Christmas is Over. It’s Time for the USMNT Mid-season Review

The big leagues all across Europe are reaching their halfway points, and it seems an appropriate time to evaluate how it’s gone for some of our main USMNT guys playing abroad. I’m going to pick 11 players I deem worthy of highlighting, and give them each a letter grade based on their performances during the season so far. I want to preface the article by stating that these letter grades are by no means final for the season. These players all have the opportunity to pick up form in the second half of the season, or do the opposite and drop off. With that being said, let’s kick off this mid-season review with Captain America…

Christian Pulisic (AC Milan): A

He’s by far our best player and he’s enjoyed his most productive start to a season in his professional career so far. The only reason I’m not giving him an A+ is because of the calf injury he sustained in Milan’s 1-2 loss to Atalanta on December the 6th. That injury has kept him out of the lineup ever since, and Milan hopes to have him back for their Supercoppa semifinal against Juve on January 3rd. Enough about the injury, though, as it’s simply a minor setback on an incredible season so far. Christian has notched 8 goals and 6 assists in 20 matches across all competitions so far, making him the club’s leader in both statistics. It’s not just the numbers that are impressive though; it’s the quality and significance of the goals he’s scored so far. He scored an incredible solo goal in the Derby della Madonnina against Inter at the San Siro. He scored a brilliant goal against Liverpool in the Champions League. He scored an Olimpico in the UCL against Club Brugge. That’s just a few, and Pulisic has been brimming with confidence all season. He’s become indispensable to Milan, and it’s no surprise they’re looking to offer him a new contract soon.

Ricardo Pepi (PSV): A+

I could argue that Ricardo Pepi has been in better form than any other USMNT player. That’s how good his season has been so far. Despite not being a starter for the majority of the season so far for PSV, El Tren has scored 14 goals and provided 2 assists across all competitions for the Dutch club. In Sergiño Dest’s absence, Pepi and Malik Tillman have been causing quite the stir over in the Netherlands, including a memorable comeback in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk. Ricardo Pepi has been the definition of efficient this season, scoring with almost every opportunity he’s been given. He is currently second in the Dutch Eredivisie scoring charts, with 10 goals in the league. If he doesn’t earn himself the starting role he deserves at PSV pretty soon here, I would not be surprised if some top clubs come knocking for him in the January window.

Timothy Weah (Juventus): B

Nothing special, but definitely not bad either. I think a B just about sums up Tim Weah’s season so far. After the summer he had- that is, basically singlehandedly knocking us out of Copa America with his red card against Panama and thus getting Gregg sacked- Tim Weah needed to put that behind him and have a strong start to the year. I’d say he has just about done that, though there is much room for improvement. He’s picked up 4 goals and 4 assists for Juve across all comps, for the most part as a substitute. His performance in the 2nd leg of the Nations League quarterfinal against Jamaica on 11/18 showed how good he can be. He was absolutely electric in that game, scoring a brilliant volley in the second half. Weah can be a real X-factor for us- I just think he needs to up his end product to get to the next level.

Gio Reyna (Dortmund): D

215 minutes across all competitions. 2 starts. We’re halfway through the season and it’s the same old story for Gio Reyna. A groin strain has kept him out for much of this season, and since being back he’s been mostly limited to a fringe role off the bench. It was the same last season with both Dortmund and the disastrous loan spell to Nottingham Forest. Something needs to change for Gio, who I still believe is one of our most talented players. He needs to feel the trust of a manager, and he needs a consistent run of games above all else. He scored his first club goal for 583 days on December 15th against Hoffenheim, which was great to see, but that statistic tells the whole story. I feel for Gio but I think it’s time for him to take a step down to a club he’s going to actually see the field at. Whether that’s MLS for a short spell or a lower-level team somewhere in Europe remains to be seen. The bottom line is that Gio cannot continue like this as we approach the 2026 World Cup.

Weston Mckennie (Juventus): A

Every summer they try to discard him, and yet every season Weston proves them wrong. When are Juventus going to realize that this guy can play, and deserves to be a main part of the project? I admire Weston’s work rate and tenacity, which make him such a reliable and consistent midfielder. He’s featured 17 times for the Italian giants this season, picking up 4 goals and 2 assists across all competitions as a midfielder. Juventus manager Thiago Motta has made Mckennie a regular after attempting to freeze him out of the squad over the summer. When he’s fit, he starts. It’s as simple as that. He is one of our most consistent performers in Europe, and his season so far most definitely merits an A grade.

