As the European season winds down and Major League Soccer heats up, there were plenty of impressive performances by U.S. Men's National Team players over the past week.
On Saturday, Chris Richards and Matt Turner made history by capturing the English FA Cup with Crystal Palace.
On Sunday, Malik Tillman completed an outstanding three-goal week and helped PSV Eindhoven secure the Dutch Eredivisie crown, along with assist contributors Sergiño Dest and Richy Ledezma.
Domestically, Brian Gutiérrez enjoyed a career night with two goals and one assist for the Chicago Fire.
And there was plenty more, as eight players scored goals both at home and abroad.
THEIR CUP RUNNETH OVER
Chris Richards and Matt Turner became the second and third U.S. internationals to win the English FA Cup after Crystal Palace downed Manchester City, 1-0, to secure its first major trophy, at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 17. They joined Tim Howard, who won it in 2004 with Manchester United.
Richards played a pivotal role for Palace in its historic win, excelling on the backline and starting the sequence on the lone goal in the 16th minute. He produced a clearance from the right end line that found Jean-Philippe Mateta at midfield. Mateta then sent the ball wide for Daniel Muñoz, whose low cross Ebere Eze buried from the middle of the box. Turner previously backstopped three FA Cup matches this season to help Palace reach the final, but did not feature on Saturday.
They won't have much time to savor the victory as Palace hosts the Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday in its penultimate match of the Premier League campaign. Palace (12-11-13, 49) is in the middle of the table, in 12th place out of 20 teams.
COMEBACK CHAMPIONS
Trailing Ajax by nine points with five games remaining in the Dutch Eredivisie season, PSV Eindhoven and its American contingent pulled off a historic comeback. They combined their late run with a collapse by their Amsterdam rivals to secure the championship for the second successive year. Malik Tillman and Sergiño Dest played major roles for PSV (25-5-4, 79 points), which edged Ajax (24-5-6, 78) by a point.
PSV grabbed the league lead on Wednesday, May 14. The team recorded a 4-1 win over Heracles while Ajax dropped two points and was forced to settle for a 2-2 tie with Groningen after conceding the equalizer nine minutes into stoppage time. Tillman scored twice Wednesday, in the 18th and 40th minutes, while Dest assisted on Ismael Saibari's 35th-minute tally.
PSV continued its winning ways on Sunday, May 18, as Tillman struck for an insurance goal in a 3-1 triumph over Sparta Rotterdam as he finished with a career-high dozen this season. Richie Ledezma and Ricardo Pepi (injured), who did not play in the final two matches, are also on the squad.
INTO THE FINAL
Alejandro Zendejas and Club America reached the Liga MX final for the fourth consecutive time, defeating Cruz Azul in the second leg of the semifinals, 2-1, of the Clausura Playoffs on Sunday, May 18. Cruz Azul won the first leg, 1-0. The aggregate goals were tied at 2-2, but Club America went through because it finished second during the regular season, Cruz Azul third. Zendejas played the full 90 minutes in the second leg, but did not figure in the scoring. Club America will host Toluca on Wednesday, May 21 before visiting its rivals on Saturday, May 24.
OH, WHAT A NIGHT
Brian Gutiérrez put on a top performance in helping power the Chicago Fire to a 4-1 win over host Charlotte FC on Saturday, May 17. Gutiérrez scored twice and assisted on another goal. The 21-year-old midfielder set up Jonathan Bamba for the visitors' first goal in the 42nd minute before drilling a shot from atop the box past goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina on the hour for a two-goal margin. He then recorded a penalty kick into the lower right corner to close out the scoring in the 79th minute. Gutiérrez has recorded five goals and one assist for the Fire (5-5-4, 19 points), which sits in ninth place in the MLS Eastern Conference.
ELITE EIGHT
Midfielder Paxten Aaronson completed his Dutch Eredivisie campaign with a career-high eight goals, helping Utrecht to 1-1 home draw with Sparta Rotterdam on Wednesday, May 14. Aaronson buried a 36th-minute equalizer past goalkeeper Nick Olij for Utrecht (18-6-10, 64), which qualified for a spot in Europe next season with a fourth-place finish.
STARTING IT OFF
Midfielder Jack McGlynn's second goal of the MLS campaign put the Houston Dynamo in the right direction of its 2-0 victory at FC Dallas on Saturday, May 17. McGlynn took a feed from Griffin Dorsey and powered a left-footed blast from distance past keeper Michael Collodi in the 64th minute. Houston (4-6-4, 16, 10th place in the Western Conference) registered its first road win of the campaign and its first victory in Frisco, Texas since 2011.
MAKING AMENDS
After missing a penalty in a 2-0 loss at San Diego FC on Wednesday, May 14, Djordje Mihailovic made sure he made up for it on Saturday, May 17, by connecting for the lone goal in the Colorado Rapids' 1-0 home win over Real Salt Lake. Mihailovic put away Cole Bassett's short pass, from six yards into the far-left corner past keeper Rafael Cabral in the 70th minute. He has six goals and three assists for the Rapids (5-5-4, 19), who sit in seventh place in the MLS Western Conference.
TYING ONE ON
Brandon Vazquez tallied his fourth goal of the season in the 55th minute to help Austin FC to a 1-1 tie with visiting Atlanta United on Wednesday, May 14. The 26-year-old forward connected on a 25-yard free kick past goalkeeper Brad Guzan for Austin (5-6-3, 18), which is in ninth place in the MLS Western Conference.
SOME CONSOLATION
Forward Patrick Agyemang pulled one back for Charlotte FC in a 4-1 home defeat to the Chicago Fire on Saturday, May 17. Agyemang scored his third goal of the season, from the top of the box past keeper Christopher Brady to slice the hosts' deficit to 3-1 in the 70th minute. Charlotte (6-7-1, 19), which has lost five consecutive games, has fallen to ninth place in the MLS Eastern Conference.
STAYING PUT
-- Coventry City and forward Haji Wright will remain in the English Championship for the 2025-26 season as they lost their promotion bid to the Premier League. Coventry lost the aggregate goals series to Sunderland, 3-2. The team dropped a 2-1 defeat in the first leg on May 9 before playing to a 1-1 road draw in the final leg on Tuesday, May 13. Wright went the full 90 minutes in that encounter.
-- Kristoffer Lund's dreams of playing for Palermo in Italy's Serie A next season were dashed as the team dropped a 1-0 home decision to Juve Stabia in a qualifying round match on Saturday, May 17.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Paxten Aaronson (Utrecht; Dutch Eredivisie) - 18 minutes as a substitute in 0-0 draw at Fortuna Sittard (May 8); 90 minutes, GOAL, in 1-1 draw vs. Sparta Rotterdam (May 14)
-- Kellyn Acosta (Chicago Fire; MLS) - In 18, DNP in 4-1 win at Charlotte FC (May 17)
-- Tyler Adams (AFC Bournemouth; English Premier League) – No games
-- Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. FC Cincinnati (May 17); 89 minutes in 1-1 draw at CF Montreal (May 14)
-- Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; MLS) - 45 minutes as a substitute in 3-1 loss at Orlando City SC (May 14); 90 minutes, GOAL, in 4-1 loss vs. Chicago Fire (May 17)
-- Folarin Balogun (Monaco; French Ligue 1) – Injured, DNP in 4-0 loss at Lens (May 17)
-- Taylor Booth (Twente; Dutch Eredivisie) - In 18, DNP in 2-0 loss at Ajax (May 18); Injured, DNP in 3-2 loss vs. AZ (May 14)
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italian Serie A) - 90 minutes in 3-0 loss at Cagliari (May 18); 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Fiorentina (May 12)
-- Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – Injured, DNP in 3-0 loss vs. Orlando City SC (May 18); Injured, DNP in 3-3 draw at San Jose Earthquakes (May 14)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; La Liga) - 90 minutes in 4-1 loss at Atletico Madrid (May 18)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. St. Mirren (May 17); Not in 18, DNP in 5-1 win at Aberdeen (May 14)
-- Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; MLS) – In 18, DNP in 3-0 loss vs. Orlando City SC (May 18); 45 minutes in 3-3 draw at San Jose Earthquakes (May 14)
-- Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; MLS) – 72 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Sporting Kansas City (May 17); 78 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Colorado Rapids (May 14)
-- Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes in 3-1 win at Sparta Rotterdam (May 18); 45 minutes, ASSIST, in 4-1 win vs. Heracles (May 14)
-- Jesús Ferreira (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - 71 minutes in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (May 17); 57 minutes in 4-0 loss at Los Angeles FC (May 14)
-- Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Dender (May 17)
-- Julian Gressel (Minnesota United; MLS) – 14 minutes as a substitute, GOAL, in 3-0 win vs. St. Louis CITY (May 17); 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at Houston Dynamo (May 14)
-- Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago Fire; MLS) - 90 minutes, TWO GOALS, ONE ASSIST, in 4-1 win at Charlotte FC (May 17)
-- Sean Johnson (Toronto FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 6-1 win at CF Montreal (May 17); 90 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. FC Cincinnati (May 14)
-- DeJuan Jones (San Jose Earthquakes; MLS) – 31 minutes as a substitute in 0-0 draw at New England Revolution (May 17); 90 minutes in 3-3 draw vs. Inter Miami CF (May 14)
-- Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - In 18, DNP in 3-1 win at Sparta Rotterdam (May 18); Not in 18, DNP, SUSPENDED, in 4-1 win vs. Heracles (May 14)
-- Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; MLS) - 58 minutes in 1-0 loss at Colorado Rapids (May 17); 90 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Portland Timbers (May 14)
