USMNT weekend viewing guide: Familiar faces in new places

As new seasons are kicking off, now’s as good a time as any to remind everyone that this article attempts to cover the USMNT-relevant players in Europe’s top five leagues as well as those playing in Major League Soccer domestically. Due to time constraints, we can’t commit to more than that but hit the comments section below for notes on other matches of interest, as well as updates on how players are performing throughout the weekend.

I started writing this article as a way to stay more informed about how players were faring, and I continue to think the comments section is the primary benefit of the weekly post. Having said all that, seasons are starting in Germany, France, and England as the Bundesliga and Premier League both kick off their 2022-23 campaigns on Friday. The action across both leagues spins up to full speed right away, with a number of matches across cable and broadcast networks as well as the streaming platforms. It all starts Friday with a young face in a new place, let’s check it out:

Friday

Crystal Palace v Arsenal FC – 3p on USA

Chris Richards starts a new chapter in his career when Crystal Palace start their season against Arsenal on Friday afternoon. Welcome to the Premier League! Richards, who transferred to Crystal Palace from Bayern Munich over the summer, will look to establish a regular role with a club that finished twelfth in the EPL last season.

Richards had performed well in successive loans with Hoffenheim but was unable to break through at Bayern. Not breaking through at a club the level of Bayern isn’t something to be particularly ashamed of, but it is time for Richards to establish himself long term with a club and a long term deal at Crystal Palace should provide that opportunity. Crystal Palace face an Arsenal side that finished in 5th place last season, missing out on Champions League play by two points.

Other notes:

• Timothy Chandler’s Eintracht Frankfurt start their season against Bayern Munich at 2:30p on ESPN+. Chandler saw very inconsistent time with Frankfurt last year but signed a contract extension that all but guarantees he will retire with the club.

Saturday

Everton v Chelsea FC – 12:30p on USA

Attempting to read the Christian Pulisic tea leaves as they can be found on Twitter has been quite an experience the past couple of months. Most recently, it was pointed out that Pulisic has been left out of significant Chelsea promotional materials. Is it all an indication that he’ll be on the move before the transfer window closes? Perhaps, but for now he remains with Chelsea who kick off their season against rivals Everton. Of course, with Pulisic’s future with the club seemingly up in the air, it’s impossible to tell what his role will look like for the next month or even over the weekend.

Other notes:

• Borussia Dortmund open up their season against Bayer Leverkusen in a match that will be broadcast on ABC. Gio Reyna finally took the field again for BVB last weekend in a friendly and played 45 minutes. Reports indicate that his manager, Edin Terzic, sees him in a more central role, which would be an enjoyable transition once he’s able to secure a consistent role.
• Atlanta United and the Seattle Sounders follow up Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen when they kick off at 3p, also on ABC. Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan and the Sounders look to continue their playoff push against hapless Atlanta.
• Real Salt Lake host Kellyn Acosta and LAFC at 10p on TUDN and UniMas.

Streaming overseas:

• The Fulham duo of Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson are back in the Premier League and they get the full treatment on Saturday morning when they face Liverpool at 7:30a on Peacock.
• Jordan Pefok will have his first league match with his new club Union Berlin when they face Hertha Berlin at 9:30a on ESPN+. Pefok rescued Union Berlin from an embarrassing DFB-Pokal result when he scored the tying goal last weekend in a match that his side would need extra time to win.
• Joe Scally picked up a goal in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 9-1 Pokal victory. ‘Gladbach now open their regular season against Hoffenheim at 9:30a on ESPN+.
• Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen play at 9:30a on ESPN+. Kevin Parades seems to be a backup winger for Wolfsburg and could find minutes hard to come by. Mostly, this game was included in the rundown because I’ve gotten so used to noting these clubs over the last few years.
• Ricardo Pepi looks like he may have his work cut out for him to establish a regular role with Augsburg, who face Freiburg at 9:30a on ESPN+. Pepi has been regularly coming off the bench for Augsburg in the preseason.
• Tyler Adams and Brendan Aaronson make their EPL debuts as Leeds United face the Wolverhampton Wanderers at 10a on Peacock. Jesse Marsch and Leeds narrowly avoided relegation at the end of last season, and Adams and Aaronson were part of the reinforcements brought in for the new campaign. The club has also lost a few key figures, so there is a definite chance for the American trio to put their stamp on things.

MLS Mashup (all matches on ESPN+):

• Jack McGlynn hit a lovely set piece goal for the Philadelphia Union last weekend in their 6-0 drubbing of the Houston Dynamo, and Quinn Sullivan added a goal of his own. Now the club will face Brandon Vasquez and FC Cincinnati at 7:30p.
• The Columbus Crew host New York City FC at 7:30p.
• DC United face the New York Red Bulls at 7:30p. Chris Durkin had a nice goal for DC United last weekend, as they came back late to pick up the win over Orlando City before losing 3-0 to Charlotte FC midweek.
• Djordje Mihalovic and CF Montreal host DeAndre Yedlin and Inter Miami at 7:30p.
• Orlando City SC and the New England Revolution kick off at 7:30p. In the past week, New England have moved on from both Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Lletget.
• Walker Zimmermann, Shaq Moore, and Nashville SC take on Toronto FC and the Bradleys at 7:30p.
• Sporting Kansas City hosts the LA Galaxy at 8:30p.
• Austin FC host Cade Cowell, Jeremy Ebobisse and the San Jose Earthquakes at 9p.
• The Portland Timbers take on Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola, Paxton Pomykal, and FC Dallas’ newest addition Sebastian Lletget when the two sides meet at 10:30p.

Sunday

Lille v Auxerre – 9a on beIN Sports

Timothy Weah and Lille begin their season Sunday morning as they take on Auxerre in League One action. Last season was a bit of a downer for Lille, whose title defense looked more like a relegation scrap at times. The team finished in 10^th place in Ligue 1, 31 points behind 1st place PSG and 11 points out of the European competitions. Weah started the last six games of the season for Lille and picked up 3 goals and an assist in that time.

Let us know what you’re watching this weekend, and what impacts you see from USMNT players across the leagues in the comments section below.