1st place - Switzerland - 7 points

- Key Player -
Xhaka

An aging team will not be as strong as years past. Akanji is not at his best anymore, Xhaka is still incredible and is the main point. But core players such as Embolo and Shaqiri are no longer the threat they were before. Only points coming in a win against Qatar for me.

2nd place - Canada - 7 points

- Key Player -
Ismael Kone

A shock opening game draw that will motivate the Canadians to push further and qualify for the knockouts. A strong, youthful and experienced team will provide a huge number of viewers for Ismael Kone, Niko Sigur and players like Buchanan and Oluwaseyi. I’m really excited about the World Cup for Canada.

3rd place - Bosnia - 3 points

- Key Player -
Dzeko

The veteran leadership will be crucial in this World Cup stage but I think it will be a step too far with Canada and Switzerland taking the top two spots. A win against Qatar will be the only positive they take home.

4th place - Qatar - 0 points

- Key Player -
Akram Afif

Qatar will have good performers but for me they are a few steps behind their neighbors Saudi Arabia. They will struggle in all three games I think and I believe that they will sadly go home very early.

1st place - Mexico - 7 points

- Key Player -
Gilberto Mora

One of the host nations and for me the host nation most likely to finish top of their group. I think they will win 2 games and have a scored draw against South Korea. Mexico have an incredibly strong mixture of youth and experience in the squad and will be looking to have another successful summer after their Gold Cup win in 2025.

2nd place - South Korea - 7 points

- Key Player -
Son

With Son healthy and fit South Korea will always be a tough opponent. After the squad has dramatically improved in the last 4 years since the 2022 World Cup I suspect they will be second behind Mexico on goal difference.

3rd place - Czechia - 3 points

- Key Player -
Soucek

For me Soucek will be a clear and obvious leader in the national teams dressing room. I believe they will have a good battle against Mexico and South Korea but for me I believe it will be two losses to the stronger opposition and a convincing win in in their second game against South Africa

4th place - South Africa - 0 points

- Key Player -
Lyle Foster

I sadly see South Africa as one of the weaker nations in the competition and I believe that they will finish with no points in the group stage. Their best chance for points are most likely the game against Czechia.

Kone has been somebody I highlighted in my previous series of top performing players of each week but what a season for him on a personal note.

After the bust up he had in training a loan with an option to buy was organized back in the summer of 2025. However, he took that opportunity and has been a standout player all season for the Serie A club. This resulted in a permanent move in January 2026.

Some key stats from his season highlight his importance;

• 32 appearances, 31 being starts

• 91% pass accuracy throughout the season

• 0.9 clearances per game

• 2.6 balls recovered per game

• 3.2 duels won per game with 54% success rate

He has made a huge case to be a key Canada National Team player for the next decade and has been part of the recent few years success of the Canadian national team increasing the quality of the overall squad and nation

Section 2 - Tajon Buchanan - Villarreal - La Liga

Buchanan has had a hit and miss season but I have been impressed overall. After a short term loan last season he got a permanent move to the Spanish club in the summer of 2025. It has been up and low all season with strong performances but also some performances where he was “missing” or less impactful.

One thing I want to say is that he has massively improved his goal contributions this year. That is also helped by the side being incredible and performing above pre season expectations. However, 7 goals and 1 assist in 31 appearances is a big increase compared to the short term loan before of 13 appearances and 1 goal, 2 assists.

Some key stats from his season;

• 19 starts in 31 appearances

• 26.3 touches per game (up from 19.1 touches in the loan before)

• 0.7 interceptions per game

• 3.2 ball recoveries per game

Overall it was a strong season and one which helped Villarreal jump up to a champions league spot in the table.

I am excited to see how he does in upcoming World Cup

Section 3 - Cyle Larin - Southampton - English Championship

Larin is a tough one to judge but has been making strong personal choices for his career. After a very poor first half of the season at Feyenoord starting only 1 game in his time there. In February 2026 he jumped over the English Channel to Southampton and really hit the ground running.

I even watched him score against my home town side Bristol City as part of his strong April performances when he scored 3 goals in 5 games.

