USMNT Ligue 1 match day 4 recap: Weah takes blame for club's third straight defeat
It was a rather quiet week for the American contingent this week in France, with Folarin Balogun still nursing his injury. The other five players, however, all featured in their clubs' respective matches as the international roster selection looms.
Tim Weah, Olympique Marseille
Marseille played the lone Friday match of the week but was once again unable to secure a point, falling 1-0 to Rennes. The club has not won or drawn a match since their season opener on Aug. 21, and has been held scoreless in two of its last three matches.
Weah played the full match but had little positive impact, winning 9/16 duels and making five tackles. The Marseille captain also received a yellow card in stoppage time. Weah was expectedly frustrated after the match.
"I take the defeat on myself. I'm the leader of the team and I didn't play at 100% today. I played with a lack of confidence. I need to do better on the goal. I have to do more for the team, for the supporters, for the city."Tim Weah (via Ligue1Plus)
Weah, still only 26 years old, has played all possible 360 minutes for Marseille this season, but the right back still has not turned up his performance after a forgettable World Cup in which he played only 76 minutes.
With Sergiñio Dest and Alex Freeman both as more reliable options at the position, it will be interesting to see what happens with Weah's future USMNT career.
Bryan Reynolds, Rennes
Reynolds' club was the beneficiary of Weah's defeat. The defender came off the bench and played the final 22 minutes of the winning effort. He completed 7/8 passes in that time, winning 3/5 duels and making one tackle.
Giovanni Reyna, Strasbourg
While Reyna did not add to his goal tally, he produced a strong performance in midfield, completing 30/33 passes and creating one chance in Strasbourg's 1-1 draw at Monaco. Reyna played 81 minutes, his longest shift of the season, another sign of his increasing role at Strasbourg. His recent performances should be rewarded with a call-up from Pochettino.
Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco
Balogun has returned to training, but the star forward is still not fit enough to contribute on match day. Monaco dropped their first points of the season on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Strasbourg, but still sit atop the table, ahead of Rennes on goal difference.
Mark McKenzie, Toulouse
McKenzie is nothing if not consistent. The defender put in another solid shift in Toulouse's 2-2 draw against Lorient, completing 79/83 passes and winning 5/7 duels. He made one tackle but had no massive impact on the match as Toulouse remain in the relegation zone, still with zero victories on the campaign.
Tanner Tessman, Lyon
Tessmann played an entire three minutes against Paris FC, but made the most of his time. He had nine touches, completed all five of his passes, and made a tackle, perhaps suggesting he could be used in a bigger role moving forward.
