Americans Abroad preview: Christian Pulisic continues injury recovery, Haji Wright can carry Coventry, and Balogun looks to build on a big game

And so the European season ticks away. These are the tough days to figure out, especially in a World Cup year. Normally, narratives can be constructed, and themes identified. But at the moment, there's a slight uneasiness. Everything seems geared towards the tournament this summer. There is a sense that everyone wants to stay fit, keep healthy, and fight for a spot.

Of course, those all feed into each other. You can't stay fit without playing. And you can't fight for a spot if you're not performing. Funny how this thing works. And at the moment, things look a bit fluid with the USMNT. Weston McKennie's inclusion at all might have been under question a few months ago. Now, he's playing some good stuff, and seems set to start. Christian Pulisic was the best player in Serie A for a few months, but has struggled with injuries of late. His fitness will have to be a serious concern for Mauricio Pochettino.

And then, at the striker spot, there's competition. If Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are the one and two, who gets that number three spot? Haji Wright and Patrick Agyemang are enjoying remarkably similar seasons, and both are finding form at exactly the right time. Both of them have crucial games this weekend as they fight for promotion.

GOAL looks at some of the biggest storylines to follow among Americans Abroad this weekend...

Christian Pulisic has been on the periphery for a few weeks now. The American enjoyed a wonderful start to the season under Max Allegri, and was certainly among the better players in Serie A to open up the campaign. But his form rather tailed off. Milan began to struggle. And Pulisic picked up the kinds of bumps and bruises that have plagued him throughout his career to date. Allegri's response has been to ease Pulisic back in. He missed nearly three full weeks of action before coming off the bench in a 2-1 win over Pisa on February 13. He followed that with eight minutes in a tidy 1-1 tie with surging Como midweek.

This weekend presents another opportunity. Parma are in 12th, but are playing some pretty miserable stuff. They have scored just four goals in their last five games, and shipped four in back-to-back weeks. It's a pretty good time to be facing off against them, and Pulisic might have a chance to get some minutes under his belt as another USMNT camp looms.

Coventry are sliding. A couple of months into the season, Frank Lampard had the Sky Blues running away with the Championship. They lost in a playoff final last year, but this looked like a season in which it would all come together. Coventry, we assumed, would walk it.

Well, things change quickly, and even if they are still top of the league, a one-point lead looks rather precarious. But Haji Wright is the man keeping them alive at the minute. A midweek clash with Middlesbrough - who were then top of the table - seemed a title decider. Whoever won that would surely be odds-on to win the whole thing. And Wright took over. The American scored three and Coventry executed a counterattacking masterclass at home. This was not the outwardly sexy football of the start of the season. But that didn't really matter. Coventry took home all three points. But the work doesn't end here. There are 14 games still to play. West Brom may be fighting relegation, and in poor form, but they will certainly be up for it. Wright will have to deliver again.

PSG really should have made it easier against Monaco midweek. They may be struggling in Ligue 1, but they have more quality than most teams in the Champions League - and are the reigning holders. The reason it was hard for them? Folarin Balogun, who was excellent on the night. He bagged two in 83 minutes of fine work. In truth, his overall impact on play itself was rather limited. He completed just 12 passes on the day, and managed four touches in the opposition box.

But two of them ended in goals. And even if Monaco lost, this was an immensely impressive performance. The challenge now is keeping it going. Strasbourg, Lille and Marseille have all struggled of late. The time is now for Monaco and Balogun to push back up the standings. Top of the table Lens will be no easy opponent, but a good performance from Balogun would be a fine start.

For all of the talk about McKennie's form, Juventus have been poor of late. The Bianconeri have lost three of their last four, including a pretty damning 3-2 defeat to Inter that saw senior figures in the club make headlines following comments about refereeing decisions. McKennie, in that span, has tallied four goal contributions. In short, the American is playing some of the best stuff of his career, but it hasn't quite translated to those around him.

A lot of games feel pretty crucial these days. Juve, after a solid start, are slipping out of European contention. A damning 5-2 loss to Galatasaray midweek has put their Champions League campaign under threat. In other words, they need to start winning games - and soon. A tricky Como side, at home, will be a difficult start.

Patrick Agyemang has gotten hot. The striker had, understandably, something of a hard time adjusting to English football. The game was too quick and too physical for the former Charlotte FC man, and he didn't quite jell in his early days at Derby. Now, though, things have changed. Agyemang has been handed a central role in the side, identified as the undisputed starting striker, and serving as the focal point of a team that looks increasingly comfortable on the ball. He had hit 10 goals on the season, and looked good value for more.

This week's opponents, Watford, will make for an interesting duel. They were right in the playoff picture a month ago, but are winless in their last eight. Derby, meanwhile, have scored 11 goals in their last five, and are looking more defensively resolute of late. This is a team lacking in confidence facing off against a striker brimming with it.

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