The season is over for most of the major European leagues and compared to last season, this was a better season for Americans in Europe.  The US had several Americans win a trophy this season or were promoted with their club.  Both Tim Weah and Weston McKennie won the Coppa Italia, while Cameron Carter-Vickers won the double in Scotland.  You also had Nick Gioacchini, Gianluca Busio, and Tanner Tessmann gain promotion to Serie A in their respected clubs.  In this article we will cover who we consider to be our top 10 Americans this season in Europe.  The stats information for each player comes from FotMob.

Lennard Maloney

Few Americans played in the Bundesliga this season and even fewer had a good season in the German topflight.  Lennard Maloney was one of those Americans who had a successful Bundesliga season.  Maloney was the main central defender for the newly promoted club Heidenheim.  Last season, he helped them win the 2. Bundesliga to get their first ever promotion to the Bundesliga.  This season, he helped Heidenheim qualify for the UEFA Conference League, their first ever continental competition.  Few American soccer players can say they have that accomplishment.  It was only until this season did Maloney get his first call-up to the USMNT.  Maloney was spectacular on the stats sheet, but it was what he did off the ball that made him one of the best American players this season in a top European league.  At one point during the season, Maloney was leading in distance covered.  His ability to stop the opposition’s transition to the attack helped Heidenheim to have 1.6 goals conceded per match and a possession of 42.1%.  Maloney outperformed 97% of Bundesliga midfielders in aerial duels won and 90% in defensive actions.  Between the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, Maloney started in 29 matches out of 31 matches played with 2 goals and 1 assist.  He also had an 83.5% passing accuracy, 69.4% long ball accuracy, 29 tackles for 80.2%, 79.1% aerial duels won, 29 interceptions, and 144 recoveries.  For me, Maloney barely makes it in the top 10 list due to his low stats.  His accomplishments for Heidenheim and being a major piece to their successful season can’t be ignored.

Chris Richards

It took a while for Chris Richards to get a start for Crystal Palace and it was worth the wait.  When Richards began getting minutes this season, it was at defensive midfielder.  He took people by surprise with his solid performances in the position.  With the injury of Marc Guehi and Crystal Palace moving to a back 3, Richards became a lock starter in the defense.  It was rocky at first for him, but that all changed when Oliver Glasner took over the club.  In the first match under the new manager, Richards got a goal.  Richards became one of Crystal Palace’s best CBs.  In the 30 matches played, Richards started in 27.  Richards finished ahead of 83% of the CBs in the Premier League in aerial duels, and 66% in both defensive actions and goals.  Across all competitions, Richards had 1 goal and 1 assist, 85% passing accuracy, 59.2% tackles won, 54.5% duels won, 37 interceptions, and 106 recoveries.  There is hope next season for Richards.  Guehi is gathering interest from other EPL clubs once again and Glasner will be returning next season.  If Richards retains his starting role next season, we could see Richards be one of Palace’s best defenders.  Due to not appearing in every match, having some inconsistent matches before the Glasner Era, and not unlocking his full potential this season until Glasner took over is why Richards is 9^th on my list.

Josh Sargent

One of the US’ most prolific scorers this season came from Josh Sargent in the English Championship.  Missing 22 matches due to an ankle injury did not stop him from scoring double-digit goals, but it did stop him from winning the league’s golden boot.  Sargent finished 6^th in goals scored with 16 in 26 league matches played with 2 assists.  If Sargent had not sustained the injury, he would have been in the argument for the league’s golden boot.  Across all competitions, Sargent started in 25 matches out of 28 matches played.  When you compare his traits to other strikers in the English Championship, Sargent finished ahead of 65% strikers in chances created, 83% shot attempts, and 96% goals.  In league play, Sargent had an 81.8% passing, 23 chances created, 47.5% dribbles completed, 45.4% duels won, and 39 recoveries.  Even with the injury, there have been rumors that Premier League clubs are monitoring him.  Maybe we will see him back in the EPL next season.  The reason he falls just short of the top 5 is because between the months of May and April, he had only 2 goals and 1 assist.  As a striker, you cannot have only 3 G/A in 2 months.  The injury also allowed others, mainly Haji Wright, to pass him in the top 10 Americans in Europe this season.  If he was not out for 4 months and was in contention for Championship Golden Boot, he would have been a top 5 American.

