Americans Abroad 2019-20: A New Hope

Senator Donut

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In the 2004/05 Champions League, he became the first (and only, IIRC) American to play in a Champions League semifinal as a PSV team led by Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu fell on away goals to an all-time Milan team featuring Shevchenko, Crespo, Kaká, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Maldini, and Cafú.
Assuming Adams plays, we can finally add another to this category
 

ninjacornelius

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Assuming Adams plays, we can finally add another to this category
A soccer writer (I forget who) asked this on Twitter, so I'll ask it again here: was Tyler Adams' goal today the most significant goal that an American has ever scored for a *club* team in soccer history? I know that it's impossible to quantify "significant," and I'm not trying to downplay the importance of any goals scored in, say, the MLS playoffs, but if you were to try to try to measure the biggest goal on the biggest stage ever scored by an American international, would anything beat it? Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that compares.
 

Arroyo Con Frijoles

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Certainly from a "world's stage" perspective Adams has it, but in terms of "importance" how about Dempsey for Fulham against Liverpool to basically keep Fulham up in 2007? Someone smarter can tell me the financial difference is in both cases.
 

cromulence

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Another friendly for Dortmund, another start for Gio, two more goals. Starting to get the feeling he's gonna have a big role this year.
 

Mr. Wednesday

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A soccer writer (I forget who) asked this on Twitter, so I'll ask it again here: was Tyler Adams' goal today the most significant goal that an American has ever scored for a *club* team in soccer history? I know that it's impossible to quantify "significant," and I'm not trying to downplay the importance of any goals scored in, say, the MLS playoffs, but if you were to try to try to measure the biggest goal on the biggest stage ever scored by an American international, would anything beat it? Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that compares.
I think Beasley had a big one in the '00's, but it's been long enough that I don't remember exactly what the circumstances were.
 

Titans Bastard

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Latest rumors:

Some of the British rags are suggesting that Antonee Robinson will join Fulham.

Bild reports that Weston McKennie-to-Hertha is cooling down in part because the player prefers a move to the EPL. McKennie is on a long-term deal so Schalke don't feel especially pressured to sell him. It feels like a move will only happen if Schalke receive an offer that is quite attractive ($25m+?), or if McKennie decides to play hardball or if Schalke really, really need the money.

Some guy on Twitter who appears to be heavily involved with an FC Dallas supporters group claims that Reggie Cannon said some stuff to them after last night's game that suggested he's played his last match in MLS.

An ESPN guy reported that various Championship clubs are tracking Jonathan Lewis, who has a UK passport (and spent a year in Bradford City's academy before his lone season at Akron). He reports that Colorado turned down a bid of a bit over $500k for Lewis. I've heard that they are looking for $1.5m, which I question that they'll get. Lewis is a weird player — his g+a/90 numbers are outstanding in MLS, but he's also not started consistently at any point in his career.

Winger Mukwelle Akale is on trial with a Cypriot club after a number of years with Villarreal B.
 

InstaFace

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After the shit he caught on social media the past few days, I can see why he’s be eager to leave.
When they do the kneeling at the start of the game, instead of it being a moment of silence, they should have the PA announcer read a script explaining exactly why they're kneeling, so the idiots in the back have to work even harder to misunderstand. I guess if they're doing it during the anthem that's a lot harder, but instead if they do it right at the starting whistle like in Europe, it would give them a chance to make the message explicit. They could even change up the specific message to talk about recent events on the topic and keep the message of protest fresh, which would probably extend its lifespan of effectiveness.
 

cromulence

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I am thoroughly here for the return of Fulhamerica. We'll get to see just how good of a defender he is - probably not gonna be getting to charge forward a whole lot.
 

Joe D Reid

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I am thoroughly here for the return of Fulhamerica. We'll get to see just how good of a defender he is - probably not gonna be getting to charge forward a whole lot.
The idea of an EPL team running out two American defenders some days is boggling given what the MNT defense has looked like in recent years.
 

DJnVa

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USMNT Golden Generation?

Back in late February, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit, former United States men’s national team and current New England Revolution coach Bruce Arena was sitting in a hotel lobby, discussing the USMNT player pool, when it was suggested to him that the current crop of American youngsters beginning to break through at the highest levels of the sport marked an unprecedented development in the country’s soccer history.