Tyler Adams (Bournemouth): B

It’s only a B for Tyler Adams because of his availability issues. He was out with a back injury from the start of the season til the end of October, but he’s been working his way back since. Since he first stepped back onto the field for Bournemouth, Tyler has been back to his best. He’s shown that same tenacious work ethic and endless recovering of loose balls that we all associate with Tyler Adams. We know how good he can be, and he was Leeds United’s best player a few seasons ago in the Premier League. If Tyler continues on this path and performs consistently in that 6 role for Bournemouth for the rest of the year, he can most definitely up this grade to an A. Bournemouth, by the way, sit 6th in the league right now. His only issue is staying available, which he’s struggled with in recent seasons. Tyler’s a guy who we need fit and firing come 2026. He was our leader in the 2022 World Cup and he’s so crucial to our national team.

Antonee Robinson (Fulham): A+

The best left-back in the premier league right now, in my opinion. He has been absolutely immense for Fulham this season, earning plaudits from top pundits across the UK. His performance at Anfield a few weeks back especially caught the eye, as he picked up both assists in their 2-2 draw. Some were calling it a tryout, and it would be very smart business if Liverpool were to pick him up in January. This guy is so athletic and seems to have endless stamina. Every Fulham attack goes down the left side, finding Antonee Robinson on the overlap who fires crosses in all game. He has played every single minute for Fulham in the Premier League this season, and we know the best ability is availability. We’re lucky to have him representing the USMNT. What a player.

Chris Richards (Crystal Palace): B-

He hasn’t been available enough this season for Crystal Palace, which is why I’m giving him a B-. To be honest, center back is the USMNT’s weakest position right now. We’ve been starting 37 year old Tim Ream back there, which cannot continue for much longer. Chris Richards is our most hopeful prospect back there at the moment, but even he doesn’t give me much promise. He’s made 9 appearances for Palace across all competitions- 7 in the PL and 2 in the EFL cup. He had an excellent season for Palace last year, featuring all over the backline and even at the 6 for a portion of the season. Chris hasn’t been able to put together a consistent run in the team and replicate his form from last season thus far, but there’s still plenty of time for him to do that. He last went 90 minutes on December 21st, when Crystal Palace lost 5-1 to Arsenal. Yikes. Plenty of time for him to turn things around and prove why he’s our best CB. It’s a position of concern though, no doubt.

Mark Mckenzie (Toulouse): A-

With Richards being injured, and quite frankly a lack of options at CB for the USMNT, Mark Mckenzie has been firmly in the mix this year. He’s taken the step up from playing in Belgium to playing in France in Ligue 1 in his stride, becoming a regular for Toulouse in the back. He’s started 13 of their 15 league games so far, and impressed Mauricio Pochettino enough to reward him with a regular role in our last 2 camps. The 2 center back positions for the US are really anyone’s to grab at the moment, and Mark Mckenzie will be thinking why not him? He’s been mainly employed on the left side of a back 3 for the French side, who currently sit 9th in the Ligue 1 table. He’s earned plaudits for his distribution building out of the back and his defensive solidity. Another product of the Philadelphia Union academy, which has an impressive track record of building USMNT players. Keep it up, Mark. You just may be the guy in 2026.

Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach): B+

Joe Scally is a guy you rarely hear about during the regular season, but he quietly goes about his business for Gladbach in the Bundesliga. He has started all 15 Bundesliga games this season, as his team sits 8th in the league. At 21 years old, Scally has already played 104 Bundesliga matches for Gladbach, which is pretty incredible. He’s not a flashy fullback who will hit 70 yard diagonal through balls like Trent, but he’s solid defensively and does the basics well, for club at least. I’m giving him a B+ because I’ve never really been convinced by him in a US shirt. With Dest’s long-term injury, Scally has gone the full 90 minutes in 5 of the USMNT’s last 6 matches. However, he’s been caught out defensively multiple times, and was also exposed in Copa America over the summer. I hope he can replicate some of his consistency with his club for the US, but I just haven’t seen it yet. At this point, I’d slide Sergiño Dest right back into the USMNT starting lineup when he returns from injury.

Matt Turner (Crystal Palace): C

Last but not least, the goalkeeper position. Our #1 American goalkeeper is currently a backup for the 16th placed team in the Premier League. Not an ideal situation at all. Goalkeeper has historically been one of our strongest positions, but that can’t really be said anymore. Yes, Matt Turner came up with a massive penalty save against Jamaica in our last window, but he still isn’t getting any meaningful minutes for Palace. Our #1 goalkeeper needs to be playing regularly, and it might have to be back in MLS. Matt is 30 years old. He was the backup at Arsenal for a bit, then at Nottingham Forest where he really struggled, and now Crystal Palace where he hasn’t seen the field. England hasn’t exactly worked out for him, but I can see him thriving for many years back in the MLS. Matt definitely has some things to think about in January if he wants to still be our #1 in 2026.

Conclusion

That’s it for my USMNT midseason review. There are some players I didn’t get to that arguably deserved shoutouts, like Brenden Aaronson, Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Folarin Balogun, and Malik Tillman, to name a few; but, I wanted to limit it to 11 players and cover every position on the pitch. Here’s to hoping all our boys abroad finish the season strong.