20230608 American States United

🌴🇦🇷 GFOPs, apologies this week’s ASU is hitting your inboxes a day late. We … had … something … come … up. 🇦🇷🌴

To the newsletter…

Big news this morning about Lou City FC’s 💜 Josh Wynder (18; Louisville, Ky.), who is heading from his hometown club to Portuguese Champs Benfica 🇵🇹 for $1.2 Million, a USL Championship record fee. Another American who could play Champions League football next season.

More from Goal.com: USMNT youngster Josh Wynder gives lowdown on historic $1.2m Benfica transfer & vows this is just the start.

The Bridge Is Over:

No need to pull punches, it’s been a rough one for Christian Pulisic 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (24; Hershey, PA) at Chelsea.

He said as much himself from the USMNT camp: “It's been a really tough season for me personally. So I'm really excited to be here and just to get some minutes on the field and just get back to being that confident player that I know I can be and just find my footing again and just enjoy the game because it feels like it's been tough to do that lately."

To paraphrase Redman, it might be time for some action. It looks like it’s time for Hershey Jesus to leave the Bridge. The editorial squad at The Athletic went deep on Puli’s options, and it seems both player and team are up for a Stamford Bridge exit. From the article…

🗣 “At this stage, [Pulisic] is very willing to take a pay cut in order to facilitate a change of scene and a chance to kick-start his career. Chelsea are also very much incentivized to find a new home for a player entering the final year of the contract he signed as a [$73 million] arrival from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019.”

The piece goes on to say that while staying in England would “hold a lot of appeal,” it would likely mean a move to a team outside of the Big Six. Newcastle had earlier expressed interest in Pulisic, but recently informed Chelsea they aren’t interested in a move in the summer window.

A return to Germany? Nein. Same for Spain and France. Which leaves Italy. Ultimate transfer authority Fabrizio Romano has AC Milan looking like Puli’s most-likely destination, and The Athletic concurs, also adding Napoli and Juventus into the mix.

Either way, for now, Pulisic is back stateside with the USMNT, prepping for Nations League, and looking relieved and grateful to be back with his mates. Here’s to hoping he can find that kind of love and support at his next European club stop. 🙌

Hoops Hot on Marsch:

Jesse Marsch is low-key in demand these days. After being linked to openings with Southampton, Leicester City, and AS Monaco, the former Leeds boss can now add a Scottish giant to his list of potential suitors. Latest reports are that Celtic are considering Marsch for their managerial opening now that Ange Postecoglou has left Glasgow for Spurs.

Racine, Wisconsin’s Finest has previous with the Bhoys, as he was actually linked with the Celtic job back in 2021, before taking over at Red Bull Leipzig. “I’ve heard [about the links]. It’s an honor for me,” he said at the time.

While some former Celtic players feel a Brendan Rodgers return is the right move for the Hoops to make, Marsch does have support from within the Scottish game. Former Watford and Sheffield United Scottish midfielder Steven McGinn — now with Falkirk — thinks the former Leeds manager would be a great fit for Celtic. “He plays that front foot, attacking football which wouldn’t mean wholesale changes in terms of the playing style,” said McGinn. “Because that group of Celtic players, it can’t be someone who goes in and plays off set pieces and goes long. It’s got to be someone who continues this attacking football because many of these players have been recruited with that idea, so he would tick some boxes.”

Baby Eagles Exit Argentina:

With a 2-0 loss to Uruguay on Sunday in Argentina, the Real Baby Eagles were knocked out of the U20 World Cup at the quarterfinal round.

The loss was disappointing to be sure, but there were positives to take from the USYNT’s performance overall. To start, by reaching the last eight, the U.S. is now the only nation to have reached the quarterfinals of the last four U20 WCs. And while we didn’t reach the semifinals — done once previously in 1989 — the U.S. looked quite good in the four games leading up to the Uruguay match, winning all four by an aggregate score of 10-0.