Johnny Cardoso

Johnny would be much higher on this list if he had played a full season in Europe based on his form with Los Verdiblancos since joining in January when you compare him to the other Americans in a top 5 league.  Johnny took LaLiga by storm and quickly took a starting role in just his second match, which happened to be against Barcelona.  He also received how praises from Manuel Pellegrini just after his first week with the club.  Johnny was awarded the LaLiga EA Sports U23 Player of the Month in February, his first full month for Real Betis.  Johnny’s quick adoption to LaLiga and excellent performances has already caused inquiries from major clubs, one of those clubs being Barcelona, and being a LaLiga U23 Player of the Season nominee.  Across all competitions, Johnny had 3 goal contributions, 72% long ball accuracy, 9 chances created, 78.9% successful dribbles, 34 tackles won for 65.9%, 51.2% of duels won, 35 interceptions, 101 recoveries between LaLiga and Europa Conference League.  In just half of a season, Johnny beat 96% of midfielders in LaLiga for defensive actions and 92% of them in aerial duels.  For playing only half a season in a top 5 league, these are very impressive numbers, and it made him one of the most exciting Americans to watch in Europe this season.  His nomination for LaLiga U23 Player of the Season, winning a U23 Player of the Month, and the quality of the teams he faced compared to other Americans in Europe is very difficult to ignore when placing him on this list.  Johnny only playing half the season in Europe does keep him from being higher up in the top.  If he can continue this form next season, he will for sure be a top 5 American in Europe.  Next season, Real Betis will be taking part in the Europa Conference League once again.

Malik Tillman

The American player who had one of the best loan spells this season was Malik Tillman.  After his successful loan at Glasgow Rangers last season, Malik Tillman proved that he could conquer a top 7 league after putting up 19 goal contributions for PSV in the Eredivisie.  His effort on the offense helped PSV win the league title.  Amongst all attacking midfielders and wingers in the Eredivisie, Malik finished ahead of 94% of the players in touches and 92% in chances created.  Also, he beat out 90% of them in defensive actions and 71% in goals.  Malik started in 24 matches out of 39 across all competitions with a total of 21 goal contributions (his one match with Jong PSV is not included).  Tillman also had 71% shots on target in league play; 81.6% passing accuracy, 67.8% long ball accuracy, 61 chances created, 47 successful dribbles for 47.8%, 3 penalties won, 36 tackles for 81.2%, 48.2% duels won, 25 interceptions, 9 blocks, 171 recoveries, and 39 possessions won in the final third.  On May 10^th, PSV made the announcement at the end of the season that they had acquired Tillman permanently through 2028 and Bayern retained their buy-back clause.  PSV were not the only club that was pleased by his performance this season.  His parent club, Bayern, was reportedly to be very happy with his season as well.  Maybe we will see Tillman back in a Bayern shirt in the future.  Tillman not being higher on this list was due to his inconsistent performances in the Champions League and early in the Eredivisie season.

Segiño Dest

The player with arguably the best loan spell of the Americans in Europe was Sergiño Dest.  After appearing in only 14 matches for Milan AC last season and his second season with Barcelona under Xavi Hernández.  A step back to the Eredivisie was the right move for Dest to rejuvenate his career.  Due to Jordan Teze being PSV’s RB, Dest played LB this season and was successful at it, showing he can play on both sides.  In the Eredivisie, Dest made it on the Team of the Month on multiple occasions.  There are still improvements that need to be made in his defensive game, and that was evident in the UCL matches.  In the Eredivisie, Dest finished ahead of 90% of other fullbacks in chances created, 88% in touches, and 90% in shot attempts.  Across all competitions, Dest finished with 9 goal contributions, 86.9% passing accuracy, 69.1% long ball accuracy, 52 chances created, 62.4% dribbles completed, 58.5% ground duels won, and 163 recoveries.  Dest played a critical role in PSV winning the Eredivisie this season.  He did make some mistakes in the UCL matches, but he was still one of PSV’s better players in the competition.  Even though the Eredivisie is not a top 5 league in Europe, Dest was one of our top performers and most informed American players in Europe.

