Club News
From Louisville to Lisbon: Joshua Wynder’s Journey with S.L. Benfica
The current state of the USMNT has been at an all-time low since Couva in 2017. One of the positions in dire situation is Center Back. Tim Ream will be 38 by the time of the 2026 World Cup. Chris Richards has too many highs and lows and has not shown his club form with the US. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty have yet to perform for the national team. Miles Robinson, despite what many MLS fans want to believe, is not good enough and makes too many errors, like the second Turkish goal on June 7th, 2025. Walker Zimmerman has one World Cup left in him and he has a history of making critical errors as well, like the penalty against Gareth Bale in the 2022 World Cup. Lastly, Mark McKenzie has improved his game since his move to Toulouse, but he is lacking the deserved opportunities and a good partnership.
Our U20 CBs will need to be called up sooner rather than later, either before or immediately after the 2026 World Cup. The top 3 prospects by fans and analysts are Noahkai Banks, Matai Akinmboni, and Joshua Wynder. Of the three, Joshua Wynder is the oldest at 20 years old and is part of a club that is world-renowned for their development, S.L. Benfica.
How did Wynder manage to accomplish such a move from Louisville City in the USL Championship to Benfica? To summarize, Wynder had a breakout season for Lou City at 17 years old in 2022, so much so that he was included in the US U20 World Cup team in 2023.
Wynder secured a spot to go on trial at Benfica and passed. On June 8th, 2023, Benfica officially acquired Joshua Wynder from Lou City for a record-breaking $1.2 million transfer fee, which still stands today.
Benfica registered Wynder with the second team for the 2023/2024 season, who participate in Liga Portugal 2. Due to Portuguese rules (players play in the youth system until they are 19 years old), he spent the season with Benfica’s UEFA Youth League team and U23 team and only received 21 minutes with the B team until a season-ending injury. What began as a promising start, with the support of the fans, was cut short after just six matches. The following season went according to plan for Wynder. Wynder became a consistent starter for the B team where he started in 29 matches and appeared in a total of 31 matches. He also scored four goals, all headers from corners.
His success with the B team made him a fan-favorite and several calls to be called up to the first team by fans on social media. That day came on April 9th, 2025, when he made the team sheet for Benfica’s Taça de Portugal Semi-Final match against FC Tirsense. Wynder made his first team debut when he was subbed in at the 76th minute mark of that match. He made a following appearance on the bench for the first team in their second leg match against FC Tirsense.
As early as November 27, 2024, it was reported by Glorioso 1904 that Joshua Wynder had gained the attention of the Benfica manager, Bruno Lage. The report further said that Wynder was becoming an option for the next season’s first team. A similar report surfaced on March 25, 2025, by Record, in Portugal, that Wynder is on track to be with the first team for the 2025/2026 season. That day may be coming sooner rather than later. Joshua Wynder will be joining Benfica on their 2025 Club World Cup campaign. This will be a true test for him to prove to Bruno Lage that he is ready to be part of the first team for the upcoming 2025/2026 Liga Portugal and UEFA Champions League season. If he is given serious minutes with the first team and performs, Joshua Wynder needs to be considered for the 2026 World Cup or immediately following the World Cup.
Benfica is in Group C of the Club World Cup with Auckland City, Bayern München, and Boca Juniors. Their first match is against Boca Juniors, 33-time Argentine champions, on June 16th. Game two is on June 20th against 10-time New Zealander champions, Auckland City FC. Lastly, their 3rd group stage match is against the 6-time UEFA Champions League winners, Bayern München, on June 24th.