USMNT Rewind: Christian Pulisic Leads Serie A in Goal Contributions, Alex Zendejas Bags Brace
Take a closer look at how the USMNT player pool recently fared in club play from MLS to abroad
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It was another standout week for U.S. Men’s National Team players on their club sides.
From Christian Pulisic staying red hot with a goal and assist to keep AC Milan near the top of Serie A to Alex Zendejas powering Club América with three goals in two matches in Liga MX, the USMNT player pool continued to deliver strong performances across the globe.
Let’s take a closer look at the top USMNT highlights from the week:
Christian Pulisic on a Scoring Tear
The USMNT’s leading scorer amongst active players, Christian Pulisic has been on a brilliant scoring streak for his club AC Milan. Pulisic has recorded six goals — two of which he scored in Coppa Italia — and two assists in seven total appearances early this season across all competitions. He leads Serie A in goal contributions with six.
Most recently in the 2-1 win over Napoli, Pulisic racked up a goal and an assist. First, he assisted Alexis Saelemaekers in the third minute of the match after creating space with a great run to get past a defender. He escaped a tackle before finding Saelemaekers in stride on the right side. His score came in the 31st minute with a strike off a short pass from teammate Youssouf Fofana.
Alex Zendejas Bags Brace
Since returning from USMNT September camp, Alex Zendejas has put up productive performances for Club América. He has scored four goals, three of which he netted in the last week. Zendejas bagged a brace Sunday in a 4-1 victory over Pumas and recorded another a few days prior on Sept. 25 in the Liga MX Apertura Round 10 when he scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute.
Zendejas recorded the two goals Sunday in a 10-minute span, scoring the first goal in the 73rd minute with a high-arching golazo from the top of the box far above legendary Pumas goalkeeper Keylor Navas’ reach. He capped off the brace with a penalty kick from the spot. Overall, this season he’s tallied six goals and three assists in 19 matches across all competitions.
Tanner Tessmann Scores in Europa League
Tanner Tessmann netted his first goal of the early Ligue 1 season last week with Lyon, and he followed it up by scoring another in the Europa League in a 1-0 win against the Eredivisie side, FC Utrecht.
Tessmann launched a right-footed shot from outside the box in the 75th minute to call the game. Teammate Rachid Ghezzal kept alive a loose cross and teed up Tessmann with the short pass, which he slammed home. It marked Tessmann’s tenth goal in the UEFA competition.
Alex Freeman with the Last-Second Equalizer
Alex Freeman delivered in a dramatic 1-1 finish in the Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati matchup on Sunday Night Soccer. With Orlando down a goal past the 90-minute mark, the referees added seven minutes of stoppage time on the clock. It was just enough time for Freeman, who headed home a score off a cross from teammate Tyrese Spicer in the 90+6th minute.
The goal marked Freeman’s sixth of the MLS season, underscoring a breakout campaign where the defender also added five assists and was selected for his first MLS All-Star game. Freeman earned his side a valuable point against No. 2-ranked Cincinnati as City clinched a playoff spot.