Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and the top 10 USMNT stars in Europe, ranked

The PSV striker still isn’t getting enough minutes, but he tends to make the most of them when he does get his opportunity.

Pepi sure made his mark on USMNT camp, scoring the second of two goals in the win over Panama. It was a heck of a finish for the ex-FC Dallas striker, which really is something he’s known for at this point, isn’t it?

With three goals in seven Eredivisie matches, Pepi is the master of impression in limited action. He got his first start of the season prior to the international break in Matchday 7. Can he earn more starts for Peter Bosz’s side?

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  9Haji Wright ↔️

  Fresh off an assist against Panama during this window, Wright should head back to his club feeling pretty good.

  With three goals in nine matches, Wright will look to outdo the 16 he scored last season in his Championship debut with Coventry City. What made last season so strong, though, was that he also added seven assists. He’s yet to provide one this season, though.

  Well, at least in the Championship. His set-up of Pepi’s goal was fantastic. If he can play a pass like that every now and then for Coventry, the opportunities will continue to come his way.

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  8Weston McKennie ⬇️

  Whenever you think McKennie has hit a wall, he tends to smash his way right through it.

  And that’s why it’s worth betting on McKennie to bounce-back even after this USMNT camp. After failing to appear against Panama, he was sent home pre-Mexico, reportedly due to a muscle issue. It’s a bummer, particularly for McKennie, but he tends to handle those well, doesn’t he?

  We’ll have to see where he is by the time November camp roles around but, if healthy, you’d bet on him being there and ready to play.

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  7Brenden Aaronson ⬇️

  So many folks had written Aaronson off, and even his biggest believers wouldn’t have expected him to start his club season so well. This latest national team camp showed his limitations, though.

  Starting as an attacking midfielder, Aaronson brought his typical energy and enthusiasm. It wasn’t enough. He lost the ball early and often against Mexico, struggling to cope with the intensity that El Tri brought to the game.

  Aaronson still needs to add things to his game: strength, vision and decisiveness chief among them. Until he does, he’s a good option off the bench to bring life to a team, but that might be it for now.

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  6Malik Tillman ⬇️

  Tillman is flying for PSV with four goals and an assist in his first eight Eredivisie matches. We have yet to see that really translate to the USMNT, though.

  The midfielder was quiet against Mexico, struggling to really impact the game in the USMNT’s defeat. For all of his success on the club level, and there has been a lot, Tillman doesn’t quite have a signature USMNT performance or moment yet.

  READ MORE: Tillman “I’m not afraid of anyone”

  Based on what we’ve seen at PSV, it’ll come, but the 21-year-old midfielder, for now, remains a work in progress.

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  5Yunus Musah ⬆️

  You score your first USMNT goal, you rise up the list. It’s that simple.

  Musah finally found the back of the net in the first game under Pochettino, leading the way in the 2-0 win over Panama. The goal came to highlight what was a strong performance from Musah at wingback, a position he had previously played at Valencia.

  Could that be Musah’s spot long-term? Probably not. Sergino Dest seems tailor-made for that role when healthy, while Musah still feels destined to be in the midfield sooner or later. If he can keep adding goals to his game, that’ll be an easy way to earn more midfield minutes.

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  4Josh Sargent ⬇️

  Sargent finally got his USMNT chance in October, having been largely unlucky not to get multiple over the last few years. And, while there were some good things on display, Sargent still lacks something that he has so many of on the club level: goals.

  Largely due to his own injury issues, Sargent hasn’t scored a USMNT goal since Nov. 19, 2019, when he scored two against Cuba. His three other goals have come against Bolivia, Peru and Cuba again. It’s not a fantastic record by any stretch.

  That Sargent was obviously a very different player. He’s come alive over the last year at Norwich, becoming arguably the Championship’s best striker. That needs to translate to the international level, though, and, in this initial October chance, it didn’t.

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  3Chris Richards ↔️

  A hamstring injury kept Richards out of camp this time around, and it could be argued that that actually helped his case.

  The USMNT defense was very good against Panama. It was then very shaky against Mexico. To be fair, the midfield did few favors for Tim Ream and Miles Robinson, but they didn’t cover themselves in glory on Mexico’s second goal, either.

  Richards’ absence, meanwhile, was felt. He has become a regular at Crystal Palace and, right now, is probably locked in at centerback for the USMNT, too. Once he’s fit enough to play again, he’ll likely continue to prove that.
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  2Antonee Robinson ↔️

  Robinson was arguably the best left-back in the Premier League last season, and that isn’t hyperbole. He is that good, and he’s proving it again this season.

  The Fulham defender was good in both USMNT games this break, and he’s almost certainly the only player who can say that. There probably isn’t a player in the USMNT player pool as reliable as Robinson, who is so, so steady every time he takes the field.

  That’ll be very important for Pochettino, just as its important for Fulham as they battle in the Premier League.

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  1Christian Pulisic ↔️

  It’s going to be hard for anyone to unseat him atop this list.

  Pulisic is on fire at the moment, scoring goals left and right for Milan this season. He’s scored six in nine games to go with two assists, too, making him Milan’s most dominant attacking threat. Two of his goals came against Liverpool and Inter, two of the biggest teams on Milan’s schedule this season. He then went out and added an assist to Musah in his one USMNT appearance this camp.

  READ MORE: Is Pulisic World Class?

  Pulisic is far and away the best American out there right now and you could argue that he’s right up there among the best in the world on current form.