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Americans Abroad: Dest, Richards, Reyna Each Make History

The three young U.S. internationals each enjoyed a momentous occasion, while USWNT's Manchester takeover is underway.

Avi Creditor

Three of the U.S. men's national team's top rising talents enjoyed historic achievements over the weekend, which is something that may become more of a regular occurrence as the various 2020-21 seasons across Europe materialize.

With a growing number of U.S. players signing for and contributing to some of Europe's more elite and storied clubs, there are bound to be more firsts and other significant moments popping up. Over the last couple of days, they just so happened to occur for Americans at Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

It wasn't all roses, naturally. Tyler Adams, who had the bulk of his 2019-20 season derailed by injury, was out for RB Leipzig with what was deemed to be "a minor back injury," while Weston McKennie was on the bench for a game that simply never happened. Napoli failing to travel to Turin to face Juventus due to positive coronavirus cases within the team could wind up resulting in a forfeit and, by official records, a 3-0 win for McKennie's side. (Napoli had 13 available players, including one goalkeeper, which, by Serie A rule, means it should have played the match.)

As for those who did feature, here's a closer look at the highlights from a notable weekend on a number of fronts (stats via WhoScored.com):

U.S. internationals Gio Reyna, Sergino Dest and Chris Richards
Getty Images (3)

Dest debuts for Barcelona

Days after the fanfare surrounding his transfer from Ajax to Barcelona, Sergiño Dest got to work.

The 19-year-old U.S. fullback was understandably kept in a reserve capacity, given that he's had but a few training sessions under his belt, but he became the first American to feature for Barcelona's first team in La Liga nonetheless in a disappointing 1-1 draw vs. Sevilla on Sunday.

Dest, who figures to be Barcelona's right back of the present and future, actually played on the left in his cameo. It's not a role he's unaccustomed to (for both Ajax and the U.S.), and his versatility is one of his assets. In his 15 minutes, Dest completed all 11 of his pass attempts and didn't at all look out of place.

"I'm very happy with my debut and the confidence the coach gave me," Dest said.

He'll have some time to get more acclimated to his new city and his new club with the international break that's coming this week. Barcelona returns to action Oct. 17 at Getafe, by which point plenty more will be expected of him–regardless of which side of the field he's stationed.

Reyna the distributor

Giovanni Reyna is continuing to garner the plaudits for his play at Dortmund, and the 17-year-old was at it again by becoming the youngest player to record three assists in a single Bundesliga match.

Reyna sandwiched two assists to Erling Haaland in the run of play with one off a corner kick to Emre Can as part of Dortmund's 4-0 rout of Freiburg, giving Dortmund its first single-match hat trick of assists since Marco Reus notched the feat nearly four years ago. 

In an interview with the club's official website, Reyna almost sheepishly played down the accomplishment, calling it "two simple but good passes to Erling and one corner," but it was clearly more than that. The last assist, especially, involved Reyna shaking a defender off the dribble to the point that he fell, before putting the perfect amount of weight on the pass to an in-stride Haaland.

Reyna's day concluded in the 81st minute, when he came off to a standing ovation. Some 11,500 fans were allowed to attend the match at Signal Iduna Park, with crowds slowly returning in certain corners of Europe. They helped add some atmosphere and pomp to an already ceremonious occasion.

"It was a day I'll never forget," Reyna said.

Chris Richards, Bayern Munich starter

The young American defender starting at right back for a world power this weekend didn't figure to be Chris Richards, but there was the 20-year-old Alabama native, getting the nod in what wound up being a wild, 4-3 Bayern Munich win over Hertha Berlin. In doing so, he became the first American to ever start for the storied club in the Bundesliga.

Prior to the wheels falling off the match, Richards brought plenty to the table. Normally a center back, Richards, the FC Dallas academy product, played out wide and looked like a solid fit in his 65 minutes. He left with Bayern leading 2-1 after completing 43 of his 48 passes (including all three cross attempts), creating three chances and assisting on the second of Robert Lewandowski's four goals.

Earlier, he appeared to have another assist, only for Thomas Muller to be ruled offside on the goal. 

Bayern was the other suitor coming for Dest, but perhaps it has an in-house American right back option after all.

Pulisic returns for Chelsea

The last time we saw Christian Pulisic in competitive action was the FA Cup final, before a hamstring injury and subsequent setbacks kept him on the shelf for over two months. 

His return came in the form of a seven-minute cameo off the bench, with Chelsea leading Crystal Palace, 4-0, in a match that kicked off what wound up being one of the more bizarre weekends in recent Premier League memory.

Regardless of his nine touches in a match that had long been settled, it's clear his return is a welcome one. Manager Frank Lampard has a lot of new and moving parts this season, but after Pulisic's breakout at the end of last season, the U.S. star has an important place in Chelsea's preferred starting attack.

"I'm very keen to get him back in there," Lampard said in his pre-match comments, adding that it's been a "huge miss" for Chelsea that Pulisic and new arrival Hakim Ziyech have had no contributions so far. "It's great to have him back for himself and the boost he gives the team. He's an important player for us."

Chelsea could use Pulisic after the international break is over. The Blues will have four games in 11 days–two in the league (including one vs. Man United) and the first two Champions League group matches.

Robinson breaks through the Premier League barrier

Antonee Robinson is slowly working his way into Scott Parker's good graces at Fulham. Robinson earned his first start in the Premier League for the struggling Cottagers, who fell to Wolves, 1-0, for a fourth straight defeat in the league to start the season. Robinson, starting in defense with U.S. veteran Tim Ream, completed 51 of his 57 passes (though his crossing left some to be desired at a 1-for-6 completion rate) and managed a shot on target.

His previous three appearances had come in the League Cup, playing all 90 minutes in wins over Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday and Thursday's defeat to Brentford in the round of 16.  

USWNT's Manchester takeover begins

With four U.S. women's national team players in Manchester (and Alex Morgan at Tottenham, where she's still working her way into match fitness to make her debut), there's a unique level of American intrigue in the Women's Super League. That became more abundant over the weekend, when Christen Press and Tobin Heath played their first minutes for Manchester United and Sam Mewis scored her second goal in as many matches for Manchester City.

Mewis, whose goal vs. Arsenal was the eventual game-winner and sent City to the Women's FA Cup final, scored again against Morgan's Spurs as part of a 4-1 rout. Rose Lavelle, City's other American import, made her league debut off the bench after making her first appearance for the club in the FA Cup semifinal.

Press should have scored in her first United appearance, but she hit the post from close range. 

Heath did factor into the scoring in the 3-0 win over Brighton, though, assisting Jane Ross for the stoppage-time capper. 

You can expect to hear plenty more from the five USWNT veterans in England's top flight from throughout their unique time abroad.

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Avi Creditor
AVI CREDITOR

Avi Creditor is a senior editor and has covered soccer for more than a decade. He’s also a scrappy left back. 

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