20230705 American States United

“On my main phone that I walk around with, I literally just have my friends and family contacts, and I try to keep the social media all off my main phone. We have another phone where people help me with my social media. You can read 100 nice things about you, but you hear that one bad thing and it just brings you down.”

—Christian Pulisic opening up to Herculez Gomez about why he has two phones, from the VAMOS podcast. Be sure to listen and download here. 🎙🎧

Americans Abroad Transfer Tattle:

Has there ever been a summer like this one for Americans Abroad on the transfer market? So much of the world football news cycle has U.S. names peppered throughout, with our players linked to some of the top clubs in Europe.

Just a quick dose of perspective as we enter a key stretch in the summer window. Now we transfer tattle.

After making an initial offer of $15 million for Christian Pulisic 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (24; Hershey, PA), which was promptly rejected by Chelsea, AC Milan have come back to Boehly and Co. with a second, vastly improved bid of $24 million for CP10. Pulisic wants the move to Italy, and has already agreed to personal terms with the Champions League side, so the two clubs agreeing on a transfer fee should be the final step in completing a deal. Talks should be ongoing as we speak. Puli, meanwhile, is letting his agents handle negotiations while he wakeboards with buddies.

This one kind of came out of nowhere, but according to ESPN, Weston McKennie 🇮🇹 (24; Little Elm, TX) is considering a move back to the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund in talks with the USMNT midfielder. Which seems like a good fit on paper, until one recalls that Wes spent four seasons with BVB’s hated rivals Schalke 04. The German equivalent of an Everton player signing with Liverpool.

Staying in Germany, Union Berlin are reportedly trying to bring Brenden Aaronson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (22; Medford, NJ) over from Leeds on a loan deal. Which would mean Champions League football for Medford Messi, as well as the chance to kick baby bro Paxten around the pitch at least twice a year when the Iron square off against Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern, meanwhile, are trying to cash in on Malik Tillman’s 🇩🇪 (21; Nürnberg, GER) stellar loan season in Scotland by selling him to a Premier League club. Brentford and Brighton remain keen.

Luton Town have decided not to purchase Ethan Horvath 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28; Highlands Ranch, CO) from Nottingham Forest, despite the USMNT goalkeeper helping the Hatters achieve their first-ever Premier League promotion during this past season on loan. Horvath now returns to Forest, who can either keep him and let him fight for minutes with the Tricky Trees, sell him to someone else, or send him out on loan again.

Yunus Musah 🇪🇸 (20; London, ENG) is trading hot on the European market. To the degree that roommates AC Milan and Inter Milan are in a bidding war over the Valencia midfielder’s services. But the two San Siro sides also have Premier League clubs to deal with, as Fulham are reportedly interested in bringing a third USMNT player to the Cottage.

Arsenal have placed a $63 million price tag on Folarin Balogun 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (21; London, ENG). On the Fourth of July. Which is the day after his birthday. 🦅🎂🎉🙌

Tim Weah 🇫🇷 (23; Rosedale, NY) officially made the move to Juventus, where he’ll wear the 22 shirt. But not before he got a lovely sendoff video from old club Lille. And a nice little Ligue 1 shoutout on America’s Birthday.

Elsewhere, West Ham are still interested in Tyler Adams 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (24; Wappingers Falls, NY) … Antonee Robinson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (25; Liverpool, ENG) will reportedly receive a new contract offer from Fulham to keep him at the Cottage … And Barcelona may make a decision on Sergiño Dest’s 🇪🇸 (22; Almere, NED) future after the preseason.

Compare all of this to where we were a decade ago. During the summer of 2013, the biggest Americans Abroad transfers were, in no particular order: Jozy Altidore going from AZ Alkmaar to Sunderland, Danny Williams leaving Hoffenheim for Reading, and Eric Lichaj departing Villa for Forest. The biggest move of all, in fact, was one of our own doing a reverse commute, as OG AA GOAT Clint Dempsey said farewell to England with a “big-money” move from Tottenham to Seattle Sounders. Bless those boys, pioneers all of them. But these moves pale in comparison to where things stand in 2023.