Some key stats from his time at Southampton;

• 16 appearances, 9 starts

• 8 goals with an expected goal every 108 minutes

• 1 assist and 2 big chances created

• 1.1 ball recoveries per game

I think he made the right choice overall to head to the championship and I am looking forward to seeing how his impact is in the World Cup as he looked very good in the 2 recent games I watched of him

Now let me start with an honest point. I posted on X that Agyemang was awful and would be back in the MLS within 18 months. How wrong was I!?
After a good solid start he took on more and more and ended up helping derby to a near playoff push to finish the season. I knew he had the height but his ability off the ball has been highlighted and should be a strong indication that young MLS talent can jump over to England more often.
Some key stats from his season;

• 37 appearances with 33 starts

• 10 goals - but with 20 big chances missed

• 3 assists in 4 big chances created

• 0.8 clearances per game

• 5.8 duels won per game

I am interested to see how Derby do in the transfer window and if they strengthen as they have a real chance of pushing for promotion in the 2026/27 season.

Section 2 - Chris Richard’s - Crystal Palace - Premier League

We all know that Richard’s at this point could be the USA national teams best player. I personally think he is better than Pulisic when we look at positional talent. That is a big shout but it is something I will stand on as he has been heavily relied upon in Crystal Palace and has been injured a lot less than Pulisic.
Some key stats from his Premier League season;

• 30 appearances with 29 starts

• 73% pass accuracy in opponents half - impressive as he attempts a lot of long balls into the front line

• 1.4 interceptions per game

• 1.7 tackles per game

• 6 clearances per game

Overall he is the main man at the back for the USA in the upcoming World Cup and I hope he and Crystal Palace win the Conference League later in the month.

Section 3 - Weston McKennie - Juventus - Serie A

I am not going to touch on him too much because anybody who watches the USA national team knows he is incredible and incredibly talented. Playing almost every single position for Juventus he has demonstrated he is an integral part of the Juventus side.

33 appearances ( 29 being starts), 5 goals and 5 assists, 1.1 tackles per game, 3.1 balls recovered per game, 3.1 duels won per game

A key player in midfield, right back, right wing and even striker if needed for Juventus and the USA national side.

I mean we all know this is Tottenham. At the time of writing this they are in the relegation spots and I honestly don’t know if they will survive. West Ham are playing so well since Castellanos and Pablo came in during the winter window. I also personally don’t think that they will catch Leeds if they pick up 4 points from their last 6 games. Forest also have been hitting form more of late with 3 draws and a win in their last 4 games.

Personally I see Spurs last 6 games finishing like this -
Brighton - loss
Wolves - wouldn’t be surprised at a draw
Aston Villa. - loss
Leeds - loss/draw
Chelsea - loss
Everton - loss

Section 2 - Italy

Lazio honestly for me haven’t been themselves this season. Scoring 32 goals in 32 games is unheard of for Lazio. A goal a game! They have scored less goals than Cagliari in 16th but also are defensively solid conceding less than Napoli in 2nd. It is a very weird season for them and they are my under performers because they sit in 9th and could fall below the top half by season end

Section 3 - Germany

Wolfsburg. A German giant who won the league back in 2008/09 and won the German cup back in the 2014/15 season. They have had a disastrous season and with 5 games left they are all but down I feel. This makes a great save for football manager next year but they are 4 points away from the relegation playoff and only picked up 1 point in the last 5 games. Looking bleak for the German giants.

Section 4 - Spain

For this I am doing a tie. Valencia have had their issues off the pitch affect their on the pitch play but Sevilla have been as bad which I did not expect in the pre season. Both sit on 34 and 35 points with Elche in the final relegation spot being on 32 points and picking them up fast.

Valencia have lost a lot of their talent but players like Danjuma, Hugo Doro, Guido Rodriguez, Jose Gaya for examples should not be fighting relegation battles.

Sevilla have a strong back line but that back line has been leaking in goals and their midfield is more towards the aging side overall. They need a real rebuild after some poor transfer business in the past 5/6 years overall

I am going to name 2 teams here. Brentford and Everton.

