There are U.S. internationals stationed all over the continent with something to fight for over these final weeks
We've reached the final month or so of the European season and, for the U.S. men's national team players abroad, there's much on the line. Titles, European spots, relegation – it's all on the table across the top leagues.
There are Americans stationed all over the continent with something to fight for over these final weeks, giving them plenty of jeopardy even ahead of this summer's Gold Cup. All eyes will be on the USMNT this summer as they look to put the CONCACAF Nations League behind them but, before that, a substantial number of players will face big tests on the club level.
From trips to Wembley and European semifinals to the ugliest of relegation battles, GOAL looks at what is still on the line for the Americans playing overseas.
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For the Americans in the Premier League, things are essentially settled. Tyler Adams and Bournemouth will need a miracle to seal a European spot due to the nine-point gap between them and sixth-place Aston Villa. Same for Antonee Robinson and Fulham, who sit one further point behind the Cherries.
That leaves Chris Richards, Matt Turner and Crystal Palace, who have the biggest games left of the bunch as they head into the FA Cup semifinals. They'll face Villa on Saturday in their bid to make it to the finale, where either Nottingham Forest or Manchester City will await them at Wembley.
The Championship, meanwhile, has plenty on the line. Brenden Aaronson and Leeds are already going up, having sealed promotion back to the Premier League this past weekend. Can another American join Aaronson in making the big leap up a division?
We now know that Josh Sargent won't, at least with his current club, as Norwich City were eliminated from playoff contention. Caleb Wiley's loan to Watford from Chelsea also won't end in promotion as they, too, can't reach the playoffs.
Haji Wright and Coventry, at the moment, are in, sitting in sixth-place for that final playoff spot. Three points behind them are Aidan Morris' Middlesbrough, while Daryl Dike's West Brom saw their hopes all but ended with a loss this past weekend that led to the sacking of coach Tony Mowbray.
Finally, towards the bottom of the Championship, Ethan Horvath and Cardiff City are fighting for survival. The Welsh side is currently in 23rd on 43 points, but are just three points from safety with two games remaining, giving them a chance at staying up. The matches, though, won't be easy as Horvath will face Sargent's Norwich and Dike's West Brom to close the season.
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The USMNT's Italian-based stars face all sorts of jeopardy over these next few weeks as all will have plenty to play for as they look to salvage somewhat-frustrating seasons.
Starting closer to the top of the table, Juventus sit fifth, leaving Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and the team with work to do following their loss to Parma. Their title hopes are long gone, but the Old Lady are just one point behind fourth-place Bologna and five points behind third-place Atalanta, making the final five games of the season all about reaching the Champions League. They'll face Bologna on May 4 in their fourth-to-last game of the season, with the rest coming against teams lower than them in the standings.
Eight points behind Juve sit Milan, who will need a miracle to qualify for Europe via the league route. Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah's side has work to do as they're six points back of sixth-place Roma for even a Europa Conference League spot. The silver lining? Milan defeated Inter, 4-1, on aggregate to book their spot in the Coppa Italia final, and the prize for winning that tournament is a Europa League spot. That looks like their best path forward and an opportunity for this team to end the campaign with genuine hopes for next season.
Gianluca Busio and Venezia, finally, find themselves in a relegation fight. Venezia sit one point from safety with five games remaining, having just squandered a chance to temporarily move out of danger this weekend. The draw with 19th-place Empoli could end up being a huge missed opportunity if they can't collect points from the final five matches.
Down in Serie B, Kristoffer Lund and Palermo are in a fight for promotion and, as things stand, look set to play in the promotion playoffs.
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All eyes are on Johnny Cardoso's Real Betis, who are fighting on two fronts. The first is, of course, the Europa Conference League, with Betis set to take on Fiorentina in a two-legged semifinal starting on May 1. The winner of that will book a date with either Chelsea or Djurgarden for the finale.
Real Betis are also pushing for European places in La Liga, currently occupying sixth place, and a potential Europa League spot, on 51 points. Villarreal are just one point ahead for the fifth and final Champions League position, but they do have a game in hand. The good news, though, is that Betis also have a game in hand on the team behind them, Mallorca, who are seven points back.
Diego Kochen, meanwhile, is worth keeping an eye on with Barcelona. The young goalkeeper has been on Barcelona's bench in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League, with Barca still looking to win both. They face Real Madrid in the Copa finale on Saturday before then taking on Inter in the Champions League semis. Additionally, the Catalans lead La Liga, which means that, although he likely won't see the field, Kochen could be part of big celebrations with the club in the near future.
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Both Gio Reyna and Joe Scally are with clubs scrapping for European spots, and that could come down to the final weeks of the season.
It's been a disappointing season for Dortmund, and it could end up being Reyna's final campaign with the club. Right now, they're seventh in the league, leaving them out of Europe altogether. There's ground to make up, with Dortmund sitting on 45 points, Lennard Maloney's Mainz on 47 for a Conference League place, Freiburg on 48 looking at the Europa League and then RB Leipzig on 49 for that fourth Champions League place.
Don't count out Scally's Borussia Monchengladbach, though. They're just one point behind Dortmund and could leap up the table if they can return to form after two consecutive defeats.
Down at the bottom of the league, John Tolkin and Holstein Kiel are in 18th, three points away from 16th and the playoff against the 2. Bundesliga's third-best team. That seems their only chance at survival, as they're 11 points away from actual safety with six games to play.