Haji Wright

Arguably one of the top 3 Americans in England this season, it did not start well for Haji Wright in his record transfer to Coventry City.  In his first 3 months at the club, Haji only had 2 goals and 2 assists.  Things did not start to turn around for him until November when he scored 3 goals in 4 matches.  By the end of the 1^st half of the season, Haji had 12 goal contributions.  What changed for him?  Manager Mark Robins moved Haji to LW and occasionally as a left striker.  That move in position helped provide Haji Wright his best season of his career and one of the best American players this season.  His most iconic goal in my opinion this season was scoring the winning goal at the last minute against Wolves to help get Coventry City into the FA Cup Semi-Final followed by his goal against Manchester United.  By the end of the season, Haji had 25 goal contributions across all competitions, tying him with Christian Pulisic for most goal contributions by an American in a top 10 European league.  In league play, Haji and Sargent tied for 6^th in goals with 16.  Haji was better than 93% attacking midfielders and wingers in aerial duels won, along with 97% in goals, and 98% in shot attempts.  Haji finished the season with 75.9% in passing, 32 chances created, 4 penalty goals, 36 completed dribbles, 49 fouls won, 63.9% tackles, 47.8% aerial duels won, and 114 recoveries.  If Haji Wright can recreate this season again next year in the English Championship, I will have no doubt he will be linked to a move to the Premier League.

Weston McKennie

Another player who was consistent for his European club this season was Weston McKennie for Juventus in the Serie A.  McKennie was one of the most informed players for Juventus this season and their leading player in assists with 7.  There has been discussion by Serie A media since January that McKennie deserves to be on the Serie A Team of the Season.  He spent a good amount of the season at RWB and was very successful.  He did not move to his natural position (central midfielder) until later in the season due to injuries.  Even with being one of Juve’s best players this season and being in discussion for Serie A Team of the Season, Juve refused to give the salary raise that McKennie asked for, leaving his future with the Italian giants in doubt.  McKennie started in 33 matches out of 38 matches.  He finished the season with 10 assists. 77.4% passing accuracy and 64.4% long ball accuracy across all competitions.  He also created 46 chances, 60.8% completed dribbles, 31 completed tackles for 80.2%, 168 duels won for 42.3%, 20 interceptions, and 128 recoveries.  When you compared McKennie to other Serie A midfielders, he outperformed 87% of them in chances created and 65% for aerial duels won.  After how things went last season for him, he had one of the biggest improvements in performance for an American along with Christian Pulisic.  The reason he finishes behind Pulisic is because he did not score a single goal and he was beginning to struggle in form towards the end of the season.  He was one of the few Americans to win a trophy this season by winning the Coppa Italia.

Christian Pulisic

It is a close call between Pulisic and Weston McKinnie for the 2^nd best American this season and even 1^st between Pulisic and Antonee Robinson.  I must give it to Pulisic because of his offensive work rate and productivity, and his European competition performance this season.  Pulisic finished the season with 15 goals and 10 assists across all competitions (1 goal being in the Champions League (UCL), and 2 goals and an assist being in the UEL) bringing a total of 25 G/A, the most he has had in a single season.    In Serie A, Pulisic tied for 4^th of all players in the league for goals and assists.  For Milan, he was their 2^nd highest goal scorer and had the 2^nd most assists.  Pulisic started in 44 matches out of 55 matches played across all competitions.  Pulisic was nominated by the league for best midfielder of the season.  When compared to attacking midfielders and wingers in Serie A, he scored more goals than 91% of other players in those positions.  He also had an 83% passing accuracy, 60 chances created, 28.5% crossing accuracy (in the league, Pulisic was in the 72.7% ranking), 66 successful dribbles for 49%, 181 touches in opposition box, 71.3% tackles won, 198 ground duels won for 46.3%, 24 blocks, 11 interceptions, and 138 recoveries.  Since becoming a professional athlete, this was Christian Pulisic’s best season of his career.  People would argue he only performed as well as he did because he took a step down.  Even with Serie A not being at the level that the EPL is at, it is still a top 5 league in the world and Milan is one of the biggest clubs in Europe.  The reason why he is not the #1 American for this season is because Pulisic was not being consistent, especially against major opponents.

Antonee Robinson

It was a tight decision between Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic for best American player in Europe this season, but I must hand it to Antonee.  Antonee Robinson was arguably the best LB in the English Premier League this season and even argued to be the best fullback this season.  This is very challenging when talking about the best league and the world where you have the likes of Kyle Walker, Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Andrew Robertson.  For the USMNT, he was perhaps the most consistent American in Europe this season.  Antonee started a total of 42 out of 44 matches.  He had a total of 6 assists this season, making him one of the top EPL defenders in assists this season.  He also finished with the most interceptions in the EPL with 80, 15 more than Lewis Cook, who had the 2^nd most in the league.  This does not just include the EPL, but Jedi also had the most interceptions across Europe’s top 7 leagues.  In the top 7 European leagues, he came in 3^rd in possession won in defensive 3^rd with 145.  When comparing him to other fullbacks in the EPL, he outperformed 95% of the league’s fullbacks in defensive actions, 80% in touches, and 68% in aerial duels won.  Across all competitions, Antonee had 35 chances created, passing accuracy of 76.5%, 23% crossing accuracy, 49 successful dribbles for 60.3%, tackles won, 56.5% duels won, and 264 recoveries.  Antonee has made it on several reviewers’ EPL Team of the Season and is being monitored by top clubs for this summer by the likes of Liverpool and Bayern.  Compared to other Americans in Europe this season, Jedi made it on more continental stats leaderboards and competing in this best league in the world making him the best American in Europe this season.