The squad was driven by a solid mix of Americans Abroad and domestic players. From Europe, Real Sociedad B’s Jonathan Gomez 🇪🇸 (19; Richland Hills, TX), Hajduk Split’s Rokas Pukštas 🇭🇷 (18; Stillwater, OK), and Hoffenheim’s Justin Che 🇩🇪 (19; Richardson, TX) all scored goals for the U.S., while Wolfsburg's Kevin Paredes 🇩🇪 (20; South Riding, VA) played the second half against Uruguay and likely would have been a key player in the tournament if the Bundesliga season didn’t delay his arrival. And then Chelsea goalkeeper Gaga Slonina 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (19; Addison, IL) was arguably the USA’s top player overall, managing four shutouts while playing every minute of the tournament for the Junior Eagles.

There were also standout performances from MLS youngsters. San Jose Earthquakes’ Cade Cowell 🇺🇸 (19; Ceres, CA) and Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna 🇺🇸 (19; Sunnyvale, CA) were excellent in attack, while New York Red Bulls’ Daniel Edelman 🇺🇸 (19; Ceres, CA) has reportedly drawn the interest of clubs in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Israel based on his play in midfield. Don’t be surprised to see any of these names pushing for key roles on the senior squad in 2026.

For more on Lionel Messi to Miami WATCH OUR YOUTUBE EXCLUSIVE with our favorite MC of King Leo goals, none other than Ray Hudson himself.

News and Notes:

• Folarin Balogun’s 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (21; New York, NY) season with Reims ended on a high, as he scored his 21st league goal of the season (WATCH). And got a nice going-away present afterwards. Balo said au revoir, and jetted off for USMNT duty, where his fiery edge will be a welcome addition to the squad, according to Matt Turner.

• Haji Wright 🇹🇷 (25; Los Angeles, CA) and Antalyaspor finished 15th in Turkey this season, good enough to avoid relegation. Wright had 15 goals in 28 appearances, which was 6th best in the league. Latest reports have Rangers interested in the USMNT striker.

• Zack Steffen 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Update: The 28-year-old from Downington, Pa. underwent offseason knee surgery and expects to be out for 3-4 months. This makes it unlikely he’ll be ready for the start of the European club season, putting a return to Middlesbrough in doubt. Especially considering the $12 million price tag City have set for him.

• Brenden Aaronson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (22; Medford, NJ) on his first season in Leeds on Instagram: “The season wasn’t good enough. We all strived for more and wish we did better.” Class gesture by Heat Map Jesus, who’s been linked with a move to the Bundesliga.

• It took until the final day of the season, but Luca de la Torre 🇪🇸 (25; San Diego, CA) and Yunus Musah 🇪🇸 (20; London, ENG) both managed to avoid relegation with Celta Vigo and Valencia, respectively, despite both their clubs being on the brink. Then Luca ordered octopus. Now both are with the USMNT for Nations League duty. 🐙

• Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (35; St. Louis, MO) is back in training with USMNT, but purely to stay in shape for the upcoming season. He’s not on the final Nations League roster.

• Despite Troyes being relegated, Erik Palmer-Brown 🇫🇷 (26; Lee’s Summit, MO) had a solid season in France, starting 36 of 38 Ligue 1 matches and playing 3,191 minutes overall. It remains to be seen if he’ll go down to Ligue 2 with the French side.

Parting Shots:

Congrats to Sam Vines 🇧🇪 (24; Colorado Springs, CO) and Mark McKenzie 🇧🇪 (24; Bear, DE), who will both be playing in the Champions League next season with Royal Antwerp and Genk, respectively, as their clubs finished first and second in the Jupiler Pro League. After a bonkers finish to the Belgian season.

And chin up, MM. After a season that saw you start 36 matches at center back — and score a ridiculous four goals in your last seven — there’s little chance you could have done much more. Here’s to those Big European Nights ahead.

Launch of USWNT Collection with the GFOPs at Homage ⭐️🇺🇸👕

Celebrate the US Women's National Team, pay homage (no pun intended) to the history of 90s sports that we love, and get ready for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The GFOPs at Homage let us - yes us - release their USWNT collection ahead of this summer’s World Cup. They’ve let us give you GFOPs exclusive first access to the collection and you can check it out HERE, taking us back to the iconic moment when Brandi Chastain's penalty kick secured victory against China, a moment that still reverberates in our collective memory. It was a turning point, a moment when the nation's love affair with soccer and women's sports ignited. Support our women trying to go back-to-back-to-back this summer and gear up today.