Americans Abroad: Pulisic secures victory for Chelsea as Aaronson scores penalty for the win

Americans abroad did not disappoint this week. 

USMNT figures lifted their team to glory, as Christian Pulisic scored a late winner for Chelsea to secure a victory while Brenden Aaronson buried a penalty to clinch RB Salzburg’s ninth consecutive league title.

On the other end, Yunus Musah’s unsatisfactory performance for Valencia put his USMNT spot in question. 

Here's what the American players abroad are up to...

1. Christian Pulisic secures the win for Chelsea

Pulisic has endured a difficult stretch with Chelsea after returning from US men’s national team duty at the end of March, but it seems the American is back now.

He came off the bench on Sunday to score the late winner in the 1-0 victory over West Ham. The goal secured the three points, giving Chelsea a five point lead over Arsenal and third on the Premier League table.

“He just said to make the difference,” Pulisic said of Thomas Tuchel’s instructions for him when he came on.

“It feels good to be more secure in the top four. We need a win at home and it feels great in front of our fans. We need to finish the season strong. Some good league games and then a final. I needed to come in and make a difference and show I want to be playing.”

Tuchel later echoed Pulisic’s excitement.

“Now we have tried to bring him back in full confidence from the bench, and I am happy with the effort today. I am happy he had the chance to have this big impact with Romelu and Hakim. It was super important.”

2. Brenden Aaronson helps RB Salzburg to 9th consecutive title

Red Bull Salzburg clinched their ninth consecutive Austrian Bundesliga title, and 16th overall, after a 5-0 victory over Austria Wien on Sunday. 

After a one-month spell from the sidelines, USMNT midfielder Aaronson made a timely return to the pitch to help Salzburg secure the win. The team conceded a penalty in the 54th minute, enabling the American to step up and bury the shot into the back of the net.

“My family is here, so that’s amazing to have them here and to get the start and score, to win like this and now win the title like that. It’s an amazing feeling,” Aaronson said after the match.

3. Yunus Musah struggles in Spain

USMNT figure Musah came off the bench to play the last 20 minutes of the Copa del Rey final for Valencia against Real Betis. After a 1-1 draw, the two sides were forced into penalties. 

Musah stepped up to the spot for the final chance but missed, sending Real Betis fans into a frenzy. Manuel Pellegrini’s side won 5-4, lifting their first trophy since 2005.

4. Honorable mentions

Jordan Pefok scored two goals for Young Boys in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Servette. 

Tyler Adams started in RB Leipzig’s 2-1 loss to Union Berlin on Saturday.

Tim Weah played 90 minutes in Lille’s 1-0 win over Strasbourg on Sunday.