May 23, 2024

Every amateur athlete has the goal to compete at an Olympics and for 18 U-23 USMNT players, they will get that chance this summer in France.  It’s been 16 years since the men’s soccer team qualified to play in the Olympics when they failed to get out of the Group Stage in China.

Since 1992 when age rules changed to a U-23 roster the USMNT has only played in four of the eight Olympics, with only one successful tournament in Australia in 2000 when they finished fourth and chance to win their first medal since 1904.

Rosters & Player Selection

The Olympics isn’t a FIFA tournament so clubs aren’t required to release players for this tournament, which has impacted the quality that the U-23 USMNT has been able to use in past tournaments, which personally I think is a miss for FIFA not to promote this and the players who play in it more.

The Olympic squads allow for 22 players, seven of which are available as match substitutes with the remaining four available as alternates. All squads are required to have three goalkeepers and at least 15 of the 18 players must be born on or after January 1, 2001, which allows for a maximum of three overage players

Each team is required to send at least a 35-player provisional roster no later than 30 days before the first match, however, this list is non-binding and can still be added before their first Olympic match.

Player Pool

The U-23 USMNT will be coached by Marko Mitrović who was hired as manager in September of 2023 and will be tasked with helping put together a squad that will compete for a medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.

Since the fall of 2023, the U-23 USMNT has had three camps. Below are the players who have been part of at least one of those camps which likely comprises the core group of players who will be part of the U-23 USMNT roster.

John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images for USSF

Goalkeepers (5)
Chris Brady-Chicago Fire (MLS)*
John Pulskamp-Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Chituru Odunze- Charlotte FC (MLS)
Patrick Schulte-Columbus Crew (MLS)*
Gabriel Slonina-Eupen (Belgium)*

Defenders (8)
George Campbell- CF Montréal (MLS)
Brandan Craig- Philadelphia Union (MLS)
Maximilian Dietz- Greuther Fürth (Germany)
Nathan Harriel-Philadelphia Union (MLS)
Bryan Reynolds- Westerlo (Belgium)*
John Tolkin-New York Red Bulls (MLS)*
Jonathan Tomkinson- Bradford City (England)
Caleb Wiley- Atlanta United FC (MLS)*

Players of note who are eligible who haven’t been called in recently
Justin Che, Mauricio Cuevas, Jonathan Gomez, Jalen Neal, Josh Wynder

Midfielders (10)
Paxten Aaronson-Vitesse (Netherlands)*
Josh Atencio- Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Cole Bassett-Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Gianluca Busio-Venezia (Italy)*
Benjamin Cremaschi- Inter Miami CF (MLS)
Daniel Edelman-New York Red Bulls (MLS)
Jack McGlynn-Philadelphia Union (MLS)*
Aidan Morris-Columbus Crew (MLS)*
Tanner Tessmann-Venezia (Italy)*
Obed Vargas-Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)

Players of note who are eligible who haven’t been called in recently
Noel Buck, Rokas Pukštas

Forwards (12)
Agustin Anello-Sparta Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Esmir Bajraktarevic-New England Revolution (MLS)*
Taylor Booth-Utrecht (Netherlands)*
Cade Cowell-Guadalajara (Mexico)
Johan Gomez-Eintracht Braunschweig (Germany)
Brian Gutiérrez-Chicago Fire (MLS)*
Bernard Kamungo-FC Dallas (MLS)
Diego Luna-Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Duncan McGuire-Orlando City SC (MLS)
Kevin Paredes-VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)*
Indiana Vassilev-St. Louis City SC (MLS)
Griffin Yow-Westerlo (Belgium)*

Players of note who are eligible who haven’t been called in recently
Ricardo Pepi

The Men’s Olympic roster can also consist of up to three overage players. In a recent interview, Gregg Berhalter named three possible players Auston Trusty, Brandon Vazquez, and Walker Zimmerman as options, all of which fall into areas of need for the U-23 USMNT. I also believe other options for overage players could be Kellyn Acosta and Jordan Pefok.

