USMNT Apr 26-28 viewing guide and open thread

Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie have returned to action just in time for this weekend’s Revierderby, John Brooks will be looking to build on a strong season and there’s a full slate of MLS and Liga MX action this weekend as well. Let’s get right to it.

Friday

Liverpool v Huddersfield Town - 3p on NBCSN

Danny Williams was not in the squad for Huddersfield Town’s match last weekend against Watford, and he has seen just 95 minutes this season for the club in a campaign that has been largely lost to injury. Huddersfield Town is bound for relegation and has just one win and one draw in their past 21 games. They’ll be facing 2nd place Liverpool on Friday and while it seems unlikely that Danny Williams will appear, it’s your one chance on Friday to catch a USMNT player in action.

Saturday

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke 04 - 9:30a on FS2

Christian Pulisic was back from injury last weekend and saw 20’ off the bench for the team as they added another two goals to see out their 4-0 win over SC Freiburg and remain one point behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race with four games remaining. This weekend they’ll have to overcome Schalke in the Reiverderby if they’re going to have any hope at the league title this year.

The rivals are at opposite ends of the spectrum this season with Schalke currently sitting just six points out of the relegation playoff battle and needing points themselves to ensure they stay in the top flight. The team has just one win and three draws in their last twelve games and are coming off a 5-2 loss to Hoffenheim. Weston McKennie also returned from injury last weekend, starting and playing 81 minutes in the loss. He’ll likely see the field again this weekend.

Results this season would certainly point to Dortmund being favored in the match. However, the games are always competitive with each team winning once in their past five meetings and the other three games decided by a draw.

Other Notes:

• Relegation bound Fulham has somehow managed to win their past two games and Tim Ream has been a regular fixture for the club. This weekend, Fulham face Cardiff City at 10a on NBCSN. Cardiff City are also currently in the relegation zone though still within striking distance of safety.
• Fabian Johnson has been on the bench for the past two games for Borussia Mönchengladbach and has been in and out of the lineup all season, appearing in just over half the clubs matches. The club is currently in fifth place and their fortunes could swing dramatically over the last few weeks of the season as they are just two points behind Eintracht Frankfurt for Champions League qualification and just three points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and falling out of European competition all together. This weekend they will face Stuttgart at 12:30p on FS2.
• FC Dallas will face the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at 3:30p on Univision Deportes. Nick Lima will likely see time for San Jose while Jesse Gonzalez, Paxton Pomykal and Reggie Cannon will see the field for Dallas.
• Omar Gonzalez and Atlas face Pachuca at 6p on ESPN Deportes. However, Omar has been on the bench for the past five games for Atlas.
• Ventura Alvarado will not be available for Necaxa as they face Monterrey at 8p on Saturday (FS2) due to a red card picked up in their most recent match against Pachuca.

Sunday

Hoffenheim v Wolfsburg - 9:30a on FS1

John Brooks has had a stellar year for Wolfsburg, and he added to that last week by picking up a late goal that let Wolfsburg steal a point in their 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt. More importantly than his offensive production (now with three goals and three assists on the season) Brooks has been a reliable presence in the back for Wolfsburg and has not missed a minute due to injury this season.

Currently, Wolfsburg sit in 9th place and the matchup this weekend is a crucial one as Hoffenheim currently sit in 6th place, just four points ahead of Wolfsburg. There are other teams standing between Wolfsburg and Europa League qualification as well that they would need to overcome to earn qualification but a loss or tie to Hoffenheim would virtually eliminate them from the possibility of catching Hoffenheim with just three games to play.

Hoffenheim have won four straight and haven’t lost a game since early March when they went down a man in the 65th minute and gave up two late goals to lose 3-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Other Notes:

• Chris Durkin has now started three straight games for D.C. United and has looked good for the team. He’ll be joined by Paul Arriola and Bill Hamid as D.C. take on Minnesota United at 1:30p on FS1
• Two of the Western Conferences top teams will face off Sunday when the Seattle Sounders take on the Los Angeles Football Club at 3:30p on ESPN. Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris will see the field for Seattle while Walker Zimmerman and Christian Ramirez are likely to play for LAFC. LAFC handled Seattle easily when the teams met last weekend in LA but Seattle will be looking to turn the tables at home on Sunday.