USMNT Roundup: Trusty Lifts Trophy, Pulisic Provides Spark, Tillman Disappoints

A weekend of high drama unfolded across Europe's top leagues, delivering both triumph and disappointment for American players abroad. The penultimate round of the season brought title celebrations, European qualification battles, and injury scares that could impact the USMNT's summer plans.

Auston Trusty and Celtic secured the Scottish Premiership title in thrilling fashion on Saturday, defeating Hearts 3-1 at home. The American defender played 73 minutes in the victory, which came via a stoppage-time goal from Callum Osmand. Celtic's campaign had been anything but smooth — they spent most of the season chasing Hearts, went through three different managers across four stints, and never found comfort until the final whistle. Trusty proved himself a top-tier defender throughout the campaign and earned his reward by lifting the trophy.

Champions League Dreams Dashed for Leverkusen

Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen will head to the Europa League next season after failing to secure a Champions League spot on the final day. Needing a win to have any chance, Leverkusen could only manage a 1-1 draw with Hamburg. Tillman started and played 62 minutes, creating two chances that came to nothing. The campaign, which began with Erik ten Hag's firing just weeks in, never fully clicked for the club, making the 2025-26 season a letdown for a side that hoped to contend near the top of the Bundesliga.

Pulisic's Brief but Impactful Cameo

Christian Pulisic was benched again for AC Milan this weekend, with Christopher Nkunku and Santi Gimenez starting ahead of him. He was not even the first attacker off the bench — that honor went to Niklas Fullkrug. But Pulisic made his mark in just 10 minutes of action. With Milan leading 1-0 and desperately needing a spark, he reacted first to a loose ball and laid it off for youngster Zachary Athekame, who blasted home the second goal. The win all but guarantees Champions League football for Milan next season.

Injury Concerns Mount for USMNT

Chris Richards hobbled off at full time following Crystal Palace's 2-2 draw with Brentford. Manager Oliver Glasner said the American defender rolled his ankle but should be available in midweek. Brenden Aaronson also caused concern, limping off after an hour for Leeds and appearing to gesture toward his leg. Manager Daniel Farke downplayed the severity of the issue. The USMNT have already lost Johnny Cardoso to an ankle injury, making any additional fitness worries significant ahead of the summer.

Other Notable Performances

Antonee Robinson scored his first Premier League goal, slotting home from the penalty spot in Fulham's 1-1 draw with Wolves. Joe Scally played all 90 minutes, while Gio Reyna played the final 23 in Borussia Monchengladbach's 4-0 win over 10-man Hoffenheim. Cole Campbell came off the bench in the defeat. Noahkai Banks appeared in the 61st minute of Augsburg's 4-0 loss to Union Berlin.

Weston McKennie put in an energetic shift but could not prevent Juventus from losing 2-0 to Fiorentina. Folarin Balogun was kept off the scoresheet as Monaco lost 5-4 to Strasbourg, missing out on European football on the final day after leading 4-1 after 55 minutes. Tim Weah's Marseille went the other way, grabbing a vital 2-1 win to secure a Europa League spot. James Sands did not feature due to his season-ending injury, but St. Pauli were relegated after a loss to Wolfsburg.