Americans Overseas: 10 to Watch in Europe During 2024/25 Soccer Season
by Bradley Gibbs | by Tyler Doty
10 US Players to Watch in Europe
Each year, we’re seeing more and more US talent venture to Europe in search of making it big on the world stage, and it’s fair to say the 2024/25 season should be a good one for American soccer products overseas.
We’re here to run the rule over a selection of players to look out for this season for your soccer predictions, and there are plenty of players to mention, so let’s get into it.
10 to Watch
Among the US players currently playing in Europe, there are some big names, such as Christian Pulisic, who after playing a key role for Italian giants AC Milan last season, is likely to once again impress on the big stage. The same can be said for top US players such as Timothy Weah, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie.
However, we all know the quality of those players, so let’s focus on a few of the younger, less proven US players looking to thrive this season.
Kevin Paredes
Fresh off the back of being the most dangerous player for the US at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Kevin Paredes will be hoping to thrive in the Bundesliga during the 2024/25 campaign.
The 21-year-old has been in Europe since 2021, becoming a regular during the 2022/23 season, before going on to make a mark last season, making a career best of 28 appearances, scoring three goals. With that under his belt, it’s easy to feel that he’ll be an even bigger threat this time around.
Paxton Aaronson
Very familiar to US soccer fans is the name Aaronson, though most commonly associate the name with Brenden Aaronson, who has been proving himself in Europe for a while now.
However, Brenden’s younger brother is also attracting attention, and rightly so. Paxton Aaronson is another player who’ll go into the new season off the back of recently appearing for the US at the Olympics, while he’s also coming off the back of a strong loan spell.
In just 14 games for Dutch side Vitesse last season, the 20-year-old scored four goals, which has prompted another Dutch side to take him on loan for the coming campaign. Back in the Eredivisie, this time with Utrecht, the midfielder/forward looks all set to make a big splash.
Aidan Morris
We move away from the top divisions now and dip into England’s Championship. It may be a second tier, but we all know that the Championship is a very serious league, one that is filled with talented players.
One of those talented players will be Aidan Morris, who recently left behind the Columbus Crew after two very impressive seasons. Creative, with an eye for goal, Morris is a midfielder who joins promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough.
His energy and forward-thinking approach should come in handy as his side looks to carve out a route to the Premier League.
Gianluca Busio
Next on the list is Gianluca Busio, who having burst onto the scene as a teenager for Sporting Kansas City back in 2019, is now a key player for Venezia.
In midfield, Busio was one of the driving forces behind Venezia's promotion from Serie B last season. Having scored seven and assisted five during what was his best season to date, the 22-year-old will be relishing the chance to showcase his skills in the Italian top division.
Taylor Booth
Paxton Aaronson won’t be the only US player on Utrecht’s roster this season, oh no. Taylor Booth will also be playing for the Dutch side, much as he did last term.
A hungry forward, who was signed by German giants Bayern Munich as a youngster, Booth scored five goals in 19 appearances last season and will now at the age of 23, he’ll be looking to show that he can be a serious goal-getter.
Johnny Cardoso
Born in New Jersey to Brazilian parents, Johnny Cardoso represents the US at international level, and at just 22-years-old, the Real Betis man is a serious player.
Last season, his first in Spain, Cardoso played 17 times for Real Betis, who finished seventh, scoring one goal. The 2024/25 campaign could be something of a breakout season for the youngster, who clearly has the potential to be a very capable LaLiga player.
Ricardo Pepi
I can remember watching Ricardo Pepi destroy USL League One as a mere 15-year-old boy, before rather rapidly rising to become a key forward for FC Dallas in MLS whilst still a teenager.
It was never going to be long before clubs in Europe came knocking and in 2022 Pepi signed for Augsburg in Germany, before going on loan to Groningen in the Netherlands, where he scored a very respectable 12 goals in 29 appearances.
Now with Dutch giants PSV, the 21-year-old, who featured for the US Men’s National Team at the Copa America earlier this summer, is definitely a forward to fear. Don’t be surprised to see him score with regularity this season. I certainly won’t be.
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Griffin Yow
Another player who made light work of tormenting USL defenses as a teenager, Griffin Yow is gearing up for his second season in European soccer.
Last year, the winger/forward enjoyed himself for Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League A, scoring six goals and registering two assists in just 20 appearances, averaging a promising 0.48 goals and assists per 90 minutes.
Following that steady first campaign, the 21-year-old looks ready to play a leading role for the Belgian side, so don’t be surprised if you hear good things about Yow, who may not be in Belgium for long.
Malik Tillman
The third player on this list to be operating in the Netherlands is Malik Tillman, who at the age of 22 has already made quite a name for himself, so much so that he was included in the US squad for the 2024 Copa America.
The youngster was in fantastic form last season, scoring nine goals and registering 10 assists, producing an average of 1.07 goals and assists per 90 minutes. Such form will be hard to beat, but this is a man who looks set for a big future, so I really wouldn’t want to bet against the former Bayern U19 starlet improving on those impressive numbers.
Yunus Musah
Arguably the most established player on this list, Yunus Musah, at the age of just 21, is already a regular in the AC Milan team, and after a promising first season at San Siro, the midfielder may well move on to bigger and better things this time around. If you’re keeping an eye on Serie A this season, don’t forget to look out for Musah.
Who else could catch the eye?
Of course, those above are far from the only US players plying their trade in Europe. Tanner Tessman was recently a main player for the US team at the Paris Olympics, while alongside fellow American Gianluca Busio, he’s likely to be an important figure for Venezia, who are now competing in Serie A after winning promotion last season.
Johan Gomez is another US youngster to already play a big role for his club having completed a full season in defense for 2. Bundesliga side Braunschweig last time around, while joining Griffin Yow at Westerlo is Bryan Reynolds, who played 33 times for the Belgian side last season. He too looks likely to thrive this time around.
All in all, there are lots of American needles in the haystack that is European soccer, so much so that finding them won’t be hard during the 2024/25 season, so keep your eyes peeled. It should be a good year for US players playing abroad.
