Doug McIntyre
Football Journalist
The major European transfer window closed on Friday, and there were no major moves involving the U.S. men’s national soccer team. After months of speculation, stars Weston McKennie and Joe Reyna remained at Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, respectively. However, several U.S. players switched teams on the transfer deadline day.
Here are five of the most important transfers for the U.S. national soccer team this summer.
Photo courtesy of Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
at: Nottingham Forest
to: Crystal Palace (loan)
Having been relegated to the third tier at Forest after less than a year in the starting line-up for the Premier League club, Turner desperately needed a chance to see the light of day. He got his chance on Friday in the form of a one-year loan move to Premier League side Palace.
The former Arsenal back-up will reunite with USMNT teammate Chris Richards at Selhurst Park, but with England international Dean Henderson set to become Oliver Glazer’s No. 1 goalkeeper, it is expected that he will struggle to secure playing time outside of cup games. That doesn’t bode well for Turner’s chances of securing a starting spot under new USA boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Grade: C
(Photo courtesy of Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
at: Sheffield United
Recipient: Celtic
The good news is that Trusty, who was a regular for the Blades last season after they were relegated to the English second tier, could feature in up to eight Champions League first-round fixtures with the Hoops, including crucial games against Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, and could be linked with U.S. national team veteran Cameron Carter-Vickers, a key member of Brendan Rodgers’ defence.
The bad news is that he will be playing against some of the worst opposition in the Scottish Premiership for the rest of the season, with Celtic’s Old Firm and Glasgow rivals Rangers being the exceptions.
Grade: C+
CM Tanner Tesman
Photo courtesy of Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)
Source: Venice
Destination: Lyon
Tessmann established himself as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Italy’s second tier last season, helping Venezia to promotion to Serie A – a move that has now attracted attention from clubs across Europe. Scudetto Owner Inter Milan. The deal never happened, and Lyon swapped the captain of their 2024 Olympic team last week. Tesman made his debut in Friday’s Ligue 1 win over Strasbourg. But after paying more than $6 million for the 22-year-old FC Dallas academy product and signing a five-year contract, it won’t be long before the first American player in club history joins Pierre Sage’s lineup as Lyon enters the UEFA Europa League this season.
Grade: B
CB Team Liam
(Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI/Getty Images)
at: Fulham
Recipient: Charlotte
Reem, who was the national team’s top centre-back at the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, left Craven Cottage earlier this month after nearly a decade at London-based Fulham, where he made more than 300 appearances – 84 of them in the Premier League. The one non-guaranteed starting spot for Reem in England is in North Carolina. The St. Louis University graduate played the full 90 minutes on his debut against the New York Red Bulls on August 24. It was the 36-year-old’s first professional club.
It remains to be seen whether he will be in the mix until the 2026 World Cup, but Pochettino has seen Reem play regularly in England and knows what he offers. This move would put the veteran in the USMNT mix for now.
Grade: B-
LB Caleb Wiley
(Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
From: Atlanta United
To: Chelsea (on loan to Strasbourg)
Given the buying team and the $11 million price tag, Wylie’s move from the Five Stripes to the 2021 UEFA Champions League winners was big news early in the transfer window. But there were fair questions about whether it was the right destination for the 19-year-old. The Blues have long had a habit of stockpiling prospects who never become regulars at Stamford Bridge, including American centre-back Matt Miazga nearly a decade ago.
But left-backs are always in demand, and Wylie is a legitimate prospect. He has made good strides in France, starting Strasbourg’s first two league games and coming on as a second-half substitute in Friday’s Ligue 1 defeat at Lyon (Wylie provided a fine assist). Perhaps that won’t hurt him in Pochettino’s eyes. The Argentine knows Ligue 1 intimately after spending 18 months at Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the 2021-22 title.
Grade: B
Doug McIntyre is a football reporter for FOX Sports. He was a staff writer for ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021. USA Men’s and women’s national teams in the FIFA World Cups across five continents. Follow him @By Doug McIntyre.
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