2024-09-17 04:05:02
The 2024–25 Champions League features a wealth of American talent, including ten USMNT players poised to make their mark in Europe’s top competition.
For so long, the elite U.S. men’s national team players competed in Major League Soccer and therefore never got a chance to show off their skills in Europe, let alone the Champions League. The current generation of superstars, though, is all growing its game overseas. The best of the best are eyeing the opportunity to shine for and against the most prestigious clubs in the world, especially with new USMNT boss, Mauricio Pochettino watching.
Let’s take a look at every USMNT player fighting for European glory in the UCL.
The USA captain, Christian Pulisic, headlines the long list of USMNT players competing in this year’s Champions League. The 25-year-old is coming off a record-breaking first season with AC Milan in which he recorded 15 goals across all competitions.
Pulisic already bagged two goals and two assists in Milan’s 2024–25 Serie A campaign and will look to translate his fine form to the Champions League, especially since he only managed to score once in Milan’s short UCL stint last year.
Yunus Musah will once again compete alongside his international captain. The midfielder’s strong performances for club and country over the last year, including his assist to secure Milan’s first point of the 2024–25 season, set the stage for the 21-year-old’s breakout campaign.
After a prolific start to his Dortmund career, Gio Reyna has fallen down the depth chart due to various injuries and an unsuccessful loan to Nottingham Forest. Under new manager, Nuri Şahin, though, the midfielder could find a resurgence and recapture the playmaking and goalscoring ability he displayed as a teenager, but first he must recover from another injury setback.
Expect Reyna to feature off the bench in the Champions League once he is healthy as BVB look to avenge its 2024 final loss to Real Madrid.
Cameron Carter-Vickers has everything to prove ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tim Ream’s starting spot on the Stars and Stripes’ backline will likely be up for grabs and Carter-Vickers could get the nod alongside Chris Richards should he continue to impress at Celtic.
Fully recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for chunks of last season, the 26-year-old is back at the heart of the Bhoys’ defense. He will need to be at his best if he wants to lead Celtic to its first knockout berth since 2013.
Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are two players desperate for a bounce back after their disappointing showings for the USMNT at Copa América 2024. Except, McKennie has only made one appearance for Juventus this season and Weah just returned from a hamstring injury.
McKennie has found Champions League success in the past for the Serie A club, most recently during Juventus’s 2022–23 UCL campaign when he bagged two goals. Weah, on the other hand, has never scored a Champions League goal for Juventus or otherwise.
Both Americans have a steep mountain to climb if they want to feature in Thiago Motta’s plans this season.
Folarin Balogun found decent success at Monaco last season, tallying eight goals and seven assists across all competitions despite inconsistent playing time. The striker had an even better year for the USMNT; Balogun became the undisputed No. 9 for the Stars and Stripes after netting two of the USA’s three goals at Copa América 2024.
The Monaco man must hold off Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright and Josh Sargent if he wants to retain his spot in the USMNT’s XI, though, and what better way to prove his worth to Pochettino than stepping up in the Champions League?
PSV has the most USMNT representation in the Champions League. Although Sergiño Dest will miss most, if not all, of the competition as he recovers from an ACL injury, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman could experience a breakout moment that will see them rise on the USA’s depth chart.
Pepi failed to impress at Copa América 2024 and Tillman did not even see the field, but both already have found the back of the net for PSV this season. Tillman, in particular, is an exciting American prospect to watch develop at PSV, especially after the USMNT’s midfield failed to contribute a single goal or assist this summer.
PSV will need the 22-year-old midfielder and the 21-year-old striker to deliver in the Champions League if they want to survive the new league phase that pitted them against Liverpool, PSG, Juventus and more.
