Of the players who stayed with their clubs, who will have the best season?
Sergiño Dest at PSV. The full-back has not only healed from the ACL injury that cut short his last campaign, but is off to a torrid start to the new Dutch season, with a pair of goals from the back-to-back champions’ first three games. It’s early, sure, but the 24-year-old is rested, confident and on a club where he doesn’t have to do much defending during domestic games. Dest looks entirely capable of turning in another standout season like he did in 2019-20. That prompted Barcelona to buy him from Ajax to form their right flank with Lionel Messi. LS
Christian Pulisic at Milan. Something lost in all the noise about Pulisic opting to skip the Gold Cup is that ultimately, the reason it matters so much is that Pulisic is a very good player. While it looks for now like Milan are headed for a rocky season, it probably won’t be because of Pulisic performing poorly – he was among the squad’s best players last year and will be asked to do even more this time around. Being ‘the man’ at Milan will be good for Pulisic – whether or not the summer rest was wise internationally. JA
Josh Sargent at Norwich City. Fans fretting over a strange summer – or present v past-player kerfuffles – can take solace in knowing there are several solid answers to this question. Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards all had great seasons in 2024-25, and all seem poised to carry forward that form. In the Championship, Haji Wright is already scoring doubles for Coventry. But I think his fellow Championship striker, Sargent, may be the player to have the best season after remaining with Norwich despite opportunities elsewhere. The 25-year-old has three goals in three games already, and shows no signs of letting up. The key is staying healthy – Sargent has had great runs of form in the past, and they’ve often been interrupted by injuries. MS
Which offseason USMNT transfer has the best chance of working out?
Gio Reyna to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Reyna tops the things-can-only-get-better-from-here power rankings, seeing as how he had utterly disappeared at Borussia Dortmund, the club that reared him from his teenage years. The younger Reyna probably retains more talent in his left pinky toe than almost any American to ever play. But it’s been an awfully long time since we’ve seen it. Any club that believes in him enough to stump up a transfer fee, with his stock at rock bottom, is likely to give him a good amount of playing time. That alone is worth the move. LS
Tim Weah to Olympique Marseille. A move he wanted and a move he got will see Weah prepare well for the World Cup, taking on responsibility at a club where there always is pressure from fans. An early-season locker room lucha libre has OM in the headlines, but that whole situation could actually clear the way for Weah to be even more indispensable for Roberto De Zerbi. With a spot in the USMNT starting XI seemingly up for grabs, Weah could grasp it firmly with great showings in Ligue 1, where he’s already familiar with the style after starting his pro career with PSG. JA
Johnny Cardoso to Atlético Madrid. Similar to Sargent, the USMNT transfer potentially poised for best success is a player that’s yet to fully translate his club form to the national team. The 23-year-old New Jersey-born midfielder moved from Real Betis to Atlético Madrid over the summer. He could have a season under Diego Simeone that would be too impactful for Mauricio Pochettino (who was there in person for Cardoso’s debut) to ignore. MS
Which offseason USMNT transfer has the worst chance of working out?
Tim Weah to Olympique Marseille. The winger evidently inherited Weston McKennie’s penchant for being pushed out of Juventus. Except that he was willing to go. After reportedly nixing a move to Nottingham Forest – probably a good call, considering the turmoil at the club – Weah landed in Marseille. If the idea was to find some consistent playing time in a World Cup year, he will attempt to do so at a club that is perpetually in chaos. As usual, OM have signed a raft of new players – many of them attackers. It isn’t hard to see this going sideways for Weah, who has taken a big gamble. LS
Gio Reyna to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Everyone in American soccer should be rooting for Reyna’s move to work out. He needed to go somewhere, with the path to minutes not open at Borussia Dortmund. Yet, it has been years since Reyna played consistently, and it’s not immediately clear if he’ll be doing that a quick trip down the road from Dortmund. The move is a better fit than his loan to Nottingham Forest, but we’re still in “see it to believe it” mode with Reyna after he started just five games last season. JA
The good news is that nobody’s transfer fills me with dread. That said, the success of multiple moves remains uncertain, especially those of Reyna and Weah (hence their presence on both sides of this question). There’s nothing too dire right now, but the future is unclear. MS
Which under-the-radar USMNT player abroad should people be watching?
Johnny Cardoso at Atlético Madrid. It’s tricky to make the case that the only US national teamer to ever play for Atlético Madrid is “under the radar.” But after a totally forgettable summer during which his Gold Cup campaign with the US was ruined by injury and a comical giveaway that gifted Turkey a goal in a friendly, it feels like a lot of people will have written Cardoso off. Yet there is a reason one of Europe’s biggest clubs was steadfast in wanting him in the Spanish capital this season and made him their second-most expensive signing in a summer spending spree. Even if it’s sometimes hard to figure out where Cardoso would fit into the America midfield, he’s worth another look. LS
Taylor Booth at FC Twente. There was a time not that long ago when an American starting every week for a decent Dutch team would have drawn a considerable amount of attention on certain message boards and corners of social media. Now, the shifty Booth seems to coast under the radar, with Americans at even bigger clubs in the Netherlands and abroad drawing the attention. After an injury and inconsistencies slowed his progression, the 24-year-old is not in the picture for the 2026 World Cup squad. If he continues to grow at Twente however, the Bayern Munich academy product could play a role post-2026. JA
Aidan Morris at Middlesbrough. The former Columbus Crew homegrown is putting in work with Middlesbrough in the Championship. The USMNT midfield talent pool is dense, though, with the 23-year-old has making just eight appearances for the USMNT since 2023 and none since 2024. But Morris is worth a watch and his stock could rise in the future. MS
Who, if anyone, is most likely to move to MLS in one of the next two windows?
Weston McKennie. The FC Dallas academy player spent part of his childhood in Germany and is clearly comfortable getting dropped into new environments. But he also seems to openly pine for home more than any other American abroad. When he isn’t devastating his Juventus teammates with his shocking food takes, or upsetting the other locals, McKennie muses about opening a Chick-fil-A, Chili’s or Wing Stop in Italy. He has his agent bring him ranch dressing from the US whenever he visits. If some MLS team throws him an enormous contract, in the style of Clint Dempsey or Michael Bradley before the 2014 World Cup, it isn’t hard to see McKennie returning stateside. LS
Bryan Reynolds. The FC Dallas product wants out from Westerlo, and had the rumored move to FC Cincinnati come off, it would’ve put him in a much better place to make a late charge for Pochettino’s 2026 squad than if he sticks in Belgium – or even if he moves elsewhere in Europe, where he’ll need to fight an established player for minutes. This winter will provide another chance for Reynolds to try to contend with the other right-back depth options. JA
Gaga Slonina. The 21-year-old goalkeeper has – through injury, form, and mixed results as part of the Chelsea loan army – yet to find his footing overseas. It’s possible he may stay abroad a bit longer – it must be emphasized that, at the age of 21, he’s still very young for a goalkeeper. But he’ll need to return home eventually if things don’t change. MS