Firstly, Everton. Impressive to be in 8th place only 4 points off champions league when a few years ago they survived a last day relegation scrap. Moyes has found something magic with existing players in Everton and brought in exactly what was needed. Has everybody been firing this year? No. Dibling has not lived up to expectations and I think there has been a lack of creativity aside from dead ball positions but it really feels like Everton are back to their 2000’s Moyes feeling again and I love it!

As for Brentford, if you had them staying up and surviving you are a list. Every single person thought they would be down and in the championship next season. But here we are, 6 games left of the Premier League season when I write this and they are currently sat in 7th in the Conference League spot. How did this happen, honestly, I think Thomas Frank left a strong Brentford depth even with outgoing transfers like Mbuemo. They had enough and added more to bolster their chances and boy did they take them!

Section 2 - Spain

Now the obvious choice is Villarreal who currently sit 3rd but I am going to pick another team. Rayo Vallecano. Now, they do sit exactly where they are meant to be expected in 13th. However, their run in Europe deserves high praise. They have been mis-firing in the league and been underperforming, there is no denying that. However, I write this as they are about to head to Athens to play AEK in the Conference League and head over with a 3-0 lead. They could be the team that beat Crystal Palace if any of the knockout sides do.

I do want to just mention Getafe. They have the third lowest squad market value according to Transfermarkt but currently sit in 8th place in the league. Will they reach Europe maybe not, but the momentum and interest from others in Spain will allow them to maybe target players last summer that would have said no immediately to joining the plan and project.

Section 3 - Germany

This is a weird one but given the circumstances and what happened in August I have to say I am impressed by Leverkusen. Losing Ten Hag early, captain Xhaka to Sunderland and having Hincapie leave also, they were in a tough spot in August of 2025. However, flash forward to April 16th 2026 and they sit 5th in the Europa League spots and 4 points from Champions League qualification with 5 games remaining. Will they challenge and win the league again like they did under Alonso? Honestly think that ship has sailed, I believe they will once again be a top 4 side each season and next season could cause issues but consistency against other top clubs could be their downfall.

Section 4 - Italy

Fiorentina. Similar to Leverkusen, what the **** happened in early season games. After an absolutely horrendous start where they didn’t win a game until December 21st they somehow look to be staying up. They heavily invested to keep their Serie A place with a bunch of squad depth and strong players coming in. I wouldn’t be concerned if I was a fan of Fiorentina. I believe this was an anomaly type season but will be one that they correct next season and bounce back into the top 8 in the 2026/27 season. However, what a weird season for them!

It all goes back to football manager 2019. I wanted to do a save with a team who I had never heard in, in walks Maribor. A Slovenian side who were going for back to back titles when I launched the game. I fell in love for the division and the teams around it following the league since I began my save. It is one of my favorite saves I ever did on any football manager and nothing has come close to replicating that. I follow the league religiously now and watch highlights each week on some beautiful 360p quality videos on YouTube!

Section 2 - market value of the league

A breakdown of the top division yearly market value of all players over the past decade shows significant growth with the total market value jumping from €79m in 2016/17 to €94.87m in 2024/25.

An increase in 10 years like that is incredibly impressive and the growth does not stop there. The second division has been even more remarkable with growth further showing clear and obvious grass roots support and youth development. The second division is up 10% between 2016/17 and 2024/25 seasons.

Players such as Sesko and Vipotnik both did time in the smaller top division teams or had stints in the second division in teenage years.

Section 3 - European success

There have also been short periods where Slovenian teams have done well continentally too. The most recent and by far best example is Celje reaching the Conference League Quarter finals in the 2024/25 season. Pair this with Olimpija doing well in the 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons reaching knockout stages and group stages in multiple competitions the Slovenian teams have upped their level recently.

They did have a strong period just over a decade ago also between the years of 2013-2015 where Maribor reached the round of 32 in the Europa League and the Champions League group stage the following season.

Section 4 - what does the future hold?

Ultimately this is a nation which is young. A league which is in early stages and this can be seen with teams like Koper falling up and down the pyramid before. There is a lot more structure now and the difference between the bottom half of the top division and the top half of the second division is not far apart. Around 50% of the teams promoted stay up their first season in the top division and with 4 different title winners between the 2019/20 season and 2022/23 season the league domination of Maribor, Olimpija and Gorica of past does not seem to exist now. However, Celje are aiming to change that winning 2 of the last 3 titles.

