I thought it was time to turn over the thread, since we're in the offseason now. It's the end of an era: with Howard off to Colorado and Guzan relegated, there are no American GKs in the EPL. Unless I am forgetting someone, it's slated to be the first EPL season without an American GK since 1994-95. Juergen Sommer played for QPR the next season, Keller joined Leicester a year after that and Friedel joined Liverpool the year after Keller.
While the EPL is light on Americans, there's a pretty heavy presence in the Bundesliga, albeit heavily aided by foreign-born players.
We do have a growing cadre of young players in Europe. Some are playing first-team soccer already, others are still toiling in academies. I'm not expecting another Pulisic-esque breakout, but I think we could see progress on multiple fronts. While most prospects don't pan out as hoped, we have many irons in the fire at this point.
Some questions for the offseason:
1. Will Brad Guzan be on the move from Villa? They're seemingly sick of him.
2. Where will Emerson Hyndman land?
3. Will a big club take a pass at John Brooks this summer?
4. Some young players may go on loan, but where? Zelalem, Miazga, possibly Yedlin. Gyau should finally be healthy again, but will probably need to go on loan to get playing time. Boyd may face a similar issue. Lesser-profile prospects like Gooch and Novakovich could benefit, too.
5. Julian Green - time to leave, hopefully
6. Will anyone be sold from MLS? Winter is a busier time, but there have been a number of rumors about Steve Birnbaum lately.
7. Can more of the bajillion youth players in Mexico break through and make an impact?
The list including birth years for age reference:
Bulgaria
B Group
FW Bjørn Johnsen, 91 (Litex Lovech)
Colombia
Primera A
GK Kevin Piedrahita, 91 (Rionegro Águilas)
CM Juan Nino, 90 (Atlético Huila)
MF Juan Guzman, 88 (Patriotas)
FW Omar Salgado, 93 (Jaguares de Córdoba, on loan from Tigres)
Costa Rica
Primera Division
CB Ramon Martin del Campo, 93 (Deportivo Saprissa)
Denmark
Superliga
CM George Fochive, 92 (Viborg)
CM Conor O'Brien, 88 (Horsens)
1st Division
CB Babajide Ogunbiyi, 86 (Hobro)
FW Sammy Adjei, 93 (Næstved)
El Salvador
Primera Division
FW David Lopez, 92 (Isidro Metapán)
England
Premier League
RB DeAndre Yedlin, 93 (Tottenham Hotspur)
CB Geoff Cameron, 85 (Stoke City)
CB Matt Miazga, 95 (Chelsea)
CM Gedion Zelalem, 97 (Arsenal)
AM Lynden Gooch, 95 (Sunderland)
Championship
GK Brad Guzan, 84 (Aston Villa)
RB Eric Lichaj, 88 (Nottingham Forest)
CB Tim Ream, 87 (Fulham)
CB Jonathan Spector, 86 (Birmingham City)
CM Danny Williams, 89 (Reading)
League One
AM Gboly Ariyibi, 95 (Chesterfield)
National League
GK Brendan Moore, 92 (Torquay United)
Faroe Islands
Premier League
CB Mayowa Alli, 92 (KÍ Klaksvík)
Finland
Veikkausliiga
GK Tyler Back, 93 (RoPS)
GK Craig Hill, 87 (KuPS)
AM Will John, 85 (RoPS)
AM Brian Span, 92 (IFK Mariehamn)
FW Christian Eissele, 92 (Kemi Kings)
Ykkönen
GK Tim Murray, 87 (Ekenäs IF)
