Tag: Yunus Musah

Where to Find USMNT Players in Europe This Season

Where to Find USMNT Players in Europe This Season

The European soccer season is kicking off, and plenty of American players—past, present, and future USMNT stars—are on the move. Some transfers are done, others are still hanging in the balance, but here’s your guide to who’s playing where and which clubs to keep an eye on if you’re following the U.S. men’s national team.

Still Waiting on Final Moves

  • Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah, Josh Sargent, Ricardo Pepi – All are linked with transfers, but nothing’s official yet. Expect late-window drama here.

Completed Transfers & Loans

  • Matt Turner – Looked set for Lyon until the club’s financial troubles complicated the deal. It eventually went through, but Turner has been loaned back to New England Revolution in MLS. The move should give him much-needed minutes as he battles for the No. 1 goalkeeper spot ahead of the home World Cup.
  • Malik Tillman – After a standout season at PSV, the versatile attacker joins Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. With Florian Wirtz off to Liverpool, Tillman has a genuine shot at regular starts.
  • Timothy Weah – Loaned to Marseille, where his father once played. His throwback magazine cover recreation for the announcement was an instant classic.
  • Johnny Cardoso – Moves from Real Betis to Atletico Madrid. Playing time could be scarce under Diego Simeone, but if Cardoso becomes a regular, his spot on the World Cup roster would be almost certain.
  • Damion Downs – After a brief USMNT cameo this summer, the striker joins Southampton in the EFL Championship.
  • Patrick Agyemang – Heads to Derby County, also in the Championship. This league has been a strong springboard for Americans in recent years.
  • Caleb Wiley – On loan to Watford, another Championship side.
  • Julian Eyestone – The 19-year-old goalkeeper is now with Brentford’s senior squad in the Premier League, serving as a backup.

Clubs with Multiple USMNT Players

While the days of big “American hubs” in Europe are fading, a few teams still have more than one U.S. player:

  • Celtic (Scottish Premiership) – Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty anchoring the defense.
  • AC Milan (Serie A) – Christian Pulisic plus Yunus Musah—for now. Musah’s transfer rumors are heating up.
  • PSV (Eredivisie) – Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi, though Pepi could still move before the window closes.
  • Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga) – Veteran Timmy Chandler and Paxten Aaronson.
  • West Bromwich Albion (EFL Championship) – George Campbell and Daryl Dike, though neither is likely to feature at the next World Cup.

Bottom line: American players are scattered more widely than in past seasons, but there’s still plenty to watch across Europe’s top leagues. The real intrigue will come in the next few weeks as Reyna, Musah, Sargent, and Pepi finalize their futures.

USMNT Depth Chart: Midfield

Moving on to the midfield, the USMNT is running with a holding midfielder and two center midfielders with the right being more attack focused and the left a little more well-rounded. With that, let’s take a look starting with the left midfield.

Summary: McKennie had his issues early in qualifying as he was sent home for violating Covid protocols bringing his maturity and leadership into question, but he has bounced back well of late. Busio got his first taste of World Cup Qualifying action in Jamaica with McKennie out due to yellow card accumulations and looked good. One concern with the squad is the lack of a quality corner taker, and mid-game he went to Brenden Aaronson and essentially demanded he take the corners moving forward. They weren’t great, but the pace and shape of the ball was a clear upgrade. After Busio there is a real drop-off. Green is a guy we have long been waiting to step up, but that just may not be in the cards for him, instead he is merely quality depth. Luca only has four appearances with the national team but has plenty of experience in Europe. He is unlikely to be an impactful option but, again, provides some depth at the position. The FTF of Clark may be the best FTF of the group as he has looked very good with NYRB and will be heading to Germany to join RB Leipzig once NYRB run in the MLS playoffs is over. He will become an attacking midfielder ahead of fellow USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams (coming later in this post) and that relationship could make the future come sooner than later. McGlynn is the first of three members of Philadelphia Union in this section and are a must watch for USMNT fans this MLS playoff.

Summary: Musah has taken the right midfield job and run with it, making it his job to lose after just a few matches in the position. He is just 18 but his skill level is undeniable, although the consistency does lack due to his youth. Acosta should not be in this position, but it has been made clear Gregg Berhalter wants him here as a late match sub to add a defensive focus. I like him more as a center defensive midfielder, where he would likely land third in the depth chart for me, but this is a light position and it is where he is seeing the most time, so here he is. Roldan and Lletget are quality MLS midfielders and are quality depth options, they just aren’t guys who will help massively on a competitive international stage. Mihailovic has shown flashes that are enough to get him included in the depth chart, although he will likely fall off if he is not included in the next international window. Aaronson and Sullivan are teammates with Philadelphia and Aaronson is a more attacking midfield option but there isn’t a position that truly fits that, so he falls into the right midfield. He is more controlled than his brother, but likely doesn’t quite have the upside. Sullivan is still just 17 and has yet to even wear the stars and stripes at the youth level, but there is raw talent that justifies him making the list.

Summary: Here is a position that is Tyler Adams and then all the rest. Adams has worn the captains arm band regularly during qualifying and rarely misses a minute of action. Acosta would most likely be the true replacement should something happen with Adams but, since he sees so much time at right midfield, I have Sands as the number two here. Sands has seen here and at center back with the national team and with NYC FC, so he brings versatility and has plenty of MLS experience despite still being only 21. Yuiell is the only other name on the list who has been included in the qualifying rounds, although there isn’t much difference between he, Williamson, and Tessmann. Leyva looked like of the better players on the U20 squad in the Revelations Cup and likely earned some points with the national league hierarchy. Otasowie has one appearance with the national team, but still qualifies as a FTF, barely, as he is 20. The reason he still falls as FTF is he has only 6 total appearances in senior action all with Wolverhampton before transferring to Brugge, where he is at least witnessing major European action first had, so there is some value to that.