Americans Abroad: Juventus' Weston McKennie eyes Inter upset as Malik Tillman, Tim Weah search for momentum

Inter Milan are probably going to win Serie A. They have an eight-point lead atop the table (which could admittedly shrink to five depending on results elsewhere). But they are also playing better football than everyone else, while Lautaro Martinez is showing everyone what a truly excellent footballer he is. There is no way they can throw this away.

Unless...

A lot will have to go wrong. Inter will have to start losing. Milan will have to start scoring goals. Napoli need to get fit. But it could all start this weekend as the Old Lady travel to Milan to face the I Nerazzurri.

Juventus are a baffling team this year. Their search for consistency is both unsuccessful and maddening, the Bianconeri falling short when they really should be among the league's best. But one player, amid the chaos, is performing at a high level every week: McKennie. It’s hard to fully articulate just how impactful the 27-year-old has been for his side, but it starts with something simple: availability. Early on, McKennie was a reliable foot soldier - plug him into a role, any role, and he’d fill it without complaint.

Now, though, Juventus appear to have learned a familiar lesson: put a good player in his best position, and good things tend to follow. Since January, McKennie has operated as an attacking midfielder, and in that role, he has helped drive the Bianconeri attack - scoring from midfield and injecting life into an otherwise languid front line.

Inter boast the second-best defense in Serie A and will have home-field advantage, but Juventus have a real chance to spoil the party. And if they do, it will likely begin with the American maestro pulling the strings.

Tillman told GOAL earlier this week that he knows he has to be better. The American midfielder has settled into an otherwise struggling Leverkusen side, but by his own admission, the end product hasn’t quite followed. Not registering a single assist in the Bundesliga so far this year, he said, simply isn’t good enough.

Still, the underlying signs are there. Tillman has been involved, has kept pace with the speed and physicality of the league, and has shown flashes of the quality that prompted Leverkusen to invest in him in the first place - even if taking that next step hasn’t come easily.

That assessment is fair. Tillman arrived for a significant fee and, at least in part, was asked to help offset the loss of Florian Wirtz - an impossible task in its own right. Realistically, his adaptation has been a week-by-week process. But if his USMNT form is any indication, the quality is clearly there for his influence to grow as the season wears on.

That context matters heading into the weekend, too. Leverkusen face St. Pauli, a side deep in a relegation scrap after winning just one of their last five matches. It’s the kind of fixture that offers Tillman another opportunity to turn promising performances into something more tangible.

It might be harsh on St. Pauli to suggest that such a matchup is a chance to stat-pad. But Tillman certainly won't mind playing against a weaker side.

It was a little harsh that Marseille sacked Roberto De Zerbi earlier this week. Sure, it's hard to justify losing 5-0 to PSG. But what else was he supposed to do? Even when they're not at their best, Les Parisians are by far the best team in France. And yes, the results haven't been spellbinding, but Marseille haven't been bad, either. Let's face it: Fourth are where they're really supposed to be.

That's all, a really good vibe, then, as we focus on Weah. The American has been on and off for Marseille this year. It was puzzling to see him go to another side, where he was used as a wing-back - a position he is so clearly unsuited for. Weah is a winger. And he needs to play there to be at his best.

New manager Jacques Abardonado admitted that Marseille are a "wounded group", and will need to recover quickly against a Strasbourg side that had their manager pinched less than two months ago.

He also called on the players to take responsibility for the recent struggles of the team and prove that they have the quality to compete with Ligue 1's best. Weah will be central to that effort. A loan signing who figured to make a big impact, his goal contribution return - five in all competitions - simply hasn't been good enough. He will look to turn that around this weekend.

After sparking Leeds’ impressive run at the end of 2025 and into early 2026, Brenden Aaronson has come back down to earth a bit, going six matches without a goal contribution. That could change on Sunday, though, as Leeds United travel to Birmingham to face Birmingham City.

On paper, this looks relatively straightforward. Leeds sit 16th in the Premier League, while Birmingham are currently 10th in the Championship. Still, the FA Cup has built its reputation on nights like these, and few competitions are more forgiving to underdogs.

That’s where Aaronson could come in. While consistency has been harder to find in England’s top flight, the attacking midfielder was one of the Championship’s standout performers last season, scoring nine goals. If Leeds are to avoid becoming the next FA Cup cautionary tale, his energy and end product may again prove decisive.

Click here to read article