CB Etchu Tabe, 86 (Haka)
CB Gabriel Wirz, 92 (FC Jazz)
LB Mike Banner, 84 (KPV)
MF Kyle Curinga, 93 (Jaro)
MF Isaac Kannah, 93 (KTP)
MF Josue Soto, 87 (Jaro)
MF Daniel Stevens, 85 (GrIFK)
France
Ligue 1
AM Alejandro Bedoya, 87 (Nantes)
Ligue 2
FW Jordan Siebatcheu, 96 (Reims)
Germany
Bundesliga
RB Timothy Chandler, 90 (Eintracht Frankfurt)
RB Ashton Götz, 93 (Hamburg)
CB John Brooks, 93 (Hertha Berlin)
CM Alfredo Morales, 90 (Ingolstadt)
CM Caleb Stanko, 93 (Freiburg)
AM Fabian Johnson, 87 (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
AM Julian Green, 95 (Bayern Munich)
AM Joe Gyau, 92 (Borussia Dortmund)
AM Christian Pulisic, 98 (Borussia Dortmund)
FW Terrence Boyd, 91 (RB Leipzig)
FW Aron Johannsson, 90 (Werder Bremen)
FW Bobby Wood, 92 (Hamburg)
2.Bundesliga
CM Royal-Dominique Fennell, 89 (Würzburger Kickers)
AM Jerome Kiesewetter, 93 (Fortuna Düsseldorf)
FW Fafà Picault, 91 (St. Pauli)
FW Andrew Wooten, 89 (Sandhausen)
3. Liga
GK Kenneth Kronholm, 85 (Holstein Kiel)
AM Shawn Barry, 90 (FSV Frankfurt)
FW Jann George, 92 (Jahn Regensburg)
FW Marc Heider, 86 (Osnabrück)
Guatemala
Primera Division
FW Edward Santeliz, 87 (Malacateco)
FW Jonathan Top, 93 (Comunicaciones)
Iceland
Úrvalsdeild
AM Dion Acoff, 91 (Thróttur)
FW Jose Seoane, 89 (Fylkir)
1. deild
GK Will Dieterich, 87 (Haukar)
AM Johnatan Lama, 93 (Huginn)
AM J.C. Mack, 88 (Selfoss)
FW Will Daniels, 90 (Grindavik)
Ireland
League of Ireland
GK Ciaran Nugent, 91 (Sligo Rovers)
FW Don Cowan, 89 (Longford Town)
Israel
Premier League
FW Aaron Schoenfeld, 90 (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
Italy
Lega Pro
CM Douglas Bentley, 96 (AlbinoLeffe)
Japan
J.2 League
GK Daniel Schmidt, 92 (Matsumoto Yamaga - on loan from Vegalta Sendai)
Mexico
Liga MX
GK Austin Guerrero, 89 (Puebla)
GK William Yarbrough, 89 (León)
CB Ventura Alvarado, 92 (América)
CB Omar Gonzalez, 88 (Pachuca)
CB Michael Orozco, 86 (Tijuana)
LB Jonathan Bornstein, 84 (Querétaro)
LB Edgar Castillo, 86 (Monterrey)
LB Greg Garza, 91 (Tijuana)
LB Jorge Villafaña, 89 (Santos Laguna)
LB John Requejo, Jr., 96 (Tijuana)
CM Joe Corona, 90 (Tijuana)
CM Alejandro Guido, 94 (Tijuana)
CM Jose Torres, 87 (Tigres)
CM Marco Vidal, 86 (Veracruz)
AM Paul Arriola, 95 (Tijuana)
AM Luis Gil, 93 (Querétaro)
AM Miguel Ibarra, 90 (León)
AM Benji Joya, 93 (Necaxa)
AM Luis Silva, 88 (Tigres)
AM Sebastian Saucedo, 97 (Veracruz, on loan from Real Salt Lake)
FW Amando Moreno, 95 (Tijuana)
Ascenso MX
LB Juan Pablo Ocegueda, 93 (Alebrijes de Oaxaca)
DF Cristian Cruz, 96 (Loros de Colima, on loan from Morelia)
AM Rodrigo Lopez, 87 (Celaya)
AM Jesus Vazquez, 94 (U de Guadalajara)
MF Emanuel Guzman, 86 (Venados)
FW Isaac Acuna, 89 (Celaya)
FW Joaquin Hernandez, 94 (Juárez)
FW Julio Morales, 93 (Coras de Tepic)
FW Bruno Piceno, 91 (Cafetaleros)
FW Esteban Rodriguez, 94 (Atlante)
FW Cesar Romero, 89 (Coras de Tepic)
FW Adrian Ruelas, 91 (Celaya)
Netherlands
Eredivisie
RB Desevio Payne, 95 (Groningen)
