USMNT and Arsenal keeper contender Matt Turner found out the opponents for his best chance at playing time before heading to Qatar, with two games against PSV and Richard Ledezma being one of the overall highlights of the Europa League group stage.
In semi-final Europa League action, both Tyler Adams and Timothy Chandler’s teams came out on top, meaning they take slender leads into the second leg where they will hope to make it an all-German final.
FC Barcelona confirmed today that USMNT starter Sergiño Dest has returned to full health and will be included in the squad to face Frankfurt in the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal.
The final phase of the Europa League has been set, with Friday’s quarterfinal draw pitting Tyler Adams and Leipzig against new American acquisition Atalanta, and giving James Sands and Rangers a strong chance of reaching the semifinal.
Sergiño Dest will likely be sidelined for a lengthy spell, after Barcelona gave details on the injury he suffered against Galatasaray, while offering no timeline for the USMNT player’s return.
Sergiño Dest is set for another spell on the sidelines after he was injured in Barcelona’s win in Turkey, while James Sands earned substitute minutes for Rangers as they also reached the quarterfinal.
Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig have advanced to the Europa League quarterfinal by default, following UEFA and FIFA’s announcements on Monday that all Russian clubs and national teams are suspended from international competition.
Decisions by the UEFA Executive Committee to force Russian and Ukrainian clubs competing in UEFA competitions to hold home games at neutral sites will have some immediate and possible knock-on effects for American players.
The draw for the final 16 of the Europa League was set on Friday, sending Sergiño Dest and Barcelona to Turkey, while giving some logistic uncertainty to Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig.
With four Americans playing on European League teams, Thursday was not the best of nights with only one registering a victory and none of them putting in 90-minute shifts.
