Before the U.S. men's national team gathers in Los Angeles for the CONCACAF Nations League this week, there were European club matches to be played. And in an interesting twist, that weekend was defined more by those that didn't make Mauricio Pochettino's squad rather than the ones that did.
Haji Wright was the clear star. A hat-trick earns you that title, and that's what Wright provided for Coventry City. Now recovered from an ankle injury, Wright will now be a huge part of his side's promotion push.
Elsewhere in the Championship, Brenden Aaronson wasn't so lucky. His mishap in Leeds' draw with Queens Park Rangers came just days after he was excluded from the USMNT team. Wright's absence was expected due to that injury. Aaronson's wasn't - and he didn't offer a very good response to that omission.
One player that will be in the U.S. squad, of course, is Christian Pulisic, who joined Wright as this weekend's American goalscorers. His goal was massive for Milan, kickstarting a comeback that the club needed oh-so badly. Pulisic is flying high heading into USMNT camp, which is always good news.
Ahead of the USMNT's Nations League matches, GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.