USMNT stars light up Italy's Serie A

Weston McKennie, midfielder:  McKennie has always been a polarizing figure within the USMNT camp. His talent is undeniable, as the Washington-born, Texas-raised midfielder is one of the team's most composed and technically gifted players. But McKennie has always been a renegade, and his flagrant rule-breaking got him into plenty of trouble as a young athlete.

McKennie has grown up a lot since his wild days as a youth prospect, though, and he's transformed himself into a mature and worthy starter for Turin-based Juventus. He struggled to fit in when he first joined on loan in 2020, but McKennie is now one of the team's key players. 

This week, he scored in Juventus's first Champions League match of the season, then put in a bulletproof shift to secure a 0-0 draw against league leaders Napoli a few days later.

Christian Pulisic, winger:  USMNT fans know what Pulisic is capable of. It's the rest of the world that took a while to catch up. But after two strong seasons in Italy with AC Milan, everyone's finally on the same page when it comes to Pulisic's immense talent. He delivered two crucial goals for his team this week, one in the Champions League against Premier League juggernaut Liverpool and one in Serie A against local rivals Inter Milan. 

That cross-Milan match, known as the Derby della Madonnina, is the fiercest rivalry in Italy and one of the most famous rivalries anywhere on earth. Pulisic's tenth-minute strike wound up winning it for AC Milan and placing it level with Inter in the Serie A table.

The goal meant a lot to AC Milan, but it should mean plenty to USMNT fans, too. In his younger days with Chelsea, Pulisic was often criticized for his lack of guile on the ball. To score this goal, though, he had to rob the ball off of an Inter Milan player, complete a daring run through the opposition half and stay upright in the penalty area even as Inter's defenders were sliding in to take him out. 

The old Pulisic might've gone down in search of a penalty there—one he would be unlikely to receive. The new Pulisic, though, was tough enough to poke the ball past the goalkeeper and finish the job. He's never looked better.