Americans Abroad Five: USMNT fixtures enter international break on a high
Several U.S. men's national team mainstays will enter the March international window on a high.
Mauricio Pochettino named a 27-man roster last week for games against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta, the team's final chance to impress the coach before he chooses his World Cup squad in May.
Pochettino will be pleased by the performances of a number of his players in the final weekend of club fixtures before the international break. Some key USMNT players ended dry spells, while others kept positive runs going.
Before we get fully immersed in the international window, let's take a look back at the final weekend of club action for a couple weeks.
Malik Tillman finds the net
It hasn't been the easiest debut campaign for Malik Tillman at Bayer Leverkusen .
The best evidence of that perhaps came in the Champions League knockout phase, where Tillman didn't start any of his team's four games, coming off the bench in three and missing one with injury.
For Leverkusen's club-record signing, that is hardly ideal.
Still, Tillman has done enough to start the majority of Leverkusen's Bundesliga games this season – the latest of which saw him score a confident volley in Saturday's 3-3 draw at Heidenheim.
That's now seven goals for Tillman in a season that hasn't been spectacular, but has at least provided optimism that the best could still be yet to come.
Christian Pulisic ends drought
Christian Pulisic finally has a goal contribution in 2026.
The AC Milan forward notched a vital assist on Saturday, March 21, setting up Adrien Rabiot for the Rossoneri 's second goal in a 3-2 win over Torino .
Pulisic has not scored since December and while that drought continues, the 27-year-old has at least notched his first Serie A assist since September.
Milan's title chase is still very much on after Inter stumbled to a third straight winless game, drawing Fiorentina on Sunday, March 22. The Rossoneri enter the international break in second place, just six points behind their city rivals.
Folarin Balogun scores again
There no hotter team in Ligue 1 than Monaco and no more in-form striker than Folarin Balogun. This probably isn't a coincidence.
Monaco made it six league wins in a row with a 2-1 victory over Lyon on Sunday, with Balogun scoring the winner in the 72nd minute from the penalty spot.
Balogun comes into the break scorching hot, with seven goals in his last seven games. Most of those have come from open play. The striker's penalty on Sunday was just the second of his 15 total goals this season to come from the penalty spot.
Despite a current run of seven wins and two draws in nine league games, Monaco is still only in sixth place thanks to a dreadful midseason swoon. But for the USMNT, Balogun's surge has reinforced his likely spot atop the striker depth chart.
Johnny Cardoso gets a big start
The level of trust that Johnny Cardoso has earned from Diego Simeone was on full display Sunday when the USMNT midfielder was handed the start in the Madrid derby.
Cardoso went 57 minutes for Atlético Madrid against city rival Real Madrid , which ultimately won 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu. It wasn't an impactful shift on the ball for Cardoso, who had to focus on his defensive duties with Madrid dominating possession.
But the game continued a recent trend for Cardoso, who has started seven of Atlético's last 10 games in all competitions after struggling through injuries for much of the first half of his debut campaign with Los Colchoneros.
That run at the club level has earned the 24-year-old another chance to impress with the USMNT this month. Though he's often failed to make the most of his chances with the U.S., Cardoso is playing at too high of a club level for Pochettino to ignore.
Antonee Robinson builds momentum
It hasn't been the easiest season for Antonee Robinson, who has battled injury and stiff competition at Fulham .
Robinson has been an unquestioned starter for the Cottagers in recent seasons, but has managed to make just 12 league starts so far in 2025-26.
But three of those starts have come in Fulham's past three games, a positive sign for club and country as the international break arrives.
Robinson went 61 minutes in a 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday, putting in a strong performance before he was taken out in part because of a yellow card in the 55th minute. He may still be short of his high-flying best, but Robinson appears to be on a positive trajectory. For the USMNT, having a healthy and in-form Robinson could be make-or-break when it comes to the team's success this summer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans Abroad: USMNT fixtures enter March window on a high