“You’re completely wrong,” Arena said. “You don’t think we ever had young players playing in clubs in Europe? We’ve had good players before. Players from other countries are getting sold to big clubs, they’re not having parades over it.

“You idiots hype up every kid that steps on the field as the next star,” he added, speaking of the media. “It’s ridiculous.”
This? This is entirely new. With all due respect to Arena, the U.S. has never had this many players, this young, playing regularly with top-flight European clubs as relevant as some of the ones mentioned above. The country has had good players before, but it’s never had six of them between the ages of 17 and 21 who are key players for teams competing in the Prem, Bundesliga or Champions League.
 

InstaFace

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wow I didn't realize Arena had entered the "old crank" phase of life. If he doesn't know the difference between Joe Gyau, Julian Green, Kenny Cooper, et al flaming out after a big club took a flyer, and Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Dest and Reyna consistently starting for EL / CL level clubs up until March*, I hardly know what to tell him. I'm sure they played The Right Way back in his day, too.

* (with Yedlin, Sargent, Steffen, Tyler Boyd, and even Ream and CCV plying their trade at clubs that are hardly chopped liver, either)
 

wonderland

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He’s saying go back further than that. There were a number of players on the 2002 WC roster who played at big clubs in Europe either at that time or at some point in their career.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Hard to make a case for that generation when its best player had a Euro career remarkable in its forgetfulness.
 

Cellar-Door

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He’s saying go back further than that. There were a number of players on the 2002 WC roster who played at big clubs in Europe either at that time or at some point in their career.
Yeah I assume he means that era.
23 player squad for the 2002 WChad this number of players at or formerly at clubs in the leagues below (I didn't double count):
Premier League : 7
Bundesliga: 5
Ligue 1: 1
La Liga
Serie A
Eredeviste: 2

This doesn't include Wolf and Beasley who played in Europe later.

13 of 23 in a top 5 league, 2 more in a league just below and 2 players who would go on to that level.
 

Titans Bastard

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wow I didn't realize Arena had entered the "old crank" phase of life. If he doesn't know the difference between Joe Gyau, Julian Green, Kenny Cooper, et al flaming out after a big club took a flyer, and Pulisic, Adams, McKennie, Dest and Reyna consistently starting for EL / CL level clubs up until March*, I hardly know what to tell him. I'm sure they played The Right Way back in his day, too.

* (with Yedlin, Sargent, Steffen, Tyler Boyd, and even Ream and CCV plying their trade at clubs that are hardly chopped liver, either)
Arena entered the "old crank" phase of life about 15 years ago, tbh.

Some people (like Arena) will go to the grave having never recovered from a specific type of Freddy Adu-induced PTSD. Hey Bruce, it's okay to get excited when legitimately good prospects are doing legitimately good things!!
 

DJnVa

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This is the key part, which Arena is missing:

but it’s never had six of them between the ages of 17 and 21 who are key players for teams competing in the Prem, Bundesliga or Champions League.
 

DJnVa

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Yeah I assume he means that era.
23 player squad for the 2002 WChad this number of players at or formerly at clubs in the leagues below (I didn't double count):
Premier League : 7
Bundesliga: 5
That's true, but back of the envelope checks show most of the guys that played in the PL were mid to late 20s. And 2 of them were keepers.

That 2002 WC team only had 7 guys aged 25 or younger.
 

Cellar-Door

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That's true, but back of the envelope checks show most of the guys that played in the PL were mid to late 20s. And 2 of them were keepers.

That 2002 WC team only had 7 guys aged 25 or younger.
I think both that this generation is better, and that Arena is right that we've had top league players in the past. I also would argue it's easier to get Americans into other leagues earlier now. Euro clubs weren't even looking at American teenagers back then, if they had been a good chunk of the 2002 team's generation would have been in Europe at 17-19.
 

