Americans Abroad: Pulisic seeks fitness as Wright and Balogun hit form

The European season is moving toward the World Cup and there is a quiet unease: everyone wants to stay fit, keep healthy and fight for a spot. Playing and performance feed into that; you cannot stay fit without minutes, and you cannot fight for selection if you are not performing.

With competition for places at forward spots and midfielders like Weston McKennie finding form, several Americans face crucial weeks. Christian Pulisic has been on the periphery after a strong start under Max Allegri and has struggled with recurring bumps and bruises.

Allegri has eased him back in — he missed nearly three full weeks before coming off the bench in a 2-1 win over Pisa and then played eight minutes in a 1-1 draw with Como — and this weekend against Parma could offer another chance to rack up minutes. Coventry have slipped from their early-season form, but Haji Wright is carrying them.

christian pulisic, max allegri, weston mckennie, haji wright, balogun, coventry, parma, pisa, como, world cup