FW Rubio Rubin, 96 (Utrecht)
Norway
Tippeligaen
GK Ethan Horvath, 95 (Molde)
GK Alex Horwath, 87 (Brann)
CB Alex DeJohn, 91 (Start)
CB A.J. Soares, 88 (Viking)
CM Cole Grossman, 89 (Stabæk)
AM Josh Gatt, 91 (Molde)
FW Ben Spencer, 95 (Molde)
Poland
I Liga (second tier)
CB Hunter Gorskie, 91 (Miadź Legnica)
Portugal
Primeira Liga
AM Sergio Duarte, 93 (Nacional)
Scotland
Premier League
CM Perry Kitchen, 92 (Hearts)
League One
CM Kevin Dzierzawski, 91 (Peterhead)
Slovakia
Super Liga
AM Nermin Crnkić, 92 (Slovan Bratislava)
Spain
La Liga
CB Amro Tarek Abdel-Aziz, 92 (Real Betis)
Sweden
Allsvenskan
GK Matt Pyzdrowski, 86 (Helsingborg)
CB Brendan Hines-Ike, 94 (Örebro)
FW Andy Stadler, 88 (Östersunds)
Superettan
GK Josh Wicks, 83 (AFC United)
CB Patrick Hopkins, 87 (Sirius)
MF Paul Torres, 91 (Sirius)
FW Tristan Bowen, 91 (AFC United)
FW Ryan Finley, 91 (Ängelholm)
Uruguay
Primera Division
CM Agustin Viana, 83 (Danubio)
MF Fabian Bastidas, 93 (River Plate)
Free Agents / Out of Contract
GK Cody Cropper, 93 (MK Dons)
GK Aleks Gogic, 96 (Fleetwood Town)
GK Adam Hobbs, 93 (Optik Rathenow)
GK Chris Konopka, 85 (Ross County)
GK Quentin Westberg, 86 (Tours)
GK David Yelldell, 81 (Bayer Leverkusen)
RB Travis Brent, 92 (Almere City)
CB Ryan Malone, 92 (Magdeburg)
CB Shane O'Neill, 93 (Apollon Limassol)
CB Zak Whitbread, 84 (Shrewsbury Town)
CM Bryan Gaul, 89 (Bahlinger SC)
CM Emerson Hyndman, 96 (Fulham)
AM Eder Arreola, 91 (Shirak)
AM Duane Holmes, 94 (Huddersfield Town)
AM Moises Orozco, 92 (Ararat Yerevan)
AM Devann Yao, 90 (Berliner AK)
FW Danijal Brković, 91 (Olimpic Sarajevo)
FW Christian Chaney, 94 (Ararat Yerevan)
FW Bryan de la Fuente, 92 (Ararat Yerevan)
FW Robbie Kristo, 93 (Spezia)
FW Kyrian Nwabueza, 92 (Ararat Yerevan)
FW Charlie Rugg, 90 (Eintracht Trier)
FW Eugene Starikov, 88 (Chornomorets Odesa)
FW Matt Taylor, 81 (Saarbrücken)
While the EPL is light on Americans, there's a pretty heavy presence in the Bundesliga, albeit heavily aided by foreign-born players.
We do have a growing cadre of young players in Europe. Some are playing first-team soccer already, others are still toiling in academies. I'm not expecting another Pulisic-esque breakout, but I think we could see progress on multiple fronts. While most prospects don't pan out as hoped, we have many irons in the fire at this point.
Some questions for the offseason:
1. Will Brad Guzan be on the move from Villa? They're seemingly sick of him.
2. Where will Emerson Hyndman land?
3. Will a big club take a pass at John Brooks this summer?
4. Some young players may go on loan, but where? Zelalem, Miazga, possibly Yedlin. Gyau should finally be healthy again, but will probably need to go on loan to get playing time. Boyd may face a similar issue. Lesser-profile prospects like Gooch and Novakovich could benefit, too.
5. Julian Green - time to leave, hopefully
6. Will anyone be sold from MLS? Winter is a busier time, but there have been a number of rumors about Steve Birnbaum lately.