Kliq

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I think both that this generation is better, and that Arena is right that we've had top league players in the past. I also would argue it's easier to get Americans into other leagues earlier now. Euro clubs weren't even looking at American teenagers back then, if they had been a good chunk of the 2002 team's generation would have been in Europe at 17-19.
This is a great point; the success of someone like Pulisic playing at such a high level at Chelsea, as opposed to someone like Dempsey, Reyna or McBride playing pretty well for smaller Big 5 league clubs, will open the doors for more Americans to enter the best club academies in the world with hopefully less bias from European coaches and recruiters.

As an aside, I read something yesterday that Hristo Stoichkov reportedly was talking to Barcelona President Josep Maria Baromeau about looking at acquiring Alphonso Davies when he was still at Vancouver and his response was "He is Canadian. No thanks."

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-barcelona-presidents-response-when-alphonso-davies-was-recommended-20200816
 

Titans Bastard

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Who wants Gio Reyna hype pieces? One thought that I had while reading this: if Reyna reaches the level everyone thinks he can, it will be good for an introvert like Pulisic to have an attacking partner with more bravado to soak up some of the spotlight that Christian seems to find somewhat irritating.

https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/18/gio-reyna-usmnt-borussia-dortmund-future-daily-cover

The Reggie Cannon transfer saga continues. A couple of Belgian clubs are mentioned here, but small enough clubs that you wonder if they can afford him. Interest in Spain & Russia. Elsewhere, there are rumors that he might he heading to France.

https://theathletic.com/2008547/2020/08/19/mls-notebook-european-interest-in-reggie-cannon-galaxy-sign-jonathan-klinsmann/
 

Kliq

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Who wants Gio Reyna hype pieces? One thought that I had while reading this: if Reyna reaches the level everyone thinks he can, it will be good for an introvert like Pulisic to have an attacking partner with more bravado to soak up some of the spotlight that Christian seems to find somewhat irritating.

https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/18/gio-reyna-usmnt-borussia-dortmund-future-daily-cover

The Reggie Cannon transfer saga continues. A couple of Belgian clubs are mentioned here, but small enough clubs that you wonder if they can afford him. Interest in Spain & Russia. Elsewhere, there are rumors that he might he heading to France.

https://theathletic.com/2008547/2020/08/19/mls-notebook-european-interest-in-reggie-cannon-galaxy-sign-jonathan-klinsmann/
I’ll be excited for any other real quality attacker just to draw some attention from Pulisic and hopefully give opponents something to worry about besides hacking Pulisic to pieces via typical CONCACAF thuggery.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Who wants Gio Reyna hype pieces? One thought that I had while reading this: if Reyna reaches the level everyone thinks he can, it will be good for an introvert like Pulisic to have an attacking partner with more bravado to soak up some of the spotlight that Christian seems to find somewhat irritating.

https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/18/gio-reyna-usmnt-borussia-dortmund-future-daily-cover

The Reggie Cannon transfer saga continues. A couple of Belgian clubs are mentioned here, but small enough clubs that you wonder if they can afford him. Interest in Spain & Russia. Elsewhere, there are rumors that he might he heading to France.

https://theathletic.com/2008547/2020/08/19/mls-notebook-european-interest-in-reggie-cannon-galaxy-sign-jonathan-klinsmann/
There will never be another Deuce but I'll take whatever swagger we can get.

We won't really know until we see it all together but I like the personality fit too with McKennie (fiery and physical tone-setter) and Adams (the leader). Dying to see our top XI out there.
 

dirtynine

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It’s funny, when Pulisic went full ‘Murca with a tattoo during WC18 qualifying (sigh), I was certain he was positioning himself to be a spotlight-welcoming star ready to be minted at that World Cup. Looks like I was a little off.

33528
 

Jimy Hendrix

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The names clubs that seem to actually be interested in Cannon are a bit of a cold shower compared to the "he's a lower tier EPL/Bundesliga starter right now" buzz he gets in some USMNT circles.

Probably just age more than anything. Once you're age starts in 2 and doesn’t end in 0 the calculus starts to change.
 

Titans Bastard

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The names clubs that seem to actually be interested in Cannon are a bit of a cold shower compared to the "he's a lower tier EPL/Bundesliga starter right now" buzz he gets in some USMNT circles.

