USMNT weekend viewing guide: We’re really, really back

The regular season in Germany, England and Spain kick off this weekend, and right off the bat, it looks like we could see a major debut as indications are that Joe Scally will get the start for Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday. Let’s start there:

Friday

Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich - 2:30p on ESPN+

Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich kick off the Bundesliga regular season on Friday, and it seems that this game was selected to start the season because 19-year-old American Joe Scally will likely be seeing his Bundesliga debut. It could also be that the match chosen to kick off the season was selected because it includes the Bundesliga’s biggest team and last season’s champions in Bayern Munich, but that seems unlikely.

Borussia Monchengladbach finished eighth in the league table last season and will look to improve on that performance this year. Young American Joe Scally looks like he will play an early role in that effort, as injuries to the team mean that he is forecasted to get the start at left back. Traditionally a right back, Scally started Gladbach’s DFB-Pokal match last weekend and put in a solid effort as the team defeated FC Kaiserslautern 1-0.

Chris Richards remains with Bayern Munich at least for the moment. There have been a number of rumors around the young centerback, and it would be good for him to land somewhere that he will see consistent playing time to force his way to the front of the crowded USMNT depth chart on the back line.

Streaming overseas:

• Yunus Musah’s Valencia kick off their 2021-22 campaign against Getafe on Friday afternoon at 3p on ESPN+. Musah has been recovering from injury.

MLS Mashup:

• The San Jose Earthquakes, with Cade Cowell and Jackson Yueill, take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at 10:30p on ESPN+.

Saturday

Stuttgart v Greuther Furth - 9:30a on ESPN+

Julian Green and Greuther Furth kick off their 2021-22 season in the Bundesliga after a successful promotion campaign in 2. Bundesliga last season. Green played a significant role in last year’s campaign and will look to continue his trajectory and catch the eye of USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter. Staying up is quite the challenge for newly promoted teams, but Furth and Green can look across the pitch this weekend for an excellent example of how it’s done. Stuttgart and their American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo managed a top ten finish last season in their first year after promotion from the Bundesliga, while playing some pretty positive soccer.

Other network notes:

• Owen Otasowie is reportedly ready to move on from the Wolverhampton Wanderers, who face Leicester City at 10a on NBCSN.
• Josh Sargent could see his EPL debut when Norwich City take on league giants Liverpool at 12:30p on NBC.
• Minnesota United and Hasanni Dotson face the LA Galaxy and Sebastian Lletget at 6p on Fox.
• Sebastian Saucedo and Pumas UNAM face Queretaro at 6p on TUDN and Unimas in Liga MX action.

Streaming overseas:

• John Brooks and Wolfsburg look to start on a positive note when they face Bochum at 9:30a on ESPN+.
• Christian Pulisic is still sorting out his role with Chelsea, who face Crystal Palace at 10a on Peacock.
• Timothy Weah seems to be filling the substitute role again early this season as Lille face Nice at 11a on beIN Sports.
• Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund will look for more consistency and more pressure on Bayern Munich this season. They look to start that campaign when they face Eintracht Frankfurt at 12:30p on ESPN+.

MLS mashup:

(All matches show on ESPN+)

• Jozy Altidore and Toronto FC face Matt Turner and the New England Revolution at 8p.
• Caden Clark has returned from injury and will join Kyle Duncan, Josh Tolkin, and the New York Red Bulls as they face CF Montreal at 8p.
• Indiana Vassilev picked up a late winner for Inter Miami last week against Nashville SC. The team faces James Sands, Keaton Parks and NYCFC at 8p.
• Paxton Pomykal, Jesus Ferreira, and Ricardo Pepi lead FC Dallas as they take on Sporting Kansas City with Jaylin Lindsey and Cameron Duke at 8:30p.
• Kellyn Acosta and the Colorado Rapids face the Houston Dynamo at 8:30p.
• Wrap up the night with Rubio Rubin, Bobby Wood and Real Salt Lake taking on Austin FC at 10p. David Ochoa’s breakup with USMNT is “The Players Tribune” official at this point so we’ll pay attention to him again when he faces the US in another El Tri loss.

Sunday

Mainz v RB Leipzig - 9:30a on ESPN+

It’s yet another debut as Jesse Marsch leads RB Leipzig in Bundesliga action for the first time on Sunday. Marsch will be looking to start the season on the right foot with a win in his first league match since joining the club this summer from sister club RB Salzburg. He will of course be joined by Tyler Adams, who US fans are hoping will settle into a more permanent role in the midfield. The team will be taking on a Mainz team that finished just six points out of the relegation playoff spot, so anything less than a win would be a disappointment.

Other network notes:

• Sergiño Dest and FC Barcelona get the big network treatment when they kick off their regular season against Real Sociedad at 2p on ABC and ESPN Deportes. There is a Messi-sized hole in Barca at this point, so it will be intriguing to see how Dest and his teammates adjust.
• Miles Robinson, George Bello, and Atlanta United, who just hired Gonzalo Pineda to take over next week as their new manager, take on Bob Bradley and LAFC at 4p on ESPN.
• It’s rivalry action as the Portland Timbers take on Cristian Roldan and the Seattle Sounders at 7:30p on FS1.

Streaming overseas:

• Konrad de la Fuente and Marseille take on Bordeaux at 2:45p on beIN Sports. Konrad picked up an assist as his team came from behind in his debut last weekend.
• It’s American v American in Italy potential as Venezia, with newly arrived Gianluca Bussio and Tanner Tessmann, take on Andrija Novakovich’s Frosinone in Coppa Italia action at 2:45p on Paramount+.

MLS mashup:

• The Chicago Fire take on Gyasi Zardes and the Columbus Crew at 6p.
• Nashville SC face DC United, with Kevin Paredes, Paul Arriola, Bill Hamid, Donovan Pines, and Moses Neyman at 7p.

Hit the comments below and let us know what your focused on this weekend with all the action.