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The Tampa Bay Rays will be represented during Monday's Home Run Derby as 22-year-old Junior Caminero is among the eight-man player pool for the slugfest at Truist Park.

He'll be rocking what is maybe the most unique bat of any participant in this year's derby, too.

Caminero will take to the batter's box Monday night with a bat that's designed with an image of himself. The top of the bat is Caminero's blonde curly hair, and his sunglass-laden face covers the barrel. In the design on the bat, the infielder is depicted wearing a blue jersey that has his No. 13 on the back, and he's wearing a lime green chain which matches the handle of the bat.

Have a look at the spectacularly distinctive bat design Caminero will be using during the derby:

This is Caminero's first appearance in the Home Run Derby in what is just his second MLB season, and his first full one. In 91 games, he's showcased plenty of power at the plate, racking up 23 home runs, which ranks fourth in the American League, and 60 RBIs along with a .790 OPS.

He'll hope to put on a show and become the first Rays player to win the Home Run Derby in the franchise's history.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including reports of Pulisic's return for AC Milan.

Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT squad announcement may have shifted the average American fan’s focus to the international break, but several key matches remain on tap both stateside and abroad this weekend.

While the MLS playoffs are in full swing – with 10 of Pochettino’s call-ups involved in the league’s decisive tournament – just over half the squad is based in Europe, where plenty of big fixtures await.

Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan face Benjamin Cremaschi’s Parma, with reports in Italy suggesting Rossoneri manager Max Allegri could give the American star a brief cameo on Saturday. Meanwhile, will Johnny Cardoso finally return for Atlético Madrid? The midfielder, who joined on a hefty transfer fee, has recovered from injury and been back on the bench under Diego Simeone, but hasn’t played since August. And in England, can Chris Richards help Crystal Palace regain form after tumbling to ninth following their strong start?

GOAL breaks down the biggest storylines for Americans Abroad this weekend.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Captain America is back

  Just under a month after suffering an injury on international duty against Australia, Christian Pulisic is back in training and appears set to feature against Parma. The 27-year-old is unlikely to start, with reporting he could come on during the final hour. Whether Pulisic plays an hour or just 15 minutes, it’s a positive development for both club and country – even if he wasn’t named in the November USMNT squad. Early reports of his injury had raised concern, so a few weeks on the sidelines rather than months is an encouraging outcome. AC Milan manager Max Allegri confirmed Pulisic is available Friday afternoon. 

  "We've got Pulisic back, who is doing well and available to play," Allegri said.

  The Italian outlet also reported multiple factors behind both Pulisic’s USMNT absence and AC Milan’s decision to play him this weekend. noted that the on Nov. 23 – always a top priority for the club – played a role in managing his recovery. Pulisic has been Milan’s standout performer this season, recording four goals and two assists in six league matches. In his absence, Milan have won just one of their last four outings, including a disappointing draw against Pisa. Saturday’s clash with 16th-placed Parma offers Allegri a chance to experiment with tactics and assess available options ahead of the derby.

  The report also mentioned that Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani personally negotiated with U.S. Soccer to allow Pulisic to skip November’s matches and regain full fitness – shedding light on why he stayed in Italy.

  Still, Benjamin Cremaschi’s Parma may not accept being treated like a tune-up opponent. The club has just one win this season and sits a point above the drop zone. The 19-year-old American, who has logged only 14 minutes since joining from Inter Miami, will be eager for more playing time. With Parma scoring just five goals this campaign – the same total Cremaschi tallied at the U-20 World Cup – there’s reason to believe his opportunity could come soon.

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• AFP
  

  Checking in on Johnny

  Cardoso returned to Atlético Madrid’s matchday squad on Nov. 1 following a lengthy injury spell but has yet to feature in either of the club’s two matches this month – comfortable wins over Seville and Union SG. The midfielder’s return coincided with a productive stretch for Atlético, which scored six goals in those fixtures, but he remains without minutes since recovering. Cardoso joined from Real Betis in a $34.8 million transfer earlier this year.

  Last season, Cardoso was among La Liga’s most consistent central midfielders, helping Betis reach the Europa Conference League final. Expectations were high upon his arrival in Madrid, but he struggled to find form before his injury, and Atlético’s performances have improved in his absence. With the World Cup on the horizon, regular playing time will be important for the American international to reestablish his rhythm.

  Atlético face 16th-place Levante this weekend following their midweek Champions League fixture and are expected to rotate. That could open the door for Cardoso’s return to action. If he remains on the bench, questions about his role moving forward – and the possibility of a loan in January – may start to surface.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Eagles aim to recapture form

  It wasn’t long ago that Richards’ Crystal Palace were among the early stories of the Premier League season. Back in September, were in a Champions League position after a 2-1 win over then-league leaders Liverpool.

  Since then, Palace have recorded just one league victory – a Nov. 1 result over Brentford. Defending has been the key difference. During the club’s strong start, Palace conceded two goals and posted two clean sheets across the opening four matches, averaging 0.50 goals against per game. Since October, that number has risen to 1.50. Expected goals against per 90 minutes (xGA/90) has remained largely consistent, shifting only slightly from 1.28 to 1.47.

  The trend points to a broader issue: depth. Last season, Palace maintained one of the league’s more stable defenses in part because they had fewer fixtures. This year, competing in Europe has stretched the squad, which added limited reinforcements after several summer departures.

  Manager Oliver Glasner recently expressed frustration with U.S. Soccer for not accommodating his request to rest Richards, who has been managing a minor injury. Richards was later left out of the USMNT’s November squad, despite being one of the team’s top defenders. The center back has continued to play regularly for Palace, logging 90 minutes in each of the club’s four matches since the last international break.