Probably just age more than anything. Once you're age starts in 2 and doesn’t end in 0 the calculus starts to change.
I see three potential factors:

1. Sure, there are budding stars like Alphonso Davies and Tyler Adams coming out of MLS right now, but the flow of players who have made an impact isn't big enough; MLS is still looked at as a bargain bin rather than an important source of talent. Argentine players get a transfer fee premium because the Argentine league has a proven track record.

2. The pandemic hasn't hurt the top of the transfer market, but is likely to depress transfer fees in the lower ranges. This means there are more players available for reasonable prices, meaning a bigger club might not take a risk on Cannon when "proven" European RBs are available for cheaper than expected.

3. Maybe He's Just Not That Good right now.


I'm a fan of Cannon, but I'm also a bit disappointed about the caliber of clubs that are being thrown around right now. In any case, unless a bigger club unexpectedly swoops in, at least Cannon will have a relatively simple opportunity to play a lot right off the bat and if he does well at his next stop, someone bigger will notice.
 

67YAZ

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I see three potential factors:

1. Sure, there are budding stars like Alphonso Davies and Tyler Adams coming out of MLS right now, but the flow of players who have made an impact isn't big enough; MLS is still looked at as a bargain bin rather than an important source of talent. Argentine players get a transfer fee premium because the Argentine league has a proven track record.

2. The pandemic hasn't hurt the top of the transfer market, but is likely to depress transfer fees in the lower ranges. This means there are more players available for reasonable prices, meaning a bigger club might not take a risk on Cannon when "proven" European RBs are available for cheaper than expected.

3. Maybe He's Just Not That Good right now.


I'm a fan of Cannon, but I'm also a bit disappointed about the caliber of clubs that are being thrown around right now. In any case, unless a bigger club unexpectedly swoops in, at least Cannon will have a relatively simple opportunity to play a lot right off the bat and if he does well at his next stop, someone bigger will notice.
Realistically, he was a nice prospect until the Gold Cup, where he was just fantastic. He then played well for Dallas, but faded as the season went on. I saw him play at the Fire in September and he, Pomykal, and really the whole team looked ragged. And then the off-season came, COVID hit, and Dallas didn’t make the MLS tournament.

He’s an exciting prospect, but from a scout’s perspective, his track record as a top-tier prospect is pretty thin. In this environment, how many big clubs are going to meet Dallas’ fee for a guy who may have to start out in the reserve team? If Cannon is dead set on transferring (and Dallas on netting a fee before his salary jumps), then Belgium can be a good destination - young guys play, lots of Belgian and international talent to compete against, and it’s heavily scouted by the top-5 leagues.
 
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Jimy Hendrix

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In other fullback news, Robinson signs for Fulham.

EDIT: as TB got in there two posts above, of course.

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/august/20/Antonee-Robinson-Signs
More danger of sinking back into the Championship than the rumored Sheffield United move, but probably a better chance of starting sooner.

Also good from a USMNT perspective for him to be in a 4 at the back rather than a wingback in an unorthodox 3 at the back setup.
 

InstaFace

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Yeah I assume he means that era.
23 player squad for the 2002 WC had this number of players at or formerly at clubs in the leagues below (I didn't double count):
Premier League : 7
Bundesliga: 5
Ligue 1: 1
La Liga
Serie A
Eredivisie: 2

This doesn't include Wolff and Beasley who played in Europe later.

13 of 23 in a top 5 league, 2 more in a league just below and 2 players who would go on to that level.
Well hang on now just a minute. Let's do a side-by-side.

