Here's a quick look at US born players abroad in some of the top leagues in Europe, right now. The way I ranked the players was based simply on four criteria on a 10 pt scale (10 best-7-5-3-0 lowest):
1. Strength of League
2. Man of the Match (MotM)
3. WhoScored Rating
4. % Mins played (possible)
(ooo) is transfer value per TransferMarkt.co.uk, in thousands.
I created a little rating system to help me sort who is playing well and try to find out any surprises and not so much surprises. In no particular order:
1. Josh Wicks, 34, GK, Sirius in Allsvenskan
Some might remember Wicks from his time in MLS in 2009. He got into a fight with teammate Marc Burch in a league match and also two foot stomped Fredy Montero (Seattle) in a US Open Cup game. He wasn't seen again in MLS and moved to Europe right after. He's been bouncing around Nordic leagues since. Having a good year this year. His WhoScored Rating of 6.74 (top 30%-ish of all players in the league). He may be crazy but had a good 2017.
2. Christian Pulisic, 19, Attacking Mid (L/R), Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga
Pulisic has shot up to be possibly the best player the US has ever had. Grew up in Pennsylvania but moved to Germany around age 16. At 19 now and, according to TransferMarkt, worth over $40 million. Both American owned Manchester United and Liverpool want him so that fee could easily jump. 3 goals and an assist in 1300 minutes this year, with an astonishing rating of 7.18 which easily puts in the top 50 players in the league.
3. The Central Defenders
Matt Miazga (22), John Brooks (24) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (20). All under 25, all player will in their respective leagues so far this year. Brooks' (Wolfsburg) 7.22 rating and pass success rate of 85% is best in class, but his minutes sit less than 700 thus far.
4. Yedlin, Tops in Prem
DeAndre (24, Newcastle) took a chance heading over to the Premier League. Signed with Tottenham, loaned to Sunderland but now found his home in Newcastle. He's seen the dark side of relegation and the joy of promotion. I like his story. Like it or not, he's the only player in the regular starting eleven the US has right now, playing in 78% of possible minutes. His success has got his transfer fee close to $5 million.
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