Past Olympics Results

1992 Summer Olympics – Spain

Alexi Lalas X Account

Played in Group A with Poland, Italy, and Kuwait
Finished 3^rd in their group and 9^th overall with 1 Win, 1 Draw, and 1 Loss, GF-6, GA-5
Steve Snow led the team with 2 goals
Manager- Lothar Osiander

The U-23 USMNT played quite well in the Group Stage and if it hadn’t been for their hard-fought 2-1 loss to Italy they would have advanced out of the group.

Featured USMNT Players

Brad Friedel
Alexi Lalas
Mike Burns
Claudio Reyna
Joe-Max Moore
Cobi Jones
Chris Henderson

1996 Summer Olympics – United States (Host)

Getty Images

Played in Group A with Argentina, Portugal, and Tunisia
Finished 3^rd in their group and 10^th overall with 1 Win, 1 Draw, and 1 Loss, GF-4, GA-4
Brian Maisonneuve led the team with 2 goals
Manager- Bruce Arena

As hosts, the U-23 USMNT played well during the group stage, but not well enough to advance to the knockout stage. Argentina who was one of the teams in the group with the US would make it to the gold medal match but ended up losing 3-2 to Nigeria.

Featured USMNT Players

Kasey Keller*
Eddie Pope
Alexi Lalas*
Jovan Kirovski
Claudio Reyna
Frankie Hejduk

*Overage player 

2000 Summer Olympics – Australia

Getty Images

Played in Group C with Cameroon, Kuwait, Czech Republic
Finished 1^st in their group and 4^th  overall with 1 Win, 3 Draws, and 2 Losses, GF-9, GA-11
Peter Vagenas led the team with 3 goals
Manager- Clive Charles

The 2000 Olympics for the U-23 USMNT has been their greatest success to date. The US would play for the bronze medal against Chile a match they would end up losing 2-0. There would be five players from this roster who would be part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup team that advanced to the quarter-finals losing to eventual runners-up Germany 1-0.

Featured USMNT Players

Brad Friedel*
Jeff Agoos*
John O’Brien
Frankie Hejduk*
Ben Olsen
Chris Albright
Landon Donovan
Josh Wolff
Tim Howard

*Overage player 

2004 Summer Olympics – Greece – DNQ

The U-23 USMNT finished 4^th in the Concacaf Pre-Olympic Tournament with the top two teams advancing to the Olympics. The team was managed by Glenn Myernick.

2008 Summer Olympics – China

Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo

Played in Group B with Nigeria, Netherlands, Japan
Finished 3rd in their group and 9th  overall with 1 Win, 1 Draw, and 1 Loss, GF-4, GA-4
Sacha Kljestan led the team with 2 goals
Manager- Piotr Nowak

The U-23 USMNT played in a very good group and needed a win or a draw help to advance to the knockout stage, which they weren’t able to accomplish. Eight players on this Olympic squad were on the roster for the 2009 Confederation Cup team that ended Spain’s 35-match unbeaten streak and finished 2^nd after losing to Brazil in the Final 3-2.

Featured USMNT Players

Freddy Adu
Jozy Altidore
Michael Bradley
Charlie Davies
Maurice Edu
Benny Feilhaber
Brad Guzan*
Stuart Holden
Sacha Kljestan
Brian McBride*
Michael Orozco
Michael Parkhurst*
Marvell Wynne

*Overage player 

2012 Summer Olympics – Great Britain – DNQ

The U-23 USMNT finished 5th in the Concacaf Pre-Olympic Tournament with the top two teams advancing to the Olympics. The team was managed by Caleb Porter.

2016 Summer Olympics – Brazil– DNQ

The U-23 USMNT finished 3rd in the Concacaf Pre-Olympic Tournament with the top two teams advancing to the Olympics. The team was managed by Andi Herzog.

2020 Summer Olympics – Japan– DNQ

The U-23 USMNT finished 3rd in the Concacaf Pre-Olympic Tournament with the top two teams advancing to the Olympics. The team was managed by Jason Kreis.

Expectations and Predictions

The group of U-23 USMNT has an opportunity to make a deep run at the 2024 Olympics in France with many possible players looking to get club transfers and work their way into the national team after this summer.