2002 WC first-choice team, by position (age / # starts in WCF out of 5):

GK Brad Friedel (31 / 5) - Blackburn Rovers (EPL), full-time starter, in year 5 of 17 straight in the EPL
RB Tony Sanneh (30 / 5) - Nurnburg (Bundesliga), part-time starter, in year 3 of 5
CB Eddie Pope (28 / 5) - DC United
CB Jeff Agoos (34 / 3 [injured]) - SJ Earthquakes
LB Frankie Hejduk (27 / 4) - Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga), fringe bencher, manager had declared he had no future there (year 4 of 4 in europe)
RM Earnie Stewart (33 / 2.5) - NAC Breda (Eredivisie), first-choice starter, year 13 of 15 in the league (Dutch mom, grew up there)
MF John O'Brien (24 / 5) - Ajax (Eredivisie), first-choice starter, year 4 of 7 in the league (n.b. signed with them at age 17)
MF Claudio Reyna (28 / 4) - Sunderland (EPL), part-time starter, year 2 of 5 in the EPL, 7 of 10 in Europe
LM DaMarcus Beasley (20 / 2.5) - Chicago Fire, would move to PSV 2 years later, would spend 7 years in Europe (2 PSV, 1 Man City, 3 Rangers, 1 Hannover)
FW Brian McBride (29 / 5) - Columbus Crew, had done a part season at Wolfsburg, would get picked up by Everton after the WC and do 6 years in the EPL
FW Landon Donovan (20 / 5) - SJ Earthquakes on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, would get short spells in a couple places but never stick in Europe

Major subs / rotation players:
DM Pablo Mastroeni (25 / 3) - Colorado Rapids
CB Gregg Berhalter (28 / 2 starts after Agoos was injured) - Crystal Palace (EPL), squad player, after 6 seasons in the Eredivisie. Would move to Cottbus (Bundesliga) for 4 seasons.
LW Eddie Lewis (28 / 2) - Fulham (EPL), reserve, moving to Preston North End (FL First Div) as a 4-year full-time starter
AM Clint Mathis (25 / 2) - MetroStars / NYRB, would move to Hannover a year later, spent one season there as a part-time starter, then returned to MLS
MF Cobi Jones (31 / 4 subs) - LA Galaxy. Had spent 1 year at Coventry City (EPL) as a part-time starter early in his career but was mostly an MLS lifer
CF Joe-Max Moore (31 / 2 subs) - Everton (EPL), squad player, having just finished his 3rd of 3 years there making only 3 starts
CB Carlos Llamosa (32 / 2 subs) - NE Revolution

So among the starting 11 (plus subs, italics), that's:
- 1 (2) current top-4 starter (Friedel, Keller)
- 2 (2) current top-4 rotation players (Sanneh, Reyna)
- 2 (3) future top-4 starters (Beasley, McBride, Berhalter, plus Reyna again)
- 2 (3) current/future lower-league starters (Stewart, O'Brien, Lewis)
- 2 (4) who failed in Europe (Donovan, Hejduk, Mathis, Moore)
- 2 (4) who were MLS lifers (Pope, Agoos, Jones, Mastroeni)

And even among those first 3 categories, which were the biggest/best clubs any American made it at? Fulham? Pre-Abu Dhabi Man City? PSV? Rangers?

And that's as good as it has ever gotten for us. Among those on the roster who never saw the field, Steve Cherundolo would spend a full starter's career at Hannover, most of it in the 1.Bundesliga, David Regis had an 8-year starting career mostly in Ligue 1, and Kasey Keller was then a full-time starter for Tottenham, in year 6 of 13 in Europe (mostly EPL). Others failed in trials in Europe (Tony Meola, Josh Wolff) or in Mexico (Carlos Llamosa).

Now let's compare to the current / developing USMNT roster, the team we're hoping to see in October or March:

Hypothetical first-choice team, by position (starting from that projected lineup, with a few tweaks by me):