7. Can more of the bajillion youth players in Mexico break through and make an impact?
The list including birth years for age reference:
Bulgaria
B Group
FW Bjørn Johnsen, 91 (Litex Lovech)
Colombia
Primera A
GK Kevin Piedrahita, 91 (Rionegro Águilas)
CM Juan Nino, 90 (Atlético Huila)
MF Juan Guzman, 88 (Patriotas)
FW Omar Salgado, 93 (Jaguares de Córdoba, on loan from Tigres)
Costa Rica
Primera Division
CB Ramon Martin del Campo, 93 (Deportivo Saprissa)
Denmark
Superliga
CM George Fochive, 92 (Viborg)
CM Conor O'Brien, 88 (Horsens)
1st Division
CB Babajide Ogunbiyi, 86 (Hobro)
FW Sammy Adjei, 93 (Næstved)
El Salvador
Primera Division
FW David Lopez, 92 (Isidro Metapán)
England
Premier League
RB DeAndre Yedlin, 93 (Tottenham Hotspur)
CB Geoff Cameron, 85 (Stoke City)
CB Matt Miazga, 95 (Chelsea)
CM Gedion Zelalem, 97 (Arsenal)
AM Lynden Gooch, 95 (Sunderland)
Championship
GK Brad Guzan, 84 (Aston Villa)
RB Eric Lichaj, 88 (Nottingham Forest)
CB Tim Ream, 87 (Fulham)
CB Jonathan Spector, 86 (Birmingham City)
CM Danny Williams, 89 (Reading)
League One
AM Gboly Ariyibi, 95 (Chesterfield)
National League
GK Brendan Moore, 92 (Torquay United)
Faroe Islands
Premier League
CB Mayowa Alli, 92 (KÍ Klaksvík)
Finland
Veikkausliiga
GK Tyler Back, 93 (RoPS)
GK Craig Hill, 87 (KuPS)
AM Will John, 85 (RoPS)
AM Brian Span, 92 (IFK Mariehamn)
FW Christian Eissele, 92 (Kemi Kings)
Ykkönen
GK Tim Murray, 87 (Ekenäs IF)
CB Etchu Tabe, 86 (Haka)
CB Gabriel Wirz, 92 (FC Jazz)
LB Mike Banner, 84 (KPV)
MF Kyle Curinga, 93 (Jaro)
MF Isaac Kannah, 93 (KTP)
MF Josue Soto, 87 (Jaro)
MF Daniel Stevens, 85 (GrIFK)
France
Ligue 1
AM Alejandro Bedoya, 87 (Nantes)
Ligue 2
FW Jordan Siebatcheu, 96 (Reims)
Germany
Bundesliga
RB Timothy Chandler, 90 (Eintracht Frankfurt)
RB Ashton Götz, 93 (Hamburg)
CB John Brooks, 93 (Hertha Berlin)
CM Alfredo Morales, 90 (Ingolstadt)
CM Caleb Stanko, 93 (Freiburg)
AM Fabian Johnson, 87 (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
AM Julian Green, 95 (Bayern Munich)
AM Joe Gyau, 92 (Borussia Dortmund)
AM Christian Pulisic, 98 (Borussia Dortmund)
FW Terrence Boyd, 91 (RB Leipzig)
FW Aron Johannsson, 90 (Werder Bremen)
FW Bobby Wood, 92 (Hamburg)
2.Bundesliga
CM Royal-Dominique Fennell, 89 (Würzburger Kickers)
AM Jerome Kiesewetter, 93 (Fortuna Düsseldorf)
FW Fafà Picault, 91 (St. Pauli)
FW Andrew Wooten, 89 (Sandhausen)
3. Liga
GK Kenneth Kronholm, 85 (Holstein Kiel)
AM Shawn Barry, 90 (FSV Frankfurt)
FW Jann George, 92 (Jahn Regensburg)
FW Marc Heider, 86 (Osnabrück)
Guatemala
Primera Division
FW Edward Santeliz, 87 (Malacateco)
FW Jonathan Top, 93 (Comunicaciones)
Iceland
Úrvalsdeild
AM Dion Acoff, 91 (Thróttur)
FW Jose Seoane, 89 (Fylkir)
1. deild
GK Will Dieterich, 87 (Haukar)
AM Johnatan Lama, 93 (Huginn)
AM J.C. Mack, 88 (Selfoss)
FW Will Daniels, 90 (Grindavik)
Ireland
League of Ireland
GK Ciaran Nugent, 91 (Sligo Rovers)
FW Don Cowan, 89 (Longford Town)
Israel
Premier League
FW Aaron Schoenfeld, 90 (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
Italy
Lega Pro
CM Douglas Bentley, 96 (AlbinoLeffe)
Japan
J.2 League