Now we have wingers being sold to Juventus, No. 10 shirts leaving (hopefully) Chelsea, both San Siro clubs sparring over a Valencia midfielder. And one of the top young strikers on the market saying deuces to Arsenal. What progress. What a time to be alive.

The Plight of the Pirate of the Caribbean:

After a nervy 1-1 draw with Jamaica to open the Gold Cup, B.J. Callaghan and the USMNT dropped a couple of 6-0’s on St. Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago to advance as the top team out of their group. But the biggest story coming out of the two wins has to do with forward Jesus Ferreira 🇺🇸 (22; McKinney, TX), who became the first USMNT player to score back-to-back hat tricks.

The FC Dallas striker is in a funny place. All he can do is score. But the more he scores, the more of a lightning rod he becomes for many U.S. fans, making a name for himself as the "Pirate of the Caribbean." A flat-track bully who feasts purely upon CONCACAF minnows, and disappears against real opponents.

One has to feel for Jesus. He’s still only 22, and has his whole career ahead of him to grow and develop, while too many are writing him off. But he has almost become a scapegoat for the surreal reality surrounding this team — the memory of his World Cup squad selection, and subsequent anonymous performance against the Netherlands in the Round of 16 still lingers. Only time, development, and closing the delta between the Gold Cup goal machine, and the big game stage fright can heal it.

Next up for Big Rig and the USMNT: a quarter final date with Canada on Sunday (7:30 p.m. EST, FS1). Then post Gold Cup, U.S. Soccer announced two September friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman. Which should mark the return of Gregg Berhalter.

News and Notes:

• Fulham dropped their new home white kit. Tim Ream 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (35; St. Louis, MO) — sans cast 💪 — modeled it.

• Bundesliga broadcaster Derek Rae translated Hoffenheim manager Pellegrino Matarazzo’s 🇩🇪 interview with Kicker. Very interesting thoughts on growing up playing soccer in the U.S., and thoughts on German culture and the language itself. Worth your time.

• Congrats to Oakland Roots SC and Ethan Kohler 🇩🇪 (18; Campbell, CA) for successfully transferring the midfielder to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. It’s a huge positive for football in this country when lower-league U.S. clubs are taking part in — and generating meaningful revenue from — the global transfer market.

• We’ve watched this Bryan Reynolds 🇮🇹 (22; Fort Worth, TX) banger about 150 times. Hopefully parent club Roma saw it once or twice as well.

• Espanyol winger, and tri-national, Luca Koleosho 🇪🇸 (18; Norwalk, CT) is going to play in the U-20 Euros for Italy, meaning he’d have to file a one time switch if he ever decided he wanted to play for the USMNT or Canada.

• SKN St. Poelten want to take Wolfsburg winger Ulysses Llanez 🇩🇪 (22; Lynwood, CA) back on loan for a third season, after Uly racked up 13 goals and seven assists over his first two seasons with the Austrian club.

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Parting Shots:

Congrats to Paxten Aaronson 🇩🇪 (19; Medford, NJ) and Kevin Paredes 🇩🇪 (20; South Riding, VA), who made the cut on the “5 Youngsters to Watch” list on the official Bundesliga website. Former Eintracht Frankfurt manager, someone not known for singling players out for praise, said that young Pax is a “highly talented, fantastic kid.” The younger Aaronson then got the social graphic treatment, along with Eintracht teammate Timmy Chandler 🇩🇪 (33; Frankfurt, GER), on America’s birthday. While Paredes celebrated the 4th by debating French teammate Nicolas Cozza about which nation has better food, sports, and weather. Next time have them both hit simultaneous Lady Liberty celes at the end at least. 🗽

USWNT Collection with the GFOPs at Homage ⭐️🇺🇸👕

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