The World Cup dream is over. Let the World Cup dream begin.
For those who wore the US men’s national team’s colors in Qatar, it might take a while for the metallic taste of that 3-1 Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands to fade. Time marches ever onward, however.
The annual January camp for predominantly domestic-based players is just a couple of weeks away. The Yanks return to Concacaf Nations League play in March, and there’s a Gold Cup title to defend in half a year or so, the first major signpost on the road to the North American World Cup in 2026. And of course, USMNTers based in Europe must soon resume the club grind – in fact, some already have.
The Scottish Premier League and England’s lower divisions resumed action before the World Cup ended. The English Premier League leaps right into its traditionally busy festive fixtures starting on Boxing Day (Monday), and some of its clubs already played midweek League Cup games. Italy’s Serie A resumes on Jan. 4, the Dutch Eredivisie on Jan. 6, while the German Bundesliga offers a longer break with matchday 16 set for the weekend of Jan. 20-22.
Many current USMNTers have substantial responsibilities awaiting them at club level. Others have something to prove, or are embarking on new adventures. Some may be headed to new destinations, possibly as soon as next month. Most will do so under the watchful gaze of national team staff, be it that of a renewed Gregg Berhalter tenure or those working under a new boss.
Wherever they are on their club journey, here are some of the meatiest talking points surrounding the US players in Europe as Qatar ‘22, for better or worse, recedes in the rearview mirror.
Christian Pulisic (F, Chelsea)
What’s next for Christian Pulisic? With a goal and two assists for Chelsea in 517 combined minutes (17 appearances) across EPL and UEFA Champions League action, the USMNT’s attacking linchpin has been reasonably effective yet still a peripheral figure amid ferocious competition for playing time along the Blues’ front line. He’s played 33% of CFC’s EPL minutes thus far this season and just 19% of their UCL minutes (and went the full 90 in an EFL Cup first-leg loss to Manchester City last month).
This explains why he’s been a near-constant topic of transfer gossip. The likes of Newcastle, Leeds United, Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and others are reputed to have sniffed around at one point or another. If a winter move isn’t on the cards, Pulisic will have to haul himself back into Graham Potter’s reckoning – as he’s done with so many other managers in his past.
Sputtering Chelsea languish in eighth place in the Prem, a whopping 16 points behind early leaders Arsenal 14 matches into the campaign – this after spending hundreds of millions of dollars over the past few windows. Starting with Bournemouth on Tuesday, they face a hectic run of nine domestic matches – including back-to-back meetings with Man City – before wading back into Champions League in mid-February.
Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson (M, Leeds United)
Will the Leeds United States experiment sustain? Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson headline the Yank-centric project being overseen by Jesse Marsch in Yorkshire. And as quickly as the USMNT duo have found their feet in the Premier League, Leeds still hover just outside the drop zone in 15th place. Marsch’s Whites must now tussle with Man City (on Wednesday) followed by Newcastle and West Ham in three rugged fixtures in their first seven days back at full bore.
Adams blossomed as the USMNT captain in Qatar, and now he’ll need to shoulder just as much responsibility for his club to steer LUFC clear of the agonizing relegation terror they narrowly survived back in the spring. While Aaronson has been impactful in flashes as Leeds’ central playmaker, more end product may be necessary to keep Marsch’s seat from warming up.
And might other Americans, or perhaps even an MLS export in the making like Philadelphia Union left back Kai Wagner, pull up at Elland Road in January?
Matt Turner (GK, Arsenal)
Can Matt Turner climb the Gunners’ pecking order? The New England Revolution alum thrived as the USMNT’s No. 1 at the World Cup and will now hope to anchor a deep Europa League run for Arsenal. He remains the clear backup to Aaron Ramsdale, though, and may ponder pastures new if that’s still the case when the summer transfer window arrives.
Weston McKennie (M, Juventus)
Juventus’ boardroom imploded while McKennie was balling in Qatar, seemingly raising the odds that the Turin side will reach a deal with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool or one of the several other supposed suitors for the all-action center mid. Priced at $31 million or thereabouts, the FC Dallas product might just relish a new challenge at this stage in his career. Should he stay with the Old Lady, all eyes will be on Juve’s Jan. 13 visit to Serie A leaders Napoli, their third game back from the World Cup break.
Antonee Robinson (D, Fulham)
Another World Cup standout, Jedi is said to have drawn the attention of Newcastle, Inter Milan and their in-city rivals AC Milan, who you may remember were poised to sign him from Wigan Athletic in 2020 only for an irregular heart rhythm – which apparently turned out to be nothing more than a sensitivity to caffeine – to scupper things at the 11th hour. It could require a tempting deal indeed to pry the left back away from Fulham, where he’s been a steady starter in a promising EPL campaign for the Cottagers, who’ll grind through seven matches in the next month.
Yunus Musah (M, Valencia)
Whither Yunus Musah? The World Cup made clubs across England aware of what LaLiga and USMNT watchers have known for quite some time: The 20-year-old box-to-box mid is something special. Valencia’s reported willingness to accept as little as $21 million in transfer loot has further elevated his desirability. Liverpool, Chelsea and his former club Arsenal are in the mix for what would be a huge move should it materialize.