I can only see this league improving and being more competitive to a point where it will be like the Danish league where the top teams cause genuine issues for Europes elite but we are a little way from that right now

The move happened in August of 2025 where Parma loaned the USMNT international for the season from Inter Miami. Parma are known to develop talent and to provide first team opportunities to young and up and coming players. Cremaschi was loaned after making 39 appearances in all competitions for Inter Miami in the 2025 season with 22 appearances in the MLS totaling 1,388 minutes in the competition. This was a big move for Cremaschi and one which I saw as a huge opportunity to give another American a stepping stone into a top 5 league after players like Pulisic, McKennie and Dest all played or currently play there.

Section 2 - a questionable start

There are some issues when a player goes from one calendar system to another and this happened with Cremaschi. Playing every week both for club and country Cremaschi total season is currently at almost 16 months having started MLS games back in February 2025 and the Serie A ending in May of 2026. That is a large physical toll on the body and this impacted his start to life in Italy.

Signing on August 31st 2025 there were opportunities immediately with a game on September 13th. This was one where he sat on the bench for the game watching his new side lose 2-0. He then spent a further 3 games watching from the bench in games against Cremonese, Genoa and Parma.

He got his first appearance on October 29th 2025 in a 13 minute appearance against Italian greats, Roma.

Section 3 - after settling in

After his first appearance he would make 4 more appearances in 11 games totaling 100 minutes overall. That sounds good on paper but one of those appearances was a 86 minute starting lineup showing in the cup.

Since then he has consistently been a bench option with no impact with his last 10 games at the date of writing this, April 16th, having 4 appearances with one of them being a start against Fiorentina.

He is currently in his best involvement streak being subbed on twice in the past three games and starting the other game.

Section 4 - something blocked his path to being involved

Between September 29th and October 12th Cremaschi along with other American talents were involved in the U-20 World Championship. In this tournament he performed well with 5 goals and 2 assists but I do believe this stunted his game time. If that tournament did not happen perhaps he would have been in the starting lineup or making more substitute appearances in November/December.

But who knows with all these ifs and maybes

This post is all based off my initial group stage predictions which will be out between May 21st and June 13th. There is no definitive score predictions but overall round winners.

Section 2 - round of 32

For me I have the following winners and losers -

M74 - Germany beat Czechia
M77 - Norway beat Morocco
M73 - Canada beat South Korea
M75 - Netherlands beat Scotland
M83 - Colombia beat Ghana
M84 - Spain beat Austria
M81 - Turkiye beat USA
M82 - Belgium beat Ivory Coast
M76 - Brazil beat Japan
M78 - France beat Ecuador
M79 - Mexico beat Sweden
M80 - England beat Egypt
M86 - Argentina beat Saudi Arabia
M88 - Australia beat New Zealand
M85 - Switzerland beat Uruguay
M87 - Portugal beat Uzbekistan

The shocks will be Canada beating South Korea and Norway beating Morocco. These will be shocks as Norway have a solid side but Morocco have strong recent history in comparison. As well as this home crowd and support pushes the Canadian side into the last 16.

Section 3 - round of 16

M89 - Germany beat Norway
M90 - Netherlands beat Canada
M93 - Spain beat Colombia
M94 - Belgium beat Turkiye
M91 - France beat Brazil
M92 - England beat Mexico
M95 - Argentina beat Australia
M96 - Portugal bear Switzerland

Arguably the biggest shock here is probably France beating Brazil. France beat Brazil in a friendly back in March 2026 and I believe we will see a repeat result in the round of 16 in the World Cup.

Section 4 - quarter finals

M97 - Germany beat Netherlands
M98 - Spain beat Belgium
M99 - England beat France
M100 - Argentina beat Portugal

The big shock here is me backing my home nation of England to beat France. This is a shock result as I am of course positively biased to England but others may give this one to France overall.

Section 4 - semi finals and final

M101 - Spain beat Germany
M102 - England beat Argentina

Shock here would be England winning again I feel. I back the 3 lions all the way to the final and others may disagree but for me the final will be a repeat of the last European championship which Spain won against England.