-- Kristoffer Lund (Palermo; Italy Serie B) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Juve Stabia (May 17); 61 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Carrarese (May 13)
-- Lennard Maloney (Mainz; Bundesliga) - 1 minute as a substitute in 2-2 draw vs. Bayer Leverkusen (May 17)
-- Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; MLS) - 89 minutes, GOAL, in 2-0 win at FC Dallas (May 17); 90 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Minnesota United (May 14)
-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 81 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Udinese (May 18)
-- Mark McKenzie (Toulouse; French Ligue 1) - 90 minutes in 3-2 win at Saint-Etienne (May 17)
-- Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - 88 minutes, GOAL, in 1-0 win vs. Real Salt Lake (May 17); 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at San Diego FC (May 14)
-- Shaq Moore (FC Dallas; MLS) - 82 minutes in 2-0 loss vs. Houston Dynamo (May 17)
-- Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 1-1 draw at Portland Timbers (May 17); Injured, DNP in 4-0 loss at Los Angeles FC (May 14)
-- Yunus Musah (AC Milan; Italy Serie A) - 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at Roma (May 18); In 18, DNP in 1-0 loss vs. Bologna in Coppa Italia final (May 14)
-- Jalen Neal (CF Montreal; MLS) – 58 minutes in 6-1 loss vs. Toronto FC (May 17); 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. Columbus Crew (May 14)
-- Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg; Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 1-0 win at Borussia Monchengladbach (May 17)
-- Jordan Pefok (Reims; French Ligue 1) - Injured, DNP in 4-0 loss at Lens (May 17)
-- Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - Injured, DNP in 3-1 win at Sparta Rotterdam (May 18), Injured, DNP in 4-1 win vs. Heracles (May 14)
-- Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; Italy Serie A) - 89 minutes in 3-1 loss at Roma (May 18); 87 minutes in 1-0 loss vs. Bologna in Coppa Italia final (May 14)
-- Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; MLS) - 90 minutes in 4-1 loss vs. Chicago Fire (May 17); 90 minutes in 3-1 loss at Orlando City SC (May 14)
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) – 11 minutes as a substitute in 3-0 win vs. Holstein Kiel (May 17)
-- Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 2-0 win at OH Leuven (May 16)
-- Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 1-0 win vs. Manchester City in FA Cup final at Wembley (May 17)
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 3-2 win at Brentford (May 18)
-- Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Columbus Crew (May 17); 90 minutes in 1-0 win at Toronto FC (May 14)
-- James Sands (St. Pauli; Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 2-0 loss vs. Bochum (May 17)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 4-0 loss at Stuttgart (May 17)
-- Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; MLS) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw vs. FC Cincinnati (May 17); 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at CF Montreal (May 14)
-- Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 1-0 win vs. Real Salt Lake (May 17); 90 minutes in 2-0 loss at San Diego FC (May 14)
-- Tanner Tessmann (Lyon; French Ligue 1) – 69 minutes in 2-0 win vs. Angers (May 17)
-- Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - 90 minutes, GOAL, in 3-1 win at Sparta Rotterdam (May 18); 90 minutes, TWO GOALS, in 4-1 win vs. Heracles (May 14)
-- Timmy Tillman (Los Angeles FC; MLS) - 75 minutes in 2-2 draw at LA Galaxy (May 18); 66 minutes in 4-0 win vs. Seattle Sounders (May 14)
-- John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel; Bundesliga) - 90 minutes in 3-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund (May 17)
-- Auston Trusty (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - In 18, DNP in 1-1 draw vs. St. Mirren (May 17); 90 minutes in 5-1 win at Aberdeen (May 14)
-- Matt Turner (Crystal Palace; English Premier League) - In 18, DNP in 1-0 win vs. Manchester City in FA Cup final (May 17)
-- Brandon Vazquez (Austin FC; MLS) - 81 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (May 17); 85 minutes, GOAL, in 1-1 draw vs. Atlanta United (May 14)
-- Tim Weah (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 18 minutes as a substitute in 2-0 win vs. Udinese (May 18)
-- Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps; MLS) - 90 minutes in 0-0 draw at Austin FC (May 17)
-- Haji Wright (Coventry City; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 1-1 draw at Sunderland (May 13)
-- DeAndre Yedlin (FC Cincinnati; MLS) - 12 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw at Columbus Crew (May 17); 90 minutes, ASSIST, in 1-0 win at Toronto FC (May 14)
-- Alejandro Zendejas (Club America; Liga MX) - 90 minutes in 2-1 win vs. Cruz Azul in Clausura Playoffs (May 18); 23 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 loss at Cruz Azul in Clausura Playoffs (May 15)
-- Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; MLS) - Injured, DNP in 0-0 draw vs. D.C. United (May 17); Injured, DNP in 2-1 win vs. New York Red Bulls (May 14)
