USMNT Ligue 1 match day 5 recap: Folarin Balogun returns to action

For the first time this season, all six Americans playing in Ligue 1 featured in their club's match. There was not a lot of action, but it was promising to see all players on the pitch in the final match before the international break, including one head-to-head matchup.

Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco

The USMNT's World Cup star made his long-anticipated season debut for Monaco on Friday after a failed transfer to Everton and an injury lengthened his offseason to two months. Balogun came off the bench and played the final 14 minutes of Monaco's 2-1 victory against Lens and got right into the action, putting a shot on goal in his short time on the pitch.

Balogun was not selected for Mauricio Pochettino's initial roster for the September-October break and was not included as a replacement for the now-injured Ricardo Pepi, meaning he will have more time to fully recover from the injury that derailed his move to the Premier League.

Monaco currently sits atop the Ligue 1 table with an unbeaten record of 4-1-0 that includes a road win against league favorites Paris Saint-Germain. A healthy Balogun would certainly keep the early frontrunners in that position.

Tim Weah, Olympique Marseille

Weah faced off against PSG and continued his unfortunate week. He was another player left out of Pochettino's squad and will also miss Marseille's match after picking up two yellow cards in the club's 2-1 loss. Weah won two tackles, won three of six duels, and completed 26 of 32 passes before being sent off in the 77th minute.

Perhaps not being selected for USMNT camp will serve the Marseille captain well as the club remains on just three points through five matches, putting them just one point off the bottom feeders Le Havre.

Gio Reyna, Strasbourg

Reyna has yet to score since his first goal two weeks ago, but the 23-year-old is clearly in favor with his manager, as he played a key role as a starting midfielder for the fourth straight game. Reyna completed 25 of his 29 passes, but lost all five of his duels in Strasbourg's 2-1 loss to Paris FC. He now returns to USMNT camp looking to not only keep his name in Pochettino's mind, but also compete for a starting role.

Mark McKenzie, Toulouse

McKenzie helped Toulouse earn their first victory of the season, defeating Le Havre 3-2 on Saturday. The veteran made three key tackles, won seven of 12 duels, and completed 47 of 54 passes to move his club out of the relegation zone.

Tanner Tessmann, Lyon vs Bryan Reynolds, Rennes

Both Americans came off the bench in a top end of the table clash. Tessmann's Lyon got the best of Reynolds' Rennes 4-0, propelling Lyon to second in the league. Reynolds played 17 minutes in the loss, winning just one of four duels but completing four of his five passes. Tessmann played only 11 minutes, completed eight of nine passes but lost all three of his duels.

Ligue 1 returns Friday, Oct. 9 after the international break concludes.

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