Gio Reyna Scores First Ligue 1 Goal in France

Gio Reyna needed this. Not Strasbourg, not Ligue 1, not even the scoreline. Him.

On just his third appearance for the club, the American got off the mark in France, scoring his first Ligue 1 goal in a 6-2 hammering of Troyes on the road. In a game decided long before the final whistle, the moment still carried real weight for a player trying to drag his club career back onto its original trajectory.

The signs had been building. Reyna eased in with a brief cameo against Marseille on opening day, then followed it up with a composed first start versus Lens, where he completed 92 percent of his passes and created three chances. Against Troyes, the end product finally matched the promise: a goal, 18 completed passes out of 21, and two shots on target.

It’s early in the season, but Reyna is already bending games in Ligue 1. The question, as ever, is his body. Fitness has been his fiercest opponent. If he can stay on the pitch, these opening weeks suggest the French league might see the version of Reyna that once looked destined for the very top.

Pepi keeps firing as PSV roll

All smiles in Eindhoven. All nets bulging for Ricardo Pepi.

Five minutes into PSV’s 3-1 win over Ajax on Saturday, Pepi struck again. That finish pushed him to three goals in his last four games, a streak that mirrors PSV’s dominance: four straight wins by a combined score of 16-4.

The Eredivisie season is still stretching out in front of them, but PSV already look like a side ready to sprint away from the pack. If Pepi keeps scoring at this clip, they’ll be hard to reel in.

Then comes the familiar cloud over the sunshine: his future. Transfer rumors have followed Pepi for years, each window louder than the last. This one is no different. Could this finally be the season he moves on?

Any decision waits until January at the earliest. Between now and then, if recent seasons are any guide, double figures in goals are firmly within reach.

Musah carries the USMNT flag in Milan–Juve stalemate

When Milan meet Juventus, American eyes usually split between two clear focal points. One in red and black, one in black and white.

This time, both were missing.

Weston McKennie never made the Juve squad as he nurses a muscle injury. Christian Pulisic was named in the Milan team but stayed on the bench, still being eased back after his World Cup setback. That left Yunus Musah as the lone standard-bearer for the USMNT, and he embraced the responsibility in a heavyweight Serie A clash that refused to find a winner.

It ended 1-1, Juve snatching a last-gasp equalizer. Milan had the match in their hands, Musah working in central midfield alongside Luka Modric and helping control long stretches. Then came the late set piece, the lapse, the punishment. A draw that felt like a defeat for the visitors and a minor miracle for the hosts.

For American fans, the final score almost felt secondary. The bigger concern: Pulisic’s continued absence from the pitch and McKennie’s recovery. Pulisic has now been on the bench three times this season without seeing the field. Milan are clearly taking their time. No one quite knows when that caution will give way to minutes.

Maybe next week brings a different story. For now, one of the marquee fixtures on the calendar between two of the USMNT’s biggest names passed with both watching instead of playing.

Scally scores, but Gladbach collapse in wild seven-goal clash

Joe Scally spent the summer surrounded by whispers. Like Reyna, he was linked with a move away. The window shut, he stayed, and within days he offered a reminder of why Borussia Monchengladbach might be glad they held on.

In a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Elversberg on Saturday, Scally was one of the three Gladbach scorers, finding the net for just the sixth time in his career. His goal in the 56th minute pushed Gladbach into a 3-1 lead and looked, for a moment, like it might stand as the winner.

Then the game turned. Elversberg pulled one back to make it 3-2. Scally came off. From the sideline, he could only watch as his strike faded into irrelevance, the hosts scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to snatch all three points.

It wasn’t a flawless performance from the American. He committed an error that led to one of Elversberg’s goals, a reminder that his defensive game still has edges to smooth. But the long-standing criticism of Scally has never really been about his tackling; it has been about what he offers going forward.

Modern fullbacks must do more than just defend. They have to drive play, create, threaten. Scally hasn’t always convinced in that department at the highest level. This weekend, he did. Now he’ll hope that goal becomes more than a footnote in a wild defeat and instead serves as the launchpad for a more assertive role at Gladbach.

Americans abroad: key notes from a busy weekend

• Folarin Balogun did not dress for Monaco’s come-from-behind 2-1 upset of Paris Saint-Germain after a week dominated by transfer turmoil.
• Sebastian Berhalter, Aidan Morris and Max Arfsten all started, while Rokas Pukstas came off the bench for his debut in Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
• Gianluca Busio recorded an assist for Venezia, but they slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Frosinone.
• Chris Richards edged Antonee Robinson in the latest all-American duel, helping Crystal Palace beat Fulham 3-2.
• Noahkai Banks delivered a strong display for Augsburg in a 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
• Jack McGlynn made his Stoke City debut off the bench in a 4-0 rout of Charlton Athletic.
• Tim Weah captained Marseille, but Lassine Sinayoko’s hat-trick powered Paris FC to a 3-2 win.
• Tanner Tessmann came on in the 76th minute in Lyon’s 3-1 triumph over Auxerre.
• Lyngby goalkeeper Diego Kochen made four saves to secure a clean sheet at Viborg.
• Tyler Adams dictated play in midfield, though Bournemouth had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Newcastle.
• Brenden Aaronson entered in the 62nd minute of Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Brighton.
• Johnny Cardoso made a late cameo for Atletico Madrid in a shocking 3-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao.
• Alex Freeman went the distance in Villarreal’s 3-2 defeat to Deportivo La Coruña.
• George Campbell helped West Brom preserve a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Watford.
• John Tolkin logged 63 minutes in Holstein Kiel’s 2-2 draw with FC Nurnberg.
• Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers started together in central defense as Celtic edged St. Mirren 2-1.
• Caleb Wiley played 59 minutes in Preston’s 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers.
• Malik Tillman featured for 67 minutes in Bayer Leverkusen’s emphatic 4-0 demolition of Union Berlin.

From Reyna’s long-awaited breakthrough to Pepi’s ruthless streak and Musah’s steady presence in Italy, the early weeks of the season are already shaping the storylines. The only real unknown now: which of these Americans will still be in the same shirt when the next transfer window slams shut.