GK Zack Steffen (25) - Man City (EPL), after 1 year as 2nd keeper (17 starts) in Dusseldorf (Bundesliga). Clearly headed for a top-4 league career if he can stay healthy and focused.
LB Antonee Robinson (23) - Fulham (EPL), full-time starter in 1 year at Wigan (EFL Championship). After a near-deal to AC Milan, and a 7-year youth career for Everton, seems to have top-4 written all over him.
CB John Brooks (27) - Wolfsburg (Bundesliga), full-time starter in his 3rd year there after 5 full-time seasons at Hertha. Currently our best Germerican (sorry, Fabian Johnson and Tim Chandler!).
CB Tim Ream (32) - Fulham (EPL), full-time starter and team captain there, after 5 years at Fulham and 9 in England (2 in the EPL and about to have a 3rd). Still getting MNT callups.
RB DeAndre Yedlin (27) - Newcastle (EPL), part-time starter, 6 years in England, 5 in EPL. May be about to be sold somewhere.
DM Michael Bradley* (33) - Toronto FC, full-time 7-year starter there, after 10 respectable seasons in Europe incl 3x Heerenveen, 3x Gladbach, 1x Villa, 1x Chievo and 2x Roma, 5 of them as full-time starter.
CM Tyler Adams (21) - RB Leipzig (Bundesliga), 2 years part-time starter there, scored a massive goal in the UCL QFs
AM Weston McKennie (21) - Schalke 04 (Bundesliga), 4 years full-time starter there, already sometimes regarded as their best player.
LW Christian Pulisic (21) - Chelsea (EPL), 1 year part-time, clearly going to be full-time going forward, after 4 years at Dortmund, 3 of them as full-time starter.
RW Gio Reyna (17 holy crap) - Dortmund (Bundesliga), 1 year part-time, likely to be full-time going forward
CF Jozy Altidore (30) - Toronto FC, full-time 6-year starter there, after 7 years in Europe with mixed results, including 2 starting years in EPL, 1 reserve in EPL, and 2 very good years in the Eredivisie for AZ.

Notable rotation players:
LB Sergino Dest (19) - Ajax (Eredivisie), part-time starter this year, tons of UCL-level transfer rumors; he's on a world-class track right now, on one of the best development clubs in the world
DM Jackson Yueill (23) - SJ Earthquakes, 4 years, 2 of them as full-time starter. Have not heard many transfer rumors.
CF Josh Sargent (20) - Werder Bremen (Bundesliga), part-time starter in his 2nd year with the first-team, miraculously avoided relegation, seems to be at least part-time starter material.
RW Tim Weah (20) - Lille (Ligue 1), squad player, has been injured a lot. Some success at Celtic on loan last year.
CB Chris Richards (20) - Bayern Munich II (3.Liga), got 1 sub appearance for the big boys; some articles make it sound like he might get a chance.
RB Reggie Cannon (22) - FC Dallas, in his 4th year, 3rd as full-time starter. Some EU transfer rumors but no big clubs.
DM Paxton Pomykal (20) - FC Dallas, in his 4th pro year, 2nd as starter. Some transfer rumors but nothing serious.
CB Matt Miazga (25) - Reading (EFL Championship), 2 years part-time starter, after 2x Vitesse (full-time), 1x Nantes (squad player)

Breaking that down and projecting out some career trajectories, that puts us roughly at:
- 5 current top-4 starters (Brooks, Ream, Yedlin, McKennie, Pulisic)
- 2 current top-4 rotation players (Steffen, Robinson)
- 2 (3) future top-4 starters (Adams, Reyna, Dest)
- 0 (2) current/future lower-league starters (Miazga, Weah)
- 2 could not sustain career in Europe (Bradley, Altidore)
- 0 (3) MLS lifers (Yueill, Cannon, Pomykal)

Depending on how some of those top prospects shake out, and maybe some additional contributions from MLS talent that has no interest in Europe (by one party or the other), that is a much better-looking projection for me. You have starters at UCL-level clubs like Dortmund, Leipzig and Chelsea, UEL clubs like Schalke (ok not right now but that's where McKennie's level seems to be), and a ton of players making their way over to Europe at an age early enough that they stand a chance of moving up to the big clubs. There's not a position on the field, other than Goalkeeper, where I'd trade our current situation for the 2002 situation - not even that boss 2002 midfield that beclowned Mexico in front of the world. If Steffen can keep his shit together, I think in a year or two, you could put our squad up against the 2002 WC squad and we'd win like 8 of 10 matches.

So, after much consideration, I still respectfully think Bruce Arena is full of shit.

* look I'm sorry I put Bradley in there over Yueill, but I think Berhalter would too right now. I almost didn't.
 

Titans Bastard

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Giles Phillips, an obscure English-American CB who left a D3 NCAA program for QPR a few years back, has signed with Wycombe. He was on loan with them last year and had a run of starts at one point. He got released by QPR after the season, so he's back on a one-year contract.

The manager describes him as "a work in progress", but hey — Wycombe are in the Championship!

https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2020/august/giles-returns-on-permanent-deal/
 

Titans Bastard

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Uly Llanez makes his debut.