GK Daniel Schmidt, 92 (Matsumoto Yamaga - on loan from Vegalta Sendai)
Mexico
Liga MX
GK Austin Guerrero, 89 (Puebla)
GK William Yarbrough, 89 (León)
CB Ventura Alvarado, 92 (América)
CB Omar Gonzalez, 88 (Pachuca)
CB Michael Orozco, 86 (Tijuana)
LB Jonathan Bornstein, 84 (Querétaro)
LB Edgar Castillo, 86 (Monterrey)
LB Greg Garza, 91 (Tijuana)
LB Jorge Villafaña, 89 (Santos Laguna)
LB John Requejo, Jr., 96 (Tijuana)
CM Joe Corona, 90 (Tijuana)
CM Alejandro Guido, 94 (Tijuana)
CM Jose Torres, 87 (Tigres)
CM Marco Vidal, 86 (Veracruz)
AM Paul Arriola, 95 (Tijuana)
AM Luis Gil, 93 (Querétaro)
AM Miguel Ibarra, 90 (León)
AM Benji Joya, 93 (Necaxa)
AM Luis Silva, 88 (Tigres)
AM Sebastian Saucedo, 97 (Veracruz, on loan from Real Salt Lake)
FW Amando Moreno, 95 (Tijuana)
Ascenso MX
LB Juan Pablo Ocegueda, 93 (Alebrijes de Oaxaca)
DF Cristian Cruz, 96 (Loros de Colima, on loan from Morelia)
AM Rodrigo Lopez, 87 (Celaya)
AM Jesus Vazquez, 94 (U de Guadalajara)
MF Emanuel Guzman, 86 (Venados)
FW Isaac Acuna, 89 (Celaya)
FW Joaquin Hernandez, 94 (Juárez)
FW Julio Morales, 93 (Coras de Tepic)
FW Bruno Piceno, 91 (Cafetaleros)
FW Esteban Rodriguez, 94 (Atlante)
FW Cesar Romero, 89 (Coras de Tepic)
FW Adrian Ruelas, 91 (Celaya)
Netherlands
Eredivisie
RB Desevio Payne, 95 (Groningen)
FW Rubio Rubin, 96 (Utrecht)
Norway
Tippeligaen
GK Ethan Horvath, 95 (Molde)
GK Alex Horwath, 87 (Brann)
CB Alex DeJohn, 91 (Start)
CB A.J. Soares, 88 (Viking)
CM Cole Grossman, 89 (Stabæk)
AM Josh Gatt, 91 (Molde)
FW Ben Spencer, 95 (Molde)
Poland
I Liga (second tier)
CB Hunter Gorskie, 91 (Miadź Legnica)
Portugal
Primeira Liga
AM Sergio Duarte, 93 (Nacional)
Scotland
Premier League
CM Perry Kitchen, 92 (Hearts)
League One
CM Kevin Dzierzawski, 91 (Peterhead)
Slovakia
Super Liga
AM Nermin Crnkić, 92 (Slovan Bratislava)
Spain
La Liga
CB Amro Tarek Abdel-Aziz, 92 (Real Betis)
Sweden
Allsvenskan
GK Matt Pyzdrowski, 86 (Helsingborg)
CB Brendan Hines-Ike, 94 (Örebro)
FW Andy Stadler, 88 (Östersunds)
Superettan
GK Josh Wicks, 83 (AFC United)
CB Patrick Hopkins, 87 (Sirius)
MF Paul Torres, 91 (Sirius)
FW Tristan Bowen, 91 (AFC United)
FW Ryan Finley, 91 (Ängelholm)
Uruguay
Primera Division
CM Agustin Viana, 83 (Danubio)
MF Fabian Bastidas, 93 (River Plate)
Free Agents / Out of Contract
GK Cody Cropper, 93 (MK Dons)
GK Aleks Gogic, 96 (Fleetwood Town)
GK Adam Hobbs, 93 (Optik Rathenow)
GK Chris Konopka, 85 (Ross County)
GK Quentin Westberg, 86 (Tours)
GK David Yelldell, 81 (Bayer Leverkusen)
RB Travis Brent, 92 (Almere City)
CB Ryan Malone, 92 (Magdeburg)
CB Shane O'Neill, 93 (Apollon Limassol)
CB Zak Whitbread, 84 (Shrewsbury Town)
CM Bryan Gaul, 89 (Bahlinger SC)
CM Emerson Hyndman, 96 (Fulham)
AM Eder Arreola, 91 (Shirak)
AM Duane Holmes, 94 (Huddersfield Town)
AM Moises Orozco, 92 (Ararat Yerevan)
AM Devann Yao, 90 (Berliner AK)
FW Danijal Brković, 91 (Olimpic Sarajevo)
FW Christian Chaney, 94 (Ararat Yerevan)
FW Bryan de la Fuente, 92 (Ararat Yerevan)
FW Robbie Kristo, 93 (Spezia)
FW Kyrian Nwabueza, 92 (Ararat Yerevan)
FW Charlie Rugg, 90 (Eintracht Trier)
FW Eugene Starikov, 88 (Chornomorets Odesa)
FW Matt Taylor, 81 (Saarbrücken)