How U.S. National Team Members Have Performed Leading to the World Cup
After four years of pain, the United States men’s national team will be in attendance at the World Cup in Qatar this winter.
The Americans will enter the finals with some of Europe’s hottest talents, and with little more than five months to go until the first ball is kicked, we take a look at how the European-based Americans have fared ahead of this year’s tournament.
Tyler Adams (Leipzig, Germany)
Adams has moved to Leeds United in the Premier League after four seasons with RB Leipzig, but in reality, he was pretty ineffective this past campaign. Goal scoring has never been his forte, but he also didn’t quite live up to expectations in the recent season, which is why Leipzig let him go so easily.
Adams didn't score a goal and registered one assist throughout the season, and with eight yellow cards coming in too, it was also an ill-disciplined year.
Brenden Aaronson (RB Salzburg, Austria)
Sticking with a move to Leeds United, Brenden Aaronson joins his compatriot in the Premier League for next season. In contrast to Adams, Aaronson goes into the new season off of a fantastic campaign for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga.
The attacking midfielder netted six goals in all competitions and registered 10 assists. It was a fantastic season for Aaronson, and although playing in Austria is not quite as glamorous as the other top European leagues, the American was perhaps the most effective USMNT player in Europe this year.
Timothy Weah (Lille, France)
It was an underwhelming season for Weah and Lille. The French side failed to defend the Ligue 1 title and finished 10th. What's more, Weah also scored two goals fewer than he did last season, with the American netting just three times from 35 games.
Unfortunately, it was a pretty average season after taking over France in 2020/21.
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, England)
It’s been a topsy-turvy time for Pulisic since his move to Chelsea in 2018. The Pennsylvania native has won a Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup with the Blues, but after only 22 Premier League appearances in the 38 scheduled games this season, there isn't that much to say about Pulisic's recent campaign.
The attacker scored six times in 22 league games, and he fails to find himself starting on the Chelsea team each week and continues to settle for a sporadic role. In truth, it wasn’t a bad season, he simply just isn’t playing enough these days.
Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy)
It was only a few years ago that McKennie was labeled as a future USMNT hero, but once again, he struggled to make an impact at club leveI. McKennie did register his second-highest scoring season in professional soccer, however, with four goals from 29 appearances.
On the other hand, he started a handful of games for Juventus, and in truth, if he wants to get regular game time ahead of the World Cup, he might have to consider leaving the Italian side.
Yunas Musah (Valencia, Spain)
It was a tough season for Musah and Valencia. The Spanish team finished ninth in La Liga, and although he played in 29 league games, he started only a few of them. Musah did still register three goals in all competitions, including two in seven games in the Copa del Rey.
In truth, it was a pretty average season.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic, Scotland)
The England-born Carter-Vickers has been representing the United States since 2014 and after a fantastic season with Celtic in Scotland, he's perhaps had the best season of any USMNT player in Europe.
The defender managed to register an impressive four goals in 33 league appearances for the Hoops on course to winning back the Scottish Premiership, as he was also included in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.
Antonee Robinson (Fulham, England)
Robinson had one of the most impressive seasons of all Americans on this list as he was part of the record-breaking Fulham team that smashed through everybody in its Championship title triumph. The 24-year-old played 36 of the 46 scheduled Championship games for the Cottagers, bringing in two goals and four assists in a great season for him.
With Fulham now back in the Premier League, however, there’s a chance his game time significantly decreases. Nevertheless, he can be happy with his 2021/22 campaign.
Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach, Germany)
Scally is another American youngster making waves in Europe and he missed just four of the scheduled 34 games in the Bundesliga for Borussia Mönchengladbach. On the other hand, despite playing the majority of the games, Gladbach was dreadful as it finished 10th in the league in what was one of its worst campaigns in history.
From a personal standpoint, Scally earned his first two USMNT caps this season, with him also registering his first goal in professional soccer along with two assists. Overall, it was a positive season for him in the midst of a terrible 2021/22 for Gladbach.
Sergiño Dest (Barcelona, Spain)
Although he played a lot less this season than the previous campaign because of new signings at Barcelona, Dest still got 31 appearances under his belt with the Spanish giants.
It was also a topsy-turvy campaign for Barcelona, as it spent much of the season outside of the top three. Barcelona did vastly improve as the season went on, and with only 38 goals conceded, it's fair to say Dest played his part in doing a solid job in defense.
Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund, Germany)
At 19 years old, Reyna is one of the hottest prospects on the European scene and he remains an integral part in the future of the USMNT. Reyna, however, did have his season plagued by injury, and he was ruled out for many months back in April.
He did become the youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances in history this season, but in total, he played just 13 times because of injuries and scored only two goals along the way.
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