The young man has appeared in all 23 matches the team has played this season, including 17 starts. The match seems like the best bet all weekend to watch something significant go down.

Looking through the paywall:

• Josh Sargent and Werder Bremen face Bayer Leverkusen at 9:30a on ESPN+. Bremen continue to be a pretty tough watch, but Sargent is getting his opportunities.
• Wolfsburg and John Brooks look to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to BvB when they face Union Berlin at 9:30a on ESPN+.
• Matthew Hoppe got his second start for Schalke 04 last weekend, but that doesn’t mean you should feel obligated to watch this weekend as they face Hoffenheim at 9:30a on ESPN+. The team is awful.
• Antonee Robinson and Fulham face Queens Park Rangers at 10a on ESPN+ in FA Cup action Saturday morning. Robinson has been a regular fixture for Fulham since breaking into the club.
• DeAndre Yedlin has broken back into Newcastle’s lineup recently and could see the field for a fifth straight start when the club faces Arsenal at 12:30p on ESPN+.
• Sergiño Dest and Barcelona look to continue their undefeated run in la Liga when they face Granada at 12:30p on beIN Sports.

Sunday

Juventus v Sassuolo - 2:45p on ESPN+

Weston McKennie came on as a substitute Wednesday and scored the game-sealing goal for Juventus as they defeated first place AC Milan to pick up vital points in the race for the top of the table. With the win over the top club Juventus still remains seven points back though with a game in hand. The club will need to continue its strong form as they face fifth place Sassuolo on Sunday. Sassuolo are just a point back of Juventus for Champions League positioning and are coming off a 2-1 win.

Looking through the paywall:

• Zack Steffen could see a third straight start for Manchester City Sunday in their FA Cup matchup with Birmingham City at 8:30a on ESPN+. The American keeper has been in goal for wins over Chelsea and Manchester United.
• Christian Pulisic and Chelsea look to get things back on track as they face League Two side Morecambe City at 8:30a on ESPN+. A win won’t help the team move up from their current ninth place position in the league standings, but could be a spark to get things going.
• Pellegrino Matarazzo’s Stuttgart will face Augsburg at 9:30a on ESPN+. The club is coming off a 1-0 loss to RB Leipzig and currently sit in 11th place in the German top tier.

Let us know what you’re watching this weekend in the comments section below.