The Rise of American Players in Europe: Weekly Analysis
The first few weeks of the European club season have shown promising starts for several players. Josh Sargent of Norwich City continues to demonstrate his goal-scoring ability, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace achieved an impressive goalless victory in their visit to Chelsea. In addition, Sergiño Dest continues to show a high level with PSV Eindhoven.
The most outstanding performances of the weekend came from players like Christian Pulisic and Johnny Cardoso, who have been the subject of attention, not always positive.
Throughout the season, Alofoke Deportes will closely follow the progress of the players on the United States men’s national team, providing information on those whose form or physical condition make them particularly interesting. We present the “Countdown to the World Cup” of the USMNT.
The countdown to the United States World Cup is already underway. 295 days remain.
Christian Pulisic: Back in Action
Position: Forward |
Club: AC Milan
Minutes in 2025-26: 66
FotMob Rating 2025-26: 8.6
Pulisic, after a summer full of challenges, including the decision not to participate in the Gold Cup and some criticism, finally focuses on his performance. After recovering from an ankle injury, Pulisic shone for his club, scoring Milan’s second goal in the 2-0 victory over Bari in the Coppa Italia.
His 66-minute performance reiterates a truth about Pulisic: if he plays well, he will be praised; if not, he will be criticized. With the World Cup only 10 months away, the attention on Pulisic and his game will only increase. His start to the season is, however, encouraging.
Johnny Cardoso: Essential at Atlético
Position: Midfielder |
Club: Atlético Madrid
Minutes in 2025-26: 45
FotMob Rating 2025-26: 6.7
The question of why Cardoso doesn’t replicate his form at the club internationally has been recurrent. His debut with Atlético on Sunday generated another question: Why was he substituted at halftime by coach Diego Simeone?
The decision is even more disconcerting given his performance. He completed 87.5% of his passes and won 71.4% of his duels. Atlético was winning 1-0 when he left, losing the match 3-2. Simeone praised Cardoso and acknowledged that he needed to re-evaluate his decisions.
“I think I learned a lesson. I will take something from that. There is a lesson for me.”
Diego Simeone
Since Cardoso received praise, it’s a good start that bodes well for continued playing time on a very competitive team. Now the challenge for the coach is to find a way to get the best out of Cardoso when he puts on another jersey.
Weston McKennie: Future at Juventus?
Position: Midfielder |
Club: Juventus
Minutes in 2025-26: 0
FotMob Rating 2025-26: 0.0
Preseason can always be misleading. However, in McKennie’s case, the annual question is, how important will his role be at Juventus this season?
Last season, McKennie had a consistent presence, with a total of 48 appearances between league and cup. But if the last three friendlies are anything to go by, the American midfielder will struggle to repeat that level of activity.
As the start of Serie A against Genoa approaches this weekend, and with coach Igor Tudor opting for a 3-4-3 formation, McKennie’s playing time has steadily decreased, entering last weekend’s friendly against Atalanta in the second half’s added time. There are also reports that he could be on his way to AS Roma.
If McKennie remains at Juventus as a squad player, the team’s presence in the UEFA Champions League could result in a lot of player rotation, but it’s a less-than-ideal scenario for McKennie and the USMNT.
Middlesbrough, Aidan Morris has impressed in the first weeks of the season.
The Ideal XI: Who would be starters if the World Cup started today?
Each week, Alofoke Deportes will try to predict the starting lineup based on form and physical condition, excluding injured players.
Even with Dest’s return, a competition is brewing for the remaining full-back positions. Antonee Robinson, when healthy, is the starter at left-back, but has not yet been called up in recent weeks for Fulham, as he continues to recover from knee surgery. A possible option on the left side, Caleb Wiley of Watford, is in a similar situation with a back injury.
Both players are expected to return to the field soon, but in the meantime, there are many options for Pochettino in an attempt to fill the void. Joe Scally has played on both flanks for both club and country, and has been a constant presence in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s defense, making more than 30 appearances in each of the last four seasons. However, Pochettino has shown a clear preference for full-backs who can contribute to the attack, while Scally’s strengths lie more on the defensive end of the field. Last season, in 32 league appearances, he had no goals or assists, and only created 11 chances.
That has led Pochettino to consider other options. Max Arfsten of the Columbus Crew and Alex Freeman of Orlando City SC played the majority of the available minutes at full-back during the Gold Cup. Arfsten showed some vulnerabilities in his defense, but improved as the tournament progressed and contributed a goal in the quarter-final victory against Costa Rica. John Tolkin of Holstein Kiel also had time in the Gold Cup, and started the club’s season in a dream way, scoring Kiel’s first goal in the 2-0 victory over Homburg in the DFB-Pokal. The sequence showed Tolkin’s passing, mobility and finishing ability. His advantage in defense means he enters this week’s XI.
That is not, by any means, the extent of Pochettino’s options regarding the full-backs. Tim Weah’s debut with Marseille last weekend was as a full-back, and Yunus Musah’s first days with Milan’s new coach, Massimiliano Allegri, have seen him play in a similar role. Weah has shown flexibility in the past at club level in terms of playing on either wing, although for the USMNT, his value lies higher up the field given his ability to stretch and outpace defenses. The September window should reveal a lot.
USMNT Big Board 1.0 Update
Alofoke Deportes’ USMNT Big Board 1.0 was launched earlier this month, and each Big Board will provide the basis for weekly player updates. Below are the minutes and ratings of the players for each of those 35 players.
Matt Turner, goalkeeper, New England Revolution: 180 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.
Matt Freese, goalkeeper, New York City FC: 2,250 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.
Zack Steffen, goalkeeper, Colorado Rapids: 1,800 minutes in 2025; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025.
Turner could be the chosen one in the in-form XI, but Steffen is doing everything he can to push for more consideration from Pochettino. Steffen’s goals-prevented mark of 6.33 is the third-highest in MLS, showing a level of consistency that was absent last season. The big challenge for Steffen is simply to stay healthy. If he does, he should have the opportunity to fight for the starting position in goal.
Patrick Schulte, goalkeeper, Columbus Crew: 1,980 minutes in 2025; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025.
Chris Richards, center-back, Crystal Palace: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Tim Ream, central defender, Charlotte FC: 1,802 minutes in 2025; 6.6 FotMob rating in 2025.
Mark McKenzie, center-back, Toulouse: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
McKenzie remains the leading contender to push for Ream’s spot in the center of the USMNT defense, and he offered a composed performance in Toulouse’s 1-0 season-opening victory over Nice, completing 93% of his passes and winning 67% of his duels. Consistency with the USMNT has been an issue, but he has gotten off to a good start with his club.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, central defender, Celtic: 180 minutes in 2025-26; 7.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Miles Robinson, center-back, FC Cincinnati: 2,258 minutes in 2025; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025.
Auston Trusty, central defender, Celtic: 138 minutes in 2025-26; 6.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Sergiño Dest, full-back, PSV Eindhoven: 262 minutes in 2025-26; 8.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Antonee Robinson, fullback, Fulham: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Joe Scally, full-back, Borussia Mönchengladbach: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Caleb Wiley, full-back, Watford: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Max Arfsten, fullback, Columbus Crew: 2,240 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.
Alex Freeman, fullback, Orlando City SC: 2,320 minutes in 2025; 7.5 FotMob rating in 2025.
Tyler Adams, midfielder, AFC Bournemouth: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 6.2 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Weston McKennie, midfielder, Juventus: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Johnny Cardoso, midfielder, Atlético Madrid: 45 minutes in 2025-26; 6.7 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Luca de la Torre, midfielder, San Diego FC: 1,995 minutes in 2025; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025.
Tanner Tessmann, midfielder, Lyon: 90 minutes in 2025-26; 7.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Yunus Musah, midfielder, AC Milan: 24 minutes in 2025-26; 6.8 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Sebastian Berhalter, midfielder, Vancouver Whitecaps: 2,470 minutes in 2025; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025.
Christian Pulisic, forward, AC Milan: 66 minutes in 2025-26; 8.6 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Tim Weah, forward, Marseille: 45 minutes in 2025-26; 6.9 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Malik Tillman, forward, Bayer Leverkusen: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Diego Luna, forward, Real Salt Lake: 2,005 minutes in 2025; 7.2 FotMob rating in 2025.
Luna missed last weekend’s 1-0 loss to Charlotte because he was suspended due to a red card he received against the New York Red Bulls. Luna now has seven yellow cards and two ejections this season. Obviously, he is getting more attention from opponents, but he will also need to find a way to maintain composure and the edge with which he plays. It’s not easy at all, but it’s a trait he’ll need to refine.
Alejandro Zendejas, forward, América: 380 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Zendejas seems to be cooling off a bit… or not? During the two tournaments that comprised the 2024-25 Liga MX season, Zendejas had 11 goals from 7.07 xG in 40 matches. So far this season, Zendejas has one goal from 1.36 xG in five matches. So, his goals/match are down, but his xG/match is up. It’s still early, but if Zendejas continues to get chances, his goals should take shape.
Giovanni Reyna, attacker, Borussia Dortmund: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Folarin Balogun, forward, AS Monaco: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Ricardo Pepi, forward, PSV Eindhoven: 28 minutes in 2025-26; 6.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Josh Sargent, forward, Norwich City: 227 minutes in 2025-26; 7.4 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Patrick Agyemang, forward, Derby County: 0 minutes in 2025-26; 0.0 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Haji Wright, forward, Coventry City: 176 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
Damion Downs, forward, Southampton: 93 minutes in 2025-26; 7.1 FotMob rating in 2025-26.
