Stock Up, Stock Down for USMNT Stars Playing in Europe
While the United States men's national team hasn't played a game that matters in what feels like forever, a generation of young talent is thriving at clubs in Europe.
Earlier this week, three U.S. internationals—Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest and Weston McKennie—started on the same matchday in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the first time ever, according to Paul Carr. Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen could join that trio next week. Four Americans saw minutes in the Europa League round of 32 as well.
American head coach Gregg Berhalter has plenty of performances to evaluate. Each week, we'll try to help, tracking the footballers who are trending up and who are struggling. Welcome to the first edition of USMNT Stock Watch.
Let's do this.
Tyler Adams: Midfielder/Wing Back, RB Leipzig
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Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig)
Stock: Up
Games: 26 minutes in 2-1 W against Augsburg (Bundesliga); 90 minutes in 2-0 L against Liverpool (Champions League)
While the German side fell to a flailing Liverpool 2-0, Adams couldn't be faulted for either goal. He lined up at right wing back where he's spent the majority of his time this year in Julian Nagelsmann's formation. The New Yorker, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Sunday, put in a typical workmanlike shift, ran hard, won two tackles, and earned his team's second-highest rating, according to WhoScored.com.
If there's a concern for the American fanbase, it's that Adams doesn't play for club where he'll presumably line up for country (central midfield). But Adams is starting at the 12th-best club in the world, according to FiveThirtyEight's Global Club Soccer Rankings, which is always a plus for the American squad. Additionally, Adams' role at RB Leipzig requires him to be creative and forward-thinking when he's on the ball.
At the death, Adams hit a beautiful through ball to Hee-chan Hwang that the South Korean failed to convert. Adams can't do everything.
Sergino Dest: Full Back, FC Barcelona
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Stock: Down
Games: 18 minutes in 5-1 W against Deportivo Alaves (La Liga); 71 minutes in 4-1 L against Paris Saint-Germain (Champions League)
Dest, 20 years old and 18 months removed from his first-team debut with Ajax, has cemented himself as a starter at one of the world's largest and most important clubs. If the U.S. needed to win a game tomorrow, Berhalter would start Dest at right back, then clone him because he's the best left back in the pool, too. If Dest were a stock, he'd be Tesla except with actual solid fundamentals.
But damn, how do you say "roasted by Kylian Mbappe" in Catalan?
Ousmane Dembele didn't help matters when he decided to not track back on Mbappe's first goal, but Dest was partially culpable on the Frenchman's second. He kept Alessandro Florenzi onside and then ball watched as Mbappe hammered home a deflected cross to make it 2-1. He played matador defense a minute later as the Frenchman nearly found a third. (Mbappe's hat trick finisher came after Ronald Koeman mercifully subbed off Dest in the 71st minute.)
Look, there's no shame in getting beaten by perhaps the world's most dynamic attacker. To do so, one must have earned the right to be on the field in the first place, after all. Dest will continue to build his dream. Tuesday, though, was a bit of a nightmare.
Weston McKennie: Midfielder, Juventus
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Stock: Up
Games: 27 minutes in 1-0 L against Napoli (Serie A); 63 minutes in 2-1 L against FC Porto (Champions League)
We've been on the McKennie hype train for years now, but it's only this season under the tutelage of beautifully-coiffed manager Andrea Pirlo that he has blossomed from a guy who makes the easy stuff look hard and the hard stuff look easy into a player who can command a game. The upgrade in teammate talent when moving from Bundesliga relegation threat Schalke to Italian powerhouse Juventus might play a role in that improvement.
McKennie isn't a finished product, and his form has slipped slightly in February following an exceptional start to the campaign that included four goals in all competitions through December and January. But you can see his game growing as he learns how good he can be. He's getting into the box with his trademark late runs, developing a potent partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, and generally leaving a creative and cultured stamp on games where he previously rushed around.
A young guy, yes, but maturing nicely, like a fine Italian wine.
Giovanni Reyna: Midfielder, Borussia Dortmund
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Stock: Down
Games: 59 minutes in 2-2 D against Hoffenheim (Bundesliga)
The young American didn't figure in Dortmund's come-from-behind win against Sevilla in the Champions League, watching the proceedings from the bench. He did start over the weekend against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga but came off for Marco Reus in the 59th minute after a middling showing of one key pass, one dribble, two crosses, and just 33 touches.
After an impactful and electric start to his career, Reyna has hit some turbulence at Dortmund, a team that's struggling despite the Champions League win. He's an 18-year-old with more than 1,700 minutes combined in the Bundesliga and Champions League; he's also a teenager looking to find himself. He only has one assist in the Champions League and hasn't scored or helped provide a goal in the Bundesliga since December.
Two upcoming matches against league minnows Schalke and Arminia Bielefeld will give him a chance to show off if he can get on the field.
Lightning Round, Europa League Edition
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Tim Weah (Lille)
Stock: Up
Games: 29 minutes in 0-0 D against Brest (Ligue 1); 90 minutes in 2-1 L against Ajax (Europa League)
In the 72nd minute, Weah raced onto a poor backpass from Ajax left back Nico Tagliafico and nutmegged goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg to tally the game's opening goal. It was Weah at his best: opportunistic, creative and healthy.
Chris Richards (Hoffenheim)
Games: 90 minutes in 3-3 draw against Molde (Europa League)
The defender continues to get his bearings after joining on loan from Bayern Munich, starting in the Europa League and earning a hockey assist on Hoffenheim's third goal. He needs to grow stronger in the air, though, losing a duel led directly to Molde's first goal, and he looked tentative and confused as Hoffenheim collapsed in the second half.
Jordan Siebatcheu (Young Boys)
Stock: Up
Games: 23 minutes in 3-1 W against FC Lugano (Swiss Super League); 90 minutes in a 4-3 W against Leverkusen (Europa League)
The Washington, D.C.-born forward is still on fire, notching his ninth and 10th goals in all competitions since mid-December. He's never played for the U.S. and reportedly declined a call up in 2018, but there's an open opportunity at the top of the formation, and perhaps the Young Boys attacker would say yes now.
Brenden Aaronson (FC Red Bull Salzberg)
Stock: Up
Games: 21 minutes in 3-1 W against Swarovski Tirol (Austrian Bundesliga); 61 minutes in 2-0 L against Villarreal (Europa League)
The former Philadelphia Union midfielder moved to Austria and made himself an integral part of Jesse Marsch's plans, already playing in the team's most important fixtures. He brings some sauce to the pitch—check out this elegant meg—and some industrious ground covering as well. Next step? Putting it all together.
Bryan Reynolds (Roma)
Stock: Holding
Games: DNP
After a long transfer saga, Reynolds finally arrived in Rome. He's going through the motions now and a debut should be forthcoming soon.
Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge)
Stock: Down
Games: DNP
The netminder lost his spot at Club Brugge to 32-year-old Belgian Simon Mignolet. That's, uh, not great.
Stats obtained from WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted
