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Happy New Year, Stars and Stripes community! We’re back and we have a ton of topics to discuss with the winter transfer window now open. Lots of Americans are on the move and have tough roads ahead. This is what’s happening:
Christian Pulisic - Attacking Midfielder, Chelsea FC (On Loan at Borussia Dortmund)
Pulisic is heading to the English Premier League for a massive 73 million dollars. The 20-year-old will finish the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund before joining the London club this summer. With that kind of transfer fee, the pressure will be on for him to produce at a high level. Let’s hope the USMNT star is successful in the Premier League. Congratulations, Christian!
Chris Richards - Centerback, Bayern Munich
Richards is now a Bayern Munich player permanently. FC Dallas sold the 18-year-old to the German giants. On top of that, Richards reportedly signed a deal for three years. The defender has performed well for Bayern’s U-19 team after impressing with the first team this past summer. Hopefully he can continue pushing closer to the first team this season and beyond. Congratulations, Chris!
Sebastian Soto - Striker, Hannover
Soto has been making great strides since his move to Germany last summer. The USYNT summit started this week and Soto was not included. That’s because the 18-year-old has been invited to take part in Hannover’s first team training over the winter break. On Sunday, Soto came off the bench in the 71st minute in Hannover’s 0-0 friendly draw to mark his first appearance with the German club. You might remember that Christian Pulisic’s first opportunity for BVB came after impressing in winter camp. Hopefully Soto can follow in those footsteps and impress. Regardless, it’s a great sign that he’s already being thought of as a player they can integrate into the first team. Soto could be the third American striker to make his Bundesliga debut this season.
Michael Edwards - Centerback, VFL Wolfsburg
Edwards has officially moved to Wolfsburg. The DC United Academy product will join their U-19 club for the rest of the season. Edwards reportedly signed this past fall, but he was unable to start there until now since player registration is now open. The 18-year-old was one of the most highly touted defensive prospects at DC United and will now look to make his way in Germany. Let’s wish Michael the best of luck with this move.
Joel Soñora - Attacking Midfielder, VFB Stuttgart
Soñora’s loan at Talleres Cordoba has officially run out, and the Argentinian club has apparently decided not to exercise the option to purchase the 22-year-old. Soñora made 9 appearances for Talleres, totalling 232 minutes with one assist. Now scheduled to return to Germany to rejoin Stuttgart, we will see what happens with the Argentinian American in the coming weeks.
Emerson Hyndman - Central Midfielder, AFC Bournemouth
Hyndman’s loan deal ran out this past week, and he has returned to the Premier League club. Following very mixed reviews from his time with Hibernian, the future seems very much in the air for the 22-year-old. Despite massive injuries for Bournemouth in midfield, Hyndman was not in the matchday 18 for either game they played this week. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the move again in the coming weeks.
Cameron Carter-Vickers - Centerback, Tottenham (On Loan at Swansea City)
It’s safe to say that it’s been a rough season for American centerbacks on loan in Europe. With Matt Miazga’s benching in France, Erik Palmer-Brown struggling to find consistency at NAC Breda and Carter-Vickers struggling with Swansea City. Recently, CCV had been seeing more time on the field (he started and went the distance in two consecutive matches), but his displays were still leaving a bit to be desired. The 21-year-old seems likely to have his season-long loan terminated and move to Ipswich Town for a second consecutive season. He was not included in the matchday squad for their FA Cup victory against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Kyle Scott - Central Midfielder, Chelsea FC
Scott had his season-long loan at Telstar terminated this week. Despite being one of the more talented players on the team, the 21-year-old had seen his playing opportunities diminish in recent weeks after failing to consistently impress. Telstar’s Technical Director questioned Scott’s mentality this week stating that:
That’s a pretty big indictment. Let’s hope this is the wake-up call that he needs to give more if he wants to make it as a professional.
Timothy Weah - Winger/Striker, Paris St. Germain (On Loan at Celtic FC)
Weah is reportedly set to sign on loan for the rest of the season at Celtic. Weah will also sign an extension at PSG, keeping him with the club through 2021. The 18-year-old hasn’t played for PSG since August, but he will immediately have the opportunity to impress in the Scottish Premiership. Celtic also qualified for the Europa League knockout rounds, so we may get to see Weah play in European competition this year. They have been drawn against Spanish club Valencia. Good luck, Timothy!
Cameron Harper - Winger, Celtic FC
Weah will not be the only American at Celtic. Harper is a 17-year-old from USSDA Pateadores Academy in Southern California and has represented the US at the U-16 level. Harper was seen recently with Celtic’s U-18’s after trialing last year. Good luck to the young man as he looks to push through with the Scottish giants.
Manny Perez - Right Back, Celtic FC
Weah and Harper will not be alone at Celtic. Manny Perez will reportedly be joining the Glasgow club. At NC State, Perez turned heads with his defensive chops and ability on the ball. Rather than declare for the draft, Perez went on trial with Celtic in early December. The 19-year-old has featured with various USYNT’s and seems likely to play a part in this summer’s U-20 World Cup. Congratulations on the move and good luck to the young man.
Shaq Moore - Right Back, Levante UD
The roller coaster continues for the 22-year-old. His loan at CF Reus has been terminated due to him not being paid for weeks. Moore has returned to Levante and was in the starting lineup for Levante’s B team’s 1-1 draw on Sunday. It remains to be seen if he will stay with Levante the rest of the season or if they will seek a loan elsewhere. Moore was playing consistently in recent weeks for CF Reus prior to his loan ending, starting four straight matches in December. We’ll see what’s to come of this soon.
Danilo Acosta - Left Back, Real Salt Lake (On Loan at Orlando City)
There’s also some movement going on in the States. Real Salt lake has loaned Acosta to Orlando City for 2019. After featuring at the U-20 World Cup and impressing with Real Salt Lake the remainder of that 2017, 2018 was a forgettable year for Acosta. He made just 12 MLS appearances and was benched in favor of Aaron Herrera. Now the 21-year-old will move to Orlando and look to rebuild his promising career with a club that struggled mightily on the defensive end last season. Let’s hope he takes advantage of this opportunity.
Eryk Williamson - Central Midfielder, Portland Timbers
Williamson’s loan to Santa Clara has run out. The 21-year-old never played for the Portuguese club while he was on loan after only featuring once in the US Open Cup for Portland last season. After playing at the 2017 U-20 World Cup while he was attending college, he has struggled to get his professional career going.
As always, hit the comment section to let me know if there’s anything major I overlooked or if there’s anyone you’d like to hear about. Thank you all for reading.