Paxten Aaronson (M, Eintracht Frankfurt)
Paxten Aaronson is off to Germany this winter, joining Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth $4 million plus add-ons, including a "big" sell-on percentage, according to MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert.
The Philadelphia Union’s roster depth limited the younger Aaronson brother to a tad over 1,000 league minutes over the past two seasons, which makes it tricky to gauge the US youth international’s prospects for first-team minutes at the Bundesliga level anytime soon.
The 19-year-old homegrown is a legit attacking talent, though. Able to run, press, create and finish in multiple positions, his trajectory over the next year or two will be fascinating to watch. Could he really make a push for the first team? Or more likely, does he have a loan move or two in his future? Signs point to him being built up slowly.
Djordje Mihailovic (M, AZ Alkmaar)
At 24, Djordje Mihailovic is closer to a complete product as he moves from CF Montréal to AZ Alkmaar. The clever pocket winger is eager to make a quick impression in the Eredivisie and continue the strong push for a role with the USMNT he made this year; if not for a bitterly unlucky ankle injury suffered just before the June international window, he might well have wound up at the World Cup.
Gabriel Slonina (GK, Chelsea)
Another Chicago Fire FC product crosses the pond amid both great promise and hefty uncertainty: Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina, the wunderkind goalkeeper bound for Chelsea on a $10 million (plus incentives) transfer at the tender age of 18.
Will Gaga join the Blues’ infamous “loan army” scattered across Europe? Whether he lives on the training ground for a while or winds up in a situation that gets him games, his club outlook is likely to impact the USMNT’s GK outlook in the next cycle.
Didn’t make it onto the plane to Qatar for whatever reason? Or maybe things just didn’t go as well as you’d hoped once you got there? The next few weeks offer the first steps towards climbing back up the mountain.
Giovanni Reyna (M, Borussia Dortmund)
Gio Reyna had a … complicated World Cup, let’s say, and questions about his USMNT future still swirl in spite of his world-class talent. With his club Borussia Dortmund sitting a disappointing sixth in the BuLi table after an 8W-6L-1D start, it’s a good moment to gather himself and focus on staying fit and consistently productive for BVB. A rather enormous Champions League Round of 16 series vs. Pulisic’s Chelsea in mid-February provides a good mid-range signpost to aim at.
Ricardo Pepi (F, Groningen), Daryl Dike (F, West Brom) & Jordan Pefok (F, Union Berlin)
Strikers Ricardo Pepi, Daryl Dike and Jordan Pefok had to watch the World Cup from afar. That’s a tough pill to swallow yet also a potent source of motivation that for many athletes is enough to power three-plus years of grinding towards the next one. All three, especially those first two, are plenty young enough to stay in the mix and make a case for themselves in the months ahead.
Pepi is expected to finish out his season-long loan at FC Groningen and make a move away from Augsburg in the summer. Keeping up his steady scoring pace in the Netherlands in the meantime will make him an attractive target.
Dike made a smashing return to the pitch for West Bromwich Albion last week, scoring a goal and setting up another to pace a 2-1 comeback win over Sunderland from off the bench. Now he’s got to stay healthy, keep producing and keep the Baggies climbing up the English Championship table.
Before he can swoop back into the USMNT picture, Pefok has plenty to occupy him at club level. Union Berlin’s surprise Bundesliga title push cooled markedly before the World Cup break – and so did his own scoring form.
Prospective buyers for Union Berlin’s standout performers like Sheraldo Becker are circling as the January window looms, creating financial decisions that could be influenced by the extensive expansion of their Stadion An der Alten Försterei home on the horizon. The Iron Ones still have Europa League hopes, by the way, with Ajax awaiting in the knockout stages come February. It would be a good time for Pefok to get going again.
Chris Richards (D, Crystal Palace)
Back in Britain, defender Chris Richards needs to stay healthy if he is to climb the depth chart at Crystal Palace. His appearance in the Eagles’ final friendly of the World Cup break was encouraging. Perhaps he’ll be back in the gameday roster mix when CPFC host Jedi Robinson, Tim Ream and Fulham on Boxing Day.
Zack Steffen (GK, Middlesbrough)
Possibly the most shocking absence from Gregg Berhalter’s final World Cup roster, Zack Steffen is surely hungry to show he’s rebounding from that gut punch, and regular playing time at Middlesbrough provides the platform for that. Boro have gradually climbed into mid-table in the Championship and a Boxing Day visit from Wigan opens a stretch of five matches in under three weeks for them.
James Sands & Malik Tillman (M, Rangers)
And in Scotland, James Sands and Malik Tillman hope to help Rangers close the gap on Cameron Carter-Vickers’ Celtic at the top of the SPL standings. Celtic are currently nine points clear of their Glasgow rivals thanks to a dominant 16W-1L-0D start, and all three of the young USMNTers have opportunities to be protagonists in how the race unfolds.