However, my final prediction is -

England beat Spain and win their second World Cup, first since 1966.

For me, England have been good for over a decade now but the talent and players in the squad with the ridiculous squad depth gives them the edge over an incredibly strong Spanish side. It is coming home. England to win in North America!

I can see both the USA and Canada finishing on 7 points. However, it is where they will finish in the group that is where I think the two will differ. In group D I can see the USA winning the group winning 2 and drawing once. In group B I can see Canada finishing 2nd behind Switzerland because they will have the much stronger squad overall. However, I can see Canada drawing against Switzerland in a shock group stage moment.

Section 2 - who will go further in the knockouts?

My prediction is that Canada will be playing South Korea (runners up of group A). My prediction has USA being paired up with Turkiye who will one of the best 3rd place finishing sides in their group.

For me, Canada shock South Korea and Turkiye beat the USA.

South Korea arguably have a similar international squad to Canada where they have star players - Son and Davies, as well as strong players who are less superstars like Kone as an example for Canada. I believe that the home World Cup will allow the Canadians to go through to the round of 16 where they will inevitably lose to the Netherlands.

For the USA, a shock defeat against Turkiye will be on the cards. Turkiye have experience both in World Cup competitions of recent years as well as European Championships. I believe the youth that has com through will be supported heavily through the experience of Guler, Kadioglu, Kokcu and may others. Guler could be a crucial player for the Turkish national team and I believe Canada will be the further of the two North American powerhouses to progress in the competition.

What an opponent to get your first goal involvement since January 7th 2026. Aaronson played 86 minutes in the game against Manchester United, his most minutes in a game since February 10th where he played 89 minutes. However, it is not all positive as overall he had a small impact in general play with sofascore giving him a match rating of 6.3 which was around average for his performances in the past month or so.

He was involved enough to have some good statistics in what could be a season changing result for him in the hopes of being on the plane to go to the World Cup.
1 shot which was blocked as well as 14 carries, only 1 progressive losing 15.9 metres of distance towards the Manchester United goal. One key statistic which wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows was the duels won and lost. He was involved in 16 duels and won 5 of them which as an attacking player is not necessarily a bad thing but pressing high up the pitch is something that he could improve on for sure.

Section 2 - Tanner Tessmann - Lyon vs Lorient

I have highlighted Tessmann as he has had very minimal game time in the past month. His appearance over the weekend was for just 8 minutes and the game before was for 73 minutes. It does not sound too bad when you look at the past two games, however, he has been averaging under 45 minutes per appearance since the start of March which is interesting as comparing it to he January and February game time he was averaging a 90 minute game every week with a substitute appearance midweek. I believe that this reduction in game time could hinder his chances of being in the 2026 World Cup squad.

I will note that he was performing well through December and February but has for some reason been moved to an impact sub role in the last 30-45 days for Lyon.

Section 3 - Mark McKenzie - Toulouse vs Lille

On the topic of negative impact, Mark McKenzie had a weekend to forget. Toulouse were playing Lille in a good French matchup with two of Ligue 1s better sides. However, going into half time Toulouse were down 1-0 due to an own goal from Rasmus Nicolaisen in the 23rd minute. After half time however is where it all changed. A straight red card for McKenzie in the 48th minute ultimately sealed the game and handed Lille all three points. After McKenzie was sent off Lille scored 2 quick goals in the 50th and 55th minute to make it a 3-0 lead before Giroud tucked in a penalty in the 88th minute to put the cherry on top.

Before the red card McKenzie wasn’t having too bad of a game with 1 interception, 1 recovery and 1 clearance. His passing was at an okay 82% accurate with 3 of his 17 passes not finding their target. However, he will do his side more damage as Toulouse next game is against Lens in Ligue 1 with the 2nd place side also being faced in the Coupe De France in midweek also.

Section 4 - Ismael Kone - Genoa vs Sassuolo

One player I wanted to highlight for strong performances was Ismael Kone. A strong midfielder who is a mainstay in the Canadian National Side now, Kone has been going from strength to strength. He has averaged over a 7.0 match rating over the past 8 games for club and country and is definitely a standout player for the Italian side due to his strong ground duel presence and long ball abilities.

