USMNT Watch: Miazga Makes 1st Chelsea Start, Pulisic Impacts Dortmund's Win
After a rocky week on the international stage, the United States men's national team received a needed boost in the youth department in Europe on Saturday.
Matt Miazga and Christian Pulisic, who are both expected to be a part of the USMNT squad for years to come, made an impact in wins by Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund in two of Europe's biggest domestic leagues.
In addition to the success of the youngsters across the pond, Clint Dempsey followed up his strong performance from Tuesday's win over Guatemala with an important strike in Seattle.
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We'll have news on those three Americans and the rest of the USMNT-eligible players plying their trade across the globe in our latest USMNT Watch.
Matt Miazga Shines in Full Chelsea Debut
Four days after Miazga and the rest of the USMNT U23 squad suffered a brutal defeat to Colombia in the Olympic play-off, the 20-year-old made his first start for Chelsea in the Premier League.
The former New York Red Bulls center back was a critical part of the Blues back line in the 4-0 win over relegation-bound Aston Villa at Villa Park.
On the opposite side of the pitch, Brad Guzan's miserable season continued as he let in a quartet of strikes against the 10th-place side in the English top flight.
Geoff Cameron played 90 minutes at center back in Stoke City's 2-2 draw with Swansea City, while DeAndre Yedlin featured at right-back in Sunderland's goalless match with West Bromwich Albion.
Eric Lichaj, Cody Cropper and Tim Ream all earned starts down in the Championship on Saturday.
Christian Pulisic Helps Create Game-Winner for Dortmund
Seventeen-year-old phenom Christian Pulisic may have only been on the pitch for 10 minutes on Saturday, but he made a significant contribution to Borussia Dortmund's 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen.
Pulisic, who made his USMNT debut late in Tuesday's 4-0 win over Guatemala, earned a corner for Thomas Tuchel's side that led to Adrian Ramos' game-winner.
Timothy Chandler picked up a start at right-back for Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday in their 1-0 road loss to Bayern Munich.
Bobby Wood did not play for Union Berlin this weekend in order to rest his legs after travelling back from the international break.
Clint Dempsey Nets Critical Goal for Seattle
All the doom and gloom surrounding Seattle's poor start to the Major League Soccer season was put to rest by Dempsey's 79th-minute strike on Saturday night.
The designated player's first goal of the season allowed the Sounders to record their first win of the new campaign against the Montreal Impact.
Benny Feilhaber was the only other American in contention for the USMNT to score on Saturday. The midfielder netted a late penalty in Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 defeat to rival Real Salt Lake.
Lee Nguyen, Michael Bradley, Chris Wondolowsi, Steve Birnbaum, Graham Zusi, Wil Trapp and Ethan Finlay all started for their respective sides. Gyasi Zardes and Jozy Altidore both made cameos off the bench during Saturday's MLS action.
Omar Gonzalez, Jorge Villafana Start in Liga MX
Omar Gonzalez returned to Club Pachuca after the international break and played all 90 minutes in the club's 0-0 draw with Cruz Azul.
Jorge Villafana featured for 90 minutes in Santos Laguna's goalless contest with Toluca on Friday night.
Edgar Castillo, Jonathan Bornstein, William Yarbrough and Paul Arriola started in matches across Liga MX this weekend.
News and Notes: Bob Bradley Keeps Le Havre in 3rd
With their 2-0 win over Stade Laval on Friday, Bob Bradley's Le Havre remained in third place in Ligue 2. They sit one point ahead of fourth-place Metz in the race for promotion.
Perry Kitchen started for Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday. The former D.C. United man was a fixture in central midfield in the club's 3-1 loss to Celtic.
Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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