Well...it's only a friendly. Hopefully he starts getting minutes when the season begins in earnest. BTW, watke is a great follow for videos about mostly American prospects. He has a quirky sense of humor, as you can probably tell from the contrast between his choice in music for highlight videos vs. the usual shitty techno.

Cam Harper made the bench for Celtic for the first time today, though he didn't get in the game. He's an '01 winger who has been involved with the U20 team. I've heard good things about him, but he's definitely lower profile than fellow '01 wingers like Uly Llanez and Konrad de la Fuente for the time being. Berhalter seemed to like him: in January, Harper did well enough at the U20 camp that Berhalter brought him in to train at the NT camp next door.
 

Titans Bastard

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Zach Booth '04 has signed with Leicester City. Presumably he has an Italian passport that facilitated this move at age 16, as I know his brother Taylor '01 used an Italian passport to get to Bayern a bit early. RSL sure can't keep their prospects. They've now lost guys to Bayern, Leicester, PSV, and Hannover. (and Liverpool, though they ended getting that guy back.)

The Akale brothers have signed for Pafos FC in Cyprus. Mukwelle '97 is a winger who spent the last six years in Villarreal's system, never advancing past the B team. Masango '02 is a winger/forward who got looks with the last U17 NT (but wasn't in the picture by the end) who spent a year or two in the Timbers' system.
 

teddykgb

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Jul 16, 2005
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That seems like an absolute disaster to me. Why would he want that move? That’s a bloated roster as it is under a new manager he could spend the entire year on the bench
 

cromulence

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Aug 25, 2009
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No idea if it's a good move for him or not, but I do know that I'm dreading rooting in any capacity for a team with Ronaldo on it. Never done it before and I really don't want to now, but I also want McKennie's club to be successful. Ugh.
 

67YAZ

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Dec 1, 2000
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That seems like an absolute disaster to me. Why would he want that move? That’s a bloated roster as it is under a new manager he could spend the entire year on the bench
Ugh. His biggest problem at Schalke was unevenness from match to match - McKennie would be outstanding one day, pretty poor the next. He needs a club and a manager who will ride that out, give him the minutes he needs to develop and become a more consistent performer. The recent rumors had been Southampton, which has a great track record in supporting youth development - that would have been great.

Edit: I think it’s more like he spends 6 months on the bench, gets loaned out in January, and the future becomes a crapshoot as foot soldier in the Loan Army
 
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Jimy Hendrix

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Jun 15, 2002
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On the plus side, there's opportunity in the Juventus midfield right now if he raises his game. A lot of guys there leaving or injured & underperforming.

On the negative side, this smells a lot like a deal done not because of great fit, but in that modern Serie A mode of just picking up assets on the cheap because they're available.
 

Titans Bastard

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Dec 15, 2002
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Gio has some sort of issue with his heel.



Some loans:

Marlon Fossey (right back) has gone on loan from Fulham to Shrewsbury Town. I liked him when he was with the US U20s, but he's missed so much time with injuries.

Sebastian Soto (forward) has gone on loan from Norwich City to Telstar in the Dutch second division. I've grumbled about his choice to sign with Norwich before, which I think is a mistake given that he's not eligible for a WP. Even if he scores a lot of goals, it will be tough to make the case for USMNT caps from that level, making it harder to get a WP. Maybe Brexit-related rule changes will bail him out.
 

Titans Bastard

has sunil gulati in his sights
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A number of reports paint a strong picture that Reggie Cannon will be sold to Boavista in Portugal.

3rd Degree reported that FC Dallas is expecting that Cannon will not suit up for them again. Luchi Gonzalez publicly discussed who might take over RB in a press conference. 3rd Degree also reported that young RB Bryan Reynolds will sign a (surprisingly lucrative) new deal, which is both an endorsement of the player from the club and a clear long-term replacement plan.

Other sources are reporting Boavista. In the hierarchy of Europe, it's a disappointingly low landing spot for Cannon. The positive spin would be that the club was recently purchased by the same guy who owns Lille, so if Cannon does well it's not a huge stretch to imagine him moving to Ligue 1 fairly quickly.