The beginning of each UEFA Champions League season restores the true rhythm of a European campaign, in which the continent's top teams mix in competition against each other and undergo new litmus tests as they aim to answer one question: Does their ambition match the ability to pull off their goals?

Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie became the first pair of United States internationals to score on the same day in the UEFA Champions League as Europe's top competition returned on Tuesday.

The United States player pool has never been more prominent in Europe’s top soccer leagues and two of its key players have scored on the opening night of the continent’s top competition.