The Americans Abroad Five: USMNT dual nationals in focus

With many of the U.S. men's national team's biggest players having quiet weekends, this week's Five touches on three players who could become national team mainstays in the future.

Noahkai Banks has been in the headlines plenty over the past few weeks, but Bryan Okoh and Luca Koleosho have been flying more under the radar.

All three could be future USMNT players – but only if they opt to play for the country of their birth.

Let's get to this week's Five.

Noahkai Banks hits the bench

The drama over Noahkai Banks' international future hasn't abated, but the Augsburg defender is facing a more immediate issue at present: He's not playing.

After starting every league game since September, Banks has now been benched for three of Augsburg's last four matches – including a 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim on Friday, April 10.

The 19-year-old started against Stuttgart on March 22 and was yanked at halftime with Augsburg down 3-0. That was the last time he saw the field.

For a player his age and with his track record this season, this is likely just a minor hiccup for Banks. But if he doesn't start getting minutes again soon, it will be that much tougher to present a case for the USMNT World Cup squad – if he commits, of course.

Two Americans score in France

It's pretty rare when Americans on both teams score in a top-five European match, but that is exactly what happened on Friday, April 10 as Paris FC throttled Monaco 4-1.

As he has for seven straight Ligue 1 games now, Folarin Balogun (a dual national himself) found the net for Monaco. But this time, the presumed USMNT starting striker could only net a consolation with his team already down 3-0.

Late in the game, Luca Koleosho made the points safe with a screamer for Paris FC. The 21-year-old winger was born in Connecticut, but has been representing Italy at the youth international level for several years.

After barely playing on loan with Espanyol in the first half of the season, Koleosho has enjoyed a regular role off the bench with Paris FC in his second loan of the season.

Koleosho is still a Burnley player and with the Clarets likely heading for relegation, the winger's future will once again be up in the air this summer.

Bryan Okoh making noise in France

It may be a little late in the current World Cup cycle, but Bryan Okoh looks like a name that USMNT fans will want to have on their radar in the months to come.

The 22-year-old center back has been rock solid since a midseason move to Auxerre, helping the relegation-threatened Ligue 1 side to a run of just one loss in six – including a scoreless draw with Nantes this weekend. He even scored a brace in a 3-0 win over Brest last month.

"Bryan immediately brought his positive mindset, his desire to be a true defender who loves winning duels, and his leadership qualities," Auxerre coach Christophe Pelissier said in quotes published in L'Equipe.

"He obviously has some adjustments to make to avoid being caught out behind his defense and needs to improve his concentration. But he possesses the rare quality of being ambidextrous, which allows him to distribute the ball equally well with his left foot or his right."

Okoh was born in Texas but grew up in Switzerland, which he has represented at the youth international level. He was considered one of the top prospects in Red Bull Salzburg's academy, but saw his progress stalled by a number of serious injuries.

But Okoh is starting to grow into the player many expected him to be. Would he choose to switch to the country of his birth? U.S. Soccer should be looking to test his resolve at some point soon.

John Tolkin suffers injury

John Tolkin's World Cup dream appears very likely to be over.

The USMNT left back went down with a knee injury in Holstein Kiel's 2-1 victory against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Friday, April 10.

The 2. Bundesliga side announced on Monday, April 13 that Tolkin would be out "weeks" with an inner ligament injury, which won't require surgery. Given how serious the injury appeared at first glance, that qualifies as a positive outcome.

But it is still a major blow for Tolkin's World Cup hopes. The 23-year-old may have been on the outside looking in for a World Cup spot anyway, but had featured for the U.S. as recently as November's win over Uruguay. Now he'll need a quick recovery and potentially an injury or two in front of him to have a chance.

Tyler Adams returns to the pitch

One key USMNT player did receive a serious boost over the weekend, as Tyler Adams returned to the field in Bournemouth's stunning 2-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday, April 11.

Adams missed the USMNT's roster for defeats against Belgium and Portugal in late March, having suffered a hamstring injury in mid-March.

But the 27-year-old's absence was thankfully brief, as he played the final 20 minutes in Saturday's win at the Emirates Stadium.