Even with Sassuolo losing 2-1 to Genoa, Kone got his first goal involvement since March first when he scored in the 57th minute to tie up the matchup. It was not a particularly strong performance from his side with only him and Muric in goal having over a 7.0 match rating according to sofascore statistics.

With that being said, Kone had 98% pass accuracy (1 missed pass), 55 touches with 152.9metres of progression with 2 tackles won, 1 interception and 6 ground duels won out of 8 duels attempted.
Kone has been a shining light this season and Sassuolo have grabbed him at a steal of a price.

LAFC -

The LAFC team has been incredible to start the year but that is most likely to happen when you don’t concede a single goal! 14 goals scored and 0 conceded is an absolutely ridiculous start to the year. One key thing I am impressed by is of course that Bouqnga is scoring well with 4 goals but overall 8 players have scored in the MLS for LAFC. The sign of a strong squad is that there are multiple scorers. I know Son hasn’t scored but with 6 assists I feel like their marquee signing has really hit the ground running too. Eustaquio has also had a strong start with an average sofascore match rating of 7.53 to begin the season.

San Jose -

Now I know San Jose have an incredible head coach with Bruce but after the outgoing transfers of Arango, Verhoeven, Pellegrino, Espinoza and Josef Martinez I expected this to be a refresh season where it was perform okay but build for next year.

However, even with Timo Werner not having a quick start overall they are doing well with 15 points out of a possible 18 scoring 10 goals and only conceding 1. Some of the key players for San Jose are their younger or developed players with Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Niko Tsakiris and Preston Judd all starting the season well. Judd has been developed over the years and all the others have been a strong group developing in the youth setup of San Jose with occasional opportunities for them over the last 2 years. If Werner gets firing this San Jose team could be in for a huge year which I didn’t think would be the case pre season.

Section 2 - who has surprised me for the wrong reasons

Orlando City SC -

Mistakes, that is the story of their season so far. 6 games played with only 5 goals scored and 23 conceded. Not a single clean sheet to begin the season and there are some very bad statistics that summarize their opening 6 games.

2 penalties conceded
2 red cards
6 errors leading to shot
3 errors leading to a goal

Orlando have more big chances missed, 7, than goals scored, 5. For match ratings, not one player in Orlando has over 6.97 match ratings through 6 games when looking at sofascore match ratings. As well as this, it is getting worse with the last 4 games being a 6-0 loss, a 5-0 loss, a surprise 2-1 win and another 5-0 loss. Overall, the team are getting worse but we will see if this continues after Oscar Pareja was denied from his role on March 11th 207 after around 6 and a half years in charge of the Florida side.

Philadelphia Union -

No points in 6 games, not a single point. 6 games, 6 losses. Unacceptable for arguably the best if not one of the best youth setups in North America. What has happened at the Union? Well, a few strong outgoing players such as Wagner to Birmingham are key but the club invested heavily with 6 signings totaling almost 11 million euros to backfill the outgoing transfers. Of the best new signings Anello is the strongest performer but is exactly average compared to the full squad. Anello has averaged a 6.65 match rating which puts him 9th out of 18 players for the squad. The 6 signings the Union made have made a combined 24 appearances which averages at 4 appearances per player on average. They are involved and are part of the issue at the club right now. The only saving grace is that all the signings are young U23 players apart from Sery Larsen and Iloski. They need to turn it around soon otherwise they could end the season. The main issue with finishing last or low this season is that Colorado Rapids own the Unions first round pick for the 2027 draft for $350,000 on GAM. The Union could be in trouble as they have no natural draft picks in the next years draft as they all went to Colorado in a trade back in 2024, that is wild looking back at it.

Researching I also found the Union have traded away their 2028 first round pick too. For a team not performing well now and having no future draft picks over the next two years realistically it could be a tough time for the Union fans.

Gio never made an appearance in the USA but was part of the NYCFC academy until 2019. He was part of that academy for many years but moved to Dortmund who he was with for 6 years until August 2025 when he moved to Borrussia Monchengladbach for 4 millions euros. At the height of his career he was valued at 42 million euros in December 2021. However, this was off a 46 game season for Dortmund back in the 2020/21 season.