  Palace host a resurgent Brighton side this weekend. The Seagulls, who struggled early after key offseason departures, have climbed back into form. Former Inter Miami winger Diego Gómez has contributed to that resurgence, scoring twice against Leeds last week. Brighton sit one point behind Palace in 10th place.

  Palace can move as high as fourth depending on other results. Maintaining that momentum will depend on whether Richards can continue to perform through a busy stretch.

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  Tillman to make his mark?

  Like Pulisic, Malik Tillman suffered an injury during the last international break but returned to action this week in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica.

  Tillman’s start at his new Bundesliga club has been uneven. The manager who helped recruit him, Erik ten Hag, was dismissed after three matches, and the attacking midfielder has since worked to find his place under new coach Kasper Hjulmand. Before his injury, Tillman produced one of his stronger recent performances during the United States’ friendly against Ecuador, assisting Folarin Balogun on the game-tying goal.

  Tillman came off the bench against Benfica and played 34 minutes. With Leverkusen facing last-place 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday, he could be in line for more time. The 23-year-old has scored two goals in the Bundesliga this season after netting 12 for PSV Eindhoven last year.

It would be easy to say that this is becoming a season to forget for Liverpool, but Arne Slot’s Reds have in actual fact sunk so low that this wretched campaign will be seared into the fanbase’s memory for years to come.

The Premier League champions have lost nine of their past 12 matches in all competitions, including twice at Anfield in a space of just five days. This is beyond concerning: this is a calamity.

For all the mitigating circumstances at the Merseyside club, there is simply no excuse for the lack of fight and intensity that fans have watched all too often since the summer, Liverpool having established themselves as title winners and broken the summer spending record.

Alexander Isak is the most expensive player in British history, joining Liverpool from Newcastle United for £125m on deadline day.

His only goal since joining came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup. The Sweden striker has not integrated well, though it’s not exactly easy to dovetail into this current Liverpool side.

He needs more support, and that’s why sporting director Richard Hughes is surveying the market for a new wide forward to replace Mohamed Salah.

Why Liverpool want to replace Mohamed Salah

Salah’s struggles this season must be viewed through a wide and balanced lens. The 33-year-old has been wildly out of sorts, but he’s ageing, grieving the passing of his teammate Diogo Jota and playing a tweaked role now that Liverpool have signed big-money strikers.

Taking all this into consideration, he’s still struggling to perform to the expected level. This is perhaps why Liverpool are gearing up for winter bid for Bournemouth’s versatile forward Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause.

But should Liverpool be aiming higher? After all, they need to land an elite winger who will succeed in rekindling Isak’s world-class quality.

Well, they may have found their man in Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, with Spanish sources suggesting that Liverpool are prepared to fight for the 23-year-old’s signature next summer.

Olise joined Bayern from Crystal Palace in 2024 and has since staked his claim as one of the most exciting forwards in the business. Vincent Kompany’s side know this and will demand a staggering €140m (equating to £122m) sum for his sale.

Arsenal and Manchester United are also keen, so Hughes had better roll up his sleeves.

Why Liverpool should sign Michael Olise

It might have been an unhappy return to English shores for Olise this week as his Bayern team were beaten 3-1 at the Emirates, but the right winger still caught the eye, completing three dribbles and winning eight duels.

A fully-fledged member of Didier Deschamps’ France set-up, Olise has proven himself across a range of different levels, and now he is ready to take the baton from Salah and become a superstar at Anfield.

Should Salah find a purple patch within him once again, the fact remains that his £400k-per-week contract expires at the end of next season, and Liverpool are somewhat short of options on that flank.

The two could cohabit on Liverpool’s attacking flank next season, and Olise has the athleticism and output to ensure Isak reminds everyone that he is “the best striker in the Premier League”, as he was hailed by Jamie Carragher for his form with Newcastle during the 2024/25 campaign.

Olise ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and shot-creating actions, the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, data via FBref.

Harry Kane is a very different type of number nine to Isak, but the Sweden international’s more energetic and mobile playing style might actually give rise to Olise’s finest creative qualities.

Indeed, Isak is fast and furious, skilful on the ball. His ability to split lines open with cleverly-timed runs would play into Olise’s playmaking.

Hailed as “one of the best wingers in the world” by podcaster Henry Swain, Olise would be taking Salah’s place on the right, whereas Isak is tussling for a starting berth with Hugo Ekitike, who also joined Liverpool this summer.

Should the Reds succeed in adding Olise to their ranks, he has the potential to become their star forward. This is quite a claim, Isak, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz are among the attacking options at Slot’s disposal, after all.

But it’s the truth. Here is a player whose proven ability across so many different areas underscores his quality. He is artful on the ball and combative and physical when he needs to be. Isak might have proven himself in front of goal in the Premier League, but his start to life on Merseyside shows that he has weaknesses within his game.

Olise, after all, has recorded 62 goal contributions from only 74 matches for the German giants, and that after enjoying a talismanic role at Selhurst Park with Palace.

Toward the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Carragher spoke on Sky Sports of Eberechi Eze and Olise’s brilliance for Oliver Glasner’s Palace. He said those Eagles would fly high at top clubs in the Champions League.

The pundit was right. Olise is a superstar, and given his Premier League and European experience, his flair and gusto, he would be the perfect right-sided forward to take Salah’s place and combine with a striker like Isak to fire Liverpool back into the ascendancy – and keep them there.

But given his potential to succeed Salah, and unenviable task if ever there was one, Olise might even prove a better deal than Isak, whose success perhaps runs counter to Ekitike’s own long-term ambitions at the front of the Anfield ship.

As bad as Konate & Van Dijk: £85m Liverpool duo cannot start together again

Liverpool plummeted to new depths after losing 4-1 to PSV at Anfield in the Champions League.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 27, 2025