With the many failures of the USSF when it comes to qualifying and putting in a plan of success as it relates to the U-23 team, I think they have done quite well in building a quality player pool that should allow them a chance for a medal this summer.

As mentioned earlier clubs are not required to release players for the Olympics and my expectations and predictions are based on the 40 or so players mentioned above who have been part of recent camps along with the overaged players likely to be considered. 

While the U-23 USMNT is in a group with the host France they should still be able to get out of the group by beating Guinea and New Zealand, which is the minimum we should expect from this group, but will likely need at least five points to guarantee them a spot in the knockout stage. Ideally, they would be able to find their way to the semi-final and give themselves a chance to win a bronze medal, but that might be asking too much.

My hope is that the USMNT will be able to pull in a handful of young talented players from this pool into the national team squad to help provide needed depth while helping phase out some of the aging veterans.

In 2019, Don Garber and MLS announced they would expand to 30 teams.  A year later, Don Garber said the cities of Las Vegas, Indianapolis, San Diego, Detroit, and Phoenix were clubs interested in joining MLS.  Four of those cities had a USL or NISA club at the time of the announcement.  Today, one of those USL teams has ceased to exist, another may be in jeopardy now, and the NISA club is now a USL club.

On April 25^th, 2024, the Mayor of Indianapolis, Joe Hogsett, announced an unnamed ownership group would put in a bid for an MLS club.  Along with the announcement, the owners of Indy XI (the USL Championship team in Indianapolis), Keystone Group, announced the City had backed out of the $1 billion fund for Eleven Park.  The stadium was announced in 2022 and was planned to be a 20,000-seat stadium.  It would also include additional apartments, office buildings, and other amenities.  Last year, the stadium broke ground.  That means that the mayor and city council agreed to stop the funding of a sports facility in mid-construction that would also add additional jobs to the people of Indianapolis and stop their backing of an existing club for a potential club.  If the city does not get the bid, it could have repercussions for elected officials.  When you look at social media, the people of Indianapolis are not happy about the announcement.

https://twitter.com/ManagerTactical/status/1783628831695184283

This is not the first time a team in the USL was in danger by the expansion by the MLS.  San Diego Loyal played their final season in 2023 after the announcement by the MLS that they would expand to San Diego with the club San Diego FC.  SD Loyal made the announcement just three months after San Diego FC was announced.  The reason was due to not being able to find a stadium solution.  As for San Diego FC, they will play their matches at the Snapdragon Stadium, which the Loyal could have used to play their matches.  Instead of looking for a solution to integrate San Deigo Loyal, MLS had their club created which led to the destruction of a club in a rival league.

Miami had a soccer club before Inter Miami, Miami FC.  Miami is a different story than San Diego.  Unlike the Loyal, Miami FC attracts a very small audience.  They averaged only 190 people a game a year before the arrival of Inter Miami, per Transfermarkt.  It has gone up since Inter Miami’s inaugural season.  Last season, the average attendance was 1,432 and this season it is 826 so far.  The problem falls on the people of Miami though.  Inter Miami increased their attendance by 35% to 17,061 last year from the prior season.  It still begs the question of how much longer Miami FC will last when they are competing against a club with Leonel Messi for attendance.

Las Vegas Lights is another USL Championship club but are in a city being looked at by MLS also for expansion.  Even worse, the current owner, José Bautista, is not part of the organization and is in talks with Don Garber to join the MLS, who would be the owners of Aston Villa.  Phoenix is a different story.  The USL team, Phoenix Rising, talked to MLS to join the league, which is a more positive solution.  Tampa Bay Rowdies did the same thing when they were pursuing an MLS bid.

MLS does speak to the current existing clubs in the city.  They did it with Louisville City, San Diego Loyal, Sacramento Republic, and others, but when that failed, they move in with their own clubs, i.e., San Diego FC and now potentially Indy MLS club.  What MLS is doing is not helping the growth of the sport.  They are aiming to monopolize the sport by destroying their competition, USL.  This would not be a problem if USSF would create an open system or step in to put it to a stop.  If MLS is the sole soccer league in the US with only 30-40 cities with a team, then you would isolate the hundreds of cities that have fans and players without a club to help accomplish their dream.  Even in other sports leagues in the US we do not see a campaign like this.  NFL did not actively work to end the XFL and the other football leagues.  The NHL and the MLB have minor leagues all over the country.  I do not prefer having minor leagues in soccer here in the US.  It would be preferable that the MLS and USL work together to expand the sport and/or USSF implement policies that protect smaller leagues from bigger leagues.