Two of the U.S. men’s national team’s most vital players are heading in opposite directions.
On one end of the spectrum is Folarin Balogun, who reached a career high for goals from open play over the weekend, continuing to find the net consistently for Monaco.
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On the other side is Christian Pulisic, who has now set a career-worst mark for games without a goal.
This week’s Five begins with the differing fortunes of Pulisic and Balogun.
For Christian Pulisic, it is now 17 straight games without a goal for AC Milan. As the calendar turns to May, the USMNT star still hasn’t scored in 2026.
Pulisic was dropped to the bench on Sunday as 10-man Milan fell 2-0 at Sassuolo. The 27-year-old came on for the final half-hour of the match, but failed to end his drought.
Pulisic went 16 club games without scoring during the 2022-23 season at Chelsea, and has now surpassed that dubious mark at an inopportune time.
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The winger also hasn’t scored for the USMNT since 2024. Heading into the World Cup, he’ll need to turn things around in a hurry.
Folarin Balogun can’t stop scoring.
The Monaco striker made it nine out of 10 league games with a goal on Saturday, netting in his side’s 2-1 win over Metz. Balogun helped spark a comeback win with an excellent finish to the far post, making it 13 total Ligue 1 goals on the season.
The 24-year-old is entering the World Cup on the back of arguably his best club season. He is at 19 total goals, three shy of the 22 he put up on loan with Reims in 2022-23.
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But only 15 of those 22 goals with Reims came from open play, with another seven from the penalty spot. This season, Balogun has scored 16 of his 19 from open play, surpassing his total from three seasons ago.
PSV’s 2-2 draw at Ajax on Saturday provided a double dose of positive news for the USMNT.
Ricardo Pepi continued his strong form by scoring the opener in the first minute, making it four goals in three for the Texas-born striker.
More significantly, Sergiño Dest came off the bench for the final half hour in Amsterdam, making his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury on March 7.
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The right back looked questionable for the World Cup after the injury, which appeared to be significant. But Dest should now cruise onto Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, with two more games in the regular season to build his fitness.
Venezia has become the definition of a yo-yo club, earning three promotions and suffering two relegations just since 2020-21.
That third promotion was clinched on Friday in a 2-2 draw with Spezia, putting Venezia four points clear of third place with one game to play in the Serie B campaign.
Gianluca Busio went the full 90 as per usual in the Spezia match. The U.S. midfielder has started 36 of Venezia’s 37 league games so far, tying a career-high with seven goals and adding three assists.
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Busio has fallen slightly off the USMNT radar of late, but at 23, the midfielder still has plenty to offer for both club and country.
At this point, Malik Tillman’s World Cup roster spot isn’t in doubt. If he’s healthy, he’ll be there.
But Tillman isn’t a lock starter with the USMNT and with Bayer Leverkusen, he doesn’t appear to be a starter at all anymore.
Tillman has come off the bench in five straight league games for Leverkusen, playing more than nine minutes in just one of those appearances. The 23-year-old played five minutes on Saturday as Leverkusen throttled RB Leipzig 4-1.
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A season that started with a club-record transfer could, according to a recent report, end with a quick move to England.
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Weston McKennie of United States and Samu Costa of Portugal compete for the ball during the international friendly match between United States and Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Ga.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans Abroad: Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic go opposite directions
