American Invasion!

The presence of young American soccer players in Europe bodes well for the US national team

by Brendan Smith, Sports O’Clock Writing Team Member

Christian Pulisic of Chelsea (photo credits: Sports Illustrated)

Never before have we seen a talent pool of American soccer players in Europe quite like what exists today. Within the Big 5 European leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1), Americans are making headlines and gaining influential roles with some of the biggest clubs in the world. Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKennie are now household names in Europe, while Sergino Dest, Josh Sargent, and Timothy Weah are up and coming players who could reach superstar levels in the coming years.

The influence of American players in Europe is critical to the success of the United States Men’s National Team. For nearly all of its history, the USMNT has been known for its physicality, work rate, and tactical awareness rather than skill and ability. On the international stage, those attributes can only get you so far, which explains the USMNT’s shortcomings at major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup. However, with the number of skillful players entering the national team picture, the USMT could see a rise in fortunes in subsequent tournaments.

It also cannot be understated how crucial some of the young American players are to their respective clubs. Pulisic has become a vital piece for Chelsea of the Premier League after initially struggling to fit into manager Frank Lampard’s plans. Reyna has also become crucial to the fortunes of Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga and is part of an exciting young trio that also includes Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho. Adams and Dest are regular starters for RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona, respectively, while McKennie is getting an opportunity to earn a consistent starting role with Juventus in the Serie A.

USMNT manager Greg Berhalter has to be pleased with what he is seeing from his young core of players. Not only are they getting significant playing time in Europe’s best leagues, but they are proving that the United States possesses talented players that can be viewed in the same lens as the biggest stars in Europe. That combination of skill and experience will only help the USMNT as they head into qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

(All photos are cited properly. No copyright infringement intended.)