The surge of American players breaking into the European game is at its’ peak. The likes of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Brad Friedel set a trend and made it noticeable. Christian Pulisic was then the man to usher in next USMNT wave and having won the Champions League with Chelsea last season, there is clearly much more to come. Under Gregg Berhalter, the USMNT were victorious this summer in Nations League and the Gold Cup. Here are some of the many American players on the move in and to Europe!
Owen Otasowie to Club Brugge
Starting in Belgium with Club Brugge, a team who are very aware of the talent available across the pond. They are reportedly oh so close to acquiring the very talented Tajon Buchanan from the Revs but the Canadian is not the man in question. Young defender come defensive midfielder Owen Otasowie has been loaned in from Wolves where he got just a handful of opportunities to succeed. He is a physical presence who works well with the ball at his feet and it won’t be long until he adds to his solitary USMNT cap. When given the chance to play regular football, the New Yorker’s confidence will soar and he is in a good league to do just that.
Chris Mueller to Hibernian
Next to a man making the move from MLS and it was a superb season for Chris Mueller with Orlando City last season. They’ve never really had a lethal striker under Oscar Pareja but Mueller and Nani did enough going forward to comfortably secure them a place in the playoffs. Daryl Dike has returned to Florida following a superb loan spell at Barnsley in the Championship and so he’ll surely be on the move soon, but for now, Mueller is under the spotlight. He will arrive in Scotland to play for Hibernian in January so will be able to see this current campaign out, but with the transfer on the horizon, he’s been no more than a bit-part player in recent months.
Josh Sargent to Norwich
One of the highest profile USMNT players on the move this window is striker Josh Sargent. At the time of writing, he’s on a brace in a Carabao Cup game for Norwich against Bournemouth but he’ll have a tough time on his hands. The Canaries are exciting under Daniel Farke but they are backed by many to go straight back down to the second tier. Sargent was playing for a poor Werder Bremen side that were unable to survive last season and he walks into a similar scenario at Carrow Road. A fee just short of £10 million will mean that onlookers will expect Sargent to score the goals along with Teemu Pukki but at 21, it may be too large a task.
Ethan Horvath to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest must have been watching closely as Daryl Dike teared up several Championship defences, bringing in their only USMNT player. Ethan Horvath wasn’t really in the conversation to start in goal for Gregg Berhalter until his heroics off of the bench in the Nations League final. The spotlight has intensified on him though and he has been loaned in by Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest. He is a great keeper and goes straight in as one of the best in the league. Weirdly though, another of those in that question is Brice Samba, the current number one at the City ground. It is a great addition but why he hasn’t gone somewhere where he’ll be a nailed on starter is an odd one, especially given that Steffen doesn’t get minutes with Man City.
Matthew Olosunde to Preston
Sticking in the Championship and whilst Matthew Olosunde hasn’t run out for the USMNT since 2018, he is still a very talented player. He graduated from the Manchester United academy following his time as a youngster with the Red Bulls. Rotherham is where he made his breakthrough and he featured there prominently over the last couple of seasons. They were a side who were on the verge of relegation and that is what happened last season, yet Olosunde remains in the second tier. Preston is the destination and if Olosunde can establish himself at Deepdale, then his new team will get better right there and then.
Caden Clark to RB Leipzig
A number of the names on this list were already playing in Europe, but Caden Clark is one of the highest rated players coming out of MLS. At just seventeen, he was the cornerstone of the Red Bulls’ attack, scoring some sensational goals. Now at 18, he has moved up the Red Bull food chain to play for Bundesliga side Leipzig. Clark won’t be only the USMNT influence there either. Dynamic midfielder Tyler Adams has risen to becoming an integral part of their side whilst Jesse Marsch has replaced Julian Nagelsmann as manager. Clark will, like Mueller, join his new club at the end of this MLS season and he will surely bring the magic.
Sam Vines to Royal Antwerp
One of the more recent transfers of a USMNT player is Sam Vines departing Colorado. The Rapids left-back was in the successful Gold Cup squad along with Atlanta United’s George Bello. There are a number of players under Robin Fraser who could easily earn themselves a transfer to Europe. Cole Bassett for example has been heavily linked to Benfica recently and Vines is on the way out too. Like with the players joining Club Brugge, Vines is Belgium bound in the form of Royal Antwerp.
Gianluca Busio to Venezia
Another of Vines’ Gold Cup teammates have secured themselves a move away from MLS. Gianluca Busio looked out of his depth at times for Berhalter’s USMNT but that doesn’t negate the sensational work he has put in for Peter Vermes’ SKC. He has proven that he can play a number of positions even at his young age and a move to Serie A is a fascinating one for sure. He joins newly promoted Venezia along with a fellow American this summer and whilst they may be up against relegation, who knows what could happen.
Tanner Tessmann to Venezia
The other man in question is Tanner Tessmann. Tessmann out of Birmingham, Alabama lacks the USMNT experience of Busio but the pair are both only nineteen and so to even be capped is impressive. There aren’t many teams in MLS more famed for their academy graduates than FC Dallas and Tessmann is one off a long line. Reggie Cannon to Boavista and Bryan Reynolds to Roma both departed for millions and with the likes of Paxton Pomykal, Ricardo Pepi and Jesus Ferreira still at the club, the money won’t stop coming in. Tessmann is a dominant midfielder and it will be worth seeing if he can transfer that over in Italy.
Theoson Siebatcheu to Young Boys
Finally to Switzerland then and it is a returning player. Theoson Siebatcheu was on loan with Young Boys last season from French side Rennes and that stay has been made permanent. The striker scored twelve times last season and he has already netted twice in three games this time around. 2021 has been a great year for Siebatcheu, the France U21 international, he made his first of six USMNT appearances this year after all. On top of that, his success for a Champions League club means that he’ll be an important attacking option for Gregg Berhalter going forward.
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