Reyna Scores First Ligue 1 Goal for Strasbourg

Gio Reyna needed this. Not Strasbourg, not Ligue 1, not even the scoreboard. Him.

On just his third appearance for Strasbourg, the American scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 6-2 dismantling of Troyes on their own pitch. In the context of the match, it was a footnote. In the context of Reyna’s career, it felt like a restart button being firmly pressed.

The numbers say he’s easing in fast. After a brief cameo in the season opener against Marseille, Reyna earned his first start versus Lens and quietly ran the game: 92 percent passing, three chances created, constant involvement. Against Troyes, he finally added the headline act, scoring while completing 18 of 21 passes and testing the keeper twice.

It’s early. The story with Reyna has never been about talent; it’s been about staying on the pitch. But these first weeks in France show a player who is not just surviving in Ligue 1, but shaping games. If his body holds up, Strasbourg may have picked up a genuine difference-maker.

Pepi keeps firing as PSV roll

In the Netherlands, Ricardo Pepi is doing exactly what strikers are paid to do: score, and score often.

Five minutes into PSV’s 3-1 win over Ajax on Saturday, Pepi struck again, making it three goals in his last four games. Every time he hits the net, PSV seem to hit another gear. They’ve now rattled off four straight wins by a combined score of 16-4, bullying their way through the early weeks of the season.

PSV look ready to run away with the league again, especially if Pepi keeps this pace. That’s the football side of the story.

The other side? The transfer noise that never really stops around him. For years, rumors have followed Pepi from club to club and window to window. Could this finally be the season he moves on?

If it happens, it won’t be before January. Between now and then, his current form suggests he could easily hit double digits. Every goal only sharpens the question: how long can PSV actually keep him?

Musah carries the US flag in Milan–Juve stalemate

When Milan meet Juventus, American fans usually split their attention between two familiar faces: Christian Pulisic in red and black, Weston McKennie in black and white. This time, neither played a minute.

McKennie missed out through a muscle injury. Pulisic made the squad but stayed on the bench for the third time this season, still being carefully managed after his World Cup injury. That left Yunus Musah as the lone American on the pitch in one of Serie A’s heavyweight clashes.

He did not shrink from it.

Stationed in central midfield alongside Luka Modric, Musah put in a steady, disciplined shift as Milan held what looked like a decisive lead. The hosts had the game where they wanted it. Then came the sting.

A late Juventus set piece undid it all, turning a near-statement win into a 1-1 draw and leaving Milan wondering how they let it slip. Juve, by contrast, celebrated a point that had seemed out of reach.

For American supporters, the final score almost felt secondary. The bigger storyline was who didn’t play. Pulisic is still waiting for his first minutes of the campaign. McKennie is still working his way back. Maybe next week brings better news for both. For now, one of the marquee fixtures on the calendar passed with only Musah carrying the USMNT flag.

Scally scores, but Gladbach collapse

Joe Scally spent much of the summer with his name in transfer chatter. Borussia Monchengladbach listened, but ultimately held on. Days after the window shut, he offered a glimpse of why that decision might age well.

In a wild 4-3 defeat to Elversberg on Saturday, Scally was among the scorers, finding the net for just the sixth time in his professional career. His 56th-minute strike pushed Gladbach into a 3-1 lead and looked like the goal that would kill off the contest.

It didn’t last.

Elversberg pulled one back to make it 3-2. Scally then came off, forced to watch from the sideline as his potential match-winner faded into the background. Two late goals flipped the game on its head and handed Elversberg a stunning victory.

Scally’s afternoon wasn’t spotless. A defensive error of his contributed to one of the opposition’s goals. His attacking output, though, has long been the bigger question mark. Modern fullbacks are expected to do damage going forward, and Scally has not always convinced in that department at the highest level.

This weekend, he did. Now the challenge is clear: turn a rare goal into a launchpad, not an isolated highlight, and turn speculation about his future into a fight for a permanent place in Gladbach’s plans.

Americans abroad: quick hits

• Folarin Balogun did not dress for Monaco’s come-from-behind 2-1 upset of Paris Saint-Germain after a week dominated by transfer drama around him.
• Sebastian Berhalter, Aidan Morris and Max Arfsten all started, while Rokas Pukstas came off the bench for his debut in Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
• Gianluca Busio recorded an assist for Venezia, but they still slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Frosinone.
• Chris Richards got the better of Antonee Robinson as Crystal Palace edged Fulham 3-2 in a lively Premier League clash.
• Noahkai Banks delivered a strong performance for Augsburg in a commanding 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
• Jack McGlynn made his Stoke City debut, coming off the bench in a 4-0 rout of Charlton Athletic.
• Tim Weah captained Marseille, but his side were sunk by a Lassine Sinayoko hat-trick in a 3-2 loss to Paris FC.
• Tanner Tessmann entered in the 76th minute of Lyon’s 3-1 win over Auxerre, helping see out the result.
• Lyngby goalkeeper Diego Kochen made four saves to secure a clean sheet away to Viborg.
• Tyler Adams dictated play in midfield for Bournemouth, who still had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Newcastle.
• Brenden Aaronson came on in the 62nd minute of Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Brighton, chasing a late winner that never came.
• Johnny Cardoso made a late cameo for Atletico Madrid in a bruising 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao.
• Alex Freeman played all 90 minutes in Villarreal’s 3-2 loss to Deportivo La Coruña.
• George Campbell helped West Brom protect a 1-0 lead and a clean sheet against Watford.
• John Tolkin logged 63 minutes in Holstein Kiel’s 2-2 draw with FC Nurnberg.
• Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers started together in central defense, anchoring Celtic’s 2-1 win over St. Mirren.
• Caleb Wiley played 59 minutes in Preston’s 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers.
• Malik Tillman featured for 67 minutes in Bayer Leverkusen’s ruthless 4-0 demolition of Union Berlin.

From Reyna’s long-awaited goal in France to Pepi’s relentless streak in the Netherlands, the early chapters of this season are already crowded with American storylines. The real test now is who can turn a bright start into a defining year.