I believe his career really took a downward turn in the 2023/24 season with his appearances at Dortmund averaging around 20-30 minutes per appearance, a trend that continued in a short term loan to England at Nottingham Forest. He has had slightly more game time in the 2025/26 season with his averaging nearer 40 minutes per appearance in the league this year. However, Gio has played 65 times in the past 3 seasons and has had 2 goals and 1 assist in those appearances. Frankly, this is horrendous return despite the minutes.

Section 2 - why move to the USA?

There is a case study I think he would replicate, Paxten Aaronson. Aaronson joined Colorado back in August 2025 (same time as Reyna had his move). However, Aaronson didn’t have the strongest finish to 2025 but his 2026 start has been a hot fire! Reyna could benefit from this fresh start overall as his story is similar to Reyna (and in the same league). Aaronson had a strong season in the Netherlands with FC Utrecht with 9 goals and 6 assists. However, his time at Frankfurt was not as strong with 16 games, 1 goal and 2 assists in 124 minutes overall. With minimal game time Aaronson moved back to the MLS after his time in 2022 with Philadelphia Union and had an okay start in 2025 but has been strong this season.

Section 3 - what would his impact be?

Reyna would have a huge impact overall. As a similar player to Aaronson I could see Gio hitting the ground running once settled in, like Paxten did. Aaronson has had 3 goals and 1 assist to begin 2026 and I believe that Reyna would be at the same or better level if he moved back to the USA. Reyna could jump into any team and have a strong effect and now is a good time to jump back to his home nation. There have been some major transfers in to the MLS in the past 12 months when it comes to Americans.

Steffen to Colorado, Sargent to Toronto, Aaronson to Colorado to name a few.

Section 4 - will it happen?

Who knows, time will tell but one thing we are confirmed on is that Reyna has had a very low impact when it comes to expected goal contributions. I think that Reyna needs to a fresh new start and one away from Europe, that narrows down potential options so I believe the MLS is the best opportunity. As well as this his father is a technical advisor in Austin FC so I could see Reyna jumping to an east coast team like New York, who he played at before, or down in one of the Texas teams such as Dallas for example.

I do hope he moves back as I can see him finding his groove again as he is a definite leave out for the World Cup squad for the USA due to his small amount of minutes as well as his poor contributions.

Patrick Agyemang never once was signed to a youth contract at any MLS or USL club. He didn’t even have any Division 1 or Division 2 time before jumping into Division 3 college soccer. He joined Eastern Connecticut State University and hit the ground running.

During his 2 years there he had the following stats;

• 2018 - Freshman - 9 goals in 18 appearances

• 2019 - Sophomore - 21 goals in 21 games

• Total - 30 goals, 10 assists in 39 games

He then entered the transfer portal to gain a higher level of quality and challenge himself. He ended up moving from Division 3 to Division 1 moving to the University of Rhode Island. In his 2 years there his stats were as follows;

• 19 goals, 12 assists in 37 games

In 2021 he also went on loan to USL League 2 side Western Mass Pioneers where he scored 6 goals in 15 matches.

In 2022 he was drafted by Charlotte FC as the 12th pick of round 1. In his time at Charlotte he had a mixed first year (2023) at their reserve team Crown Legacy and occasional appearances in the first team;

• Crown Legacy - 10 goals, 3 assists in 12 games

• First team - 4 goals in 18 games

Patrick remained at Charlotte for a further 18 months and picked up the below stats;

• 2024 - 10 goals, 3 assists in 36 games

• 2025 - 8 goals, 2 assists in 18 games

In the summer of 2025 he moved to England signing with Derby County where he has had purple patches as well as some short goal droughts. With that being said he has mostly hit the ground running with 10 goals, 4 assists in 34 games.

Section 2 - has this type of career happened before?

Yes, it has a few times but with different levels of success.

Firstly, Miguel Ibarra did this back in the early 2010’s. He went to UC Irvine and was drafted by Portland. He made a name for himself mostly at Minnesota but had an odd career movement similar to Agyemang.

Drafted by Portland Timbers in January 2012 -> free transferred to Minnesota Stars in March 2012 -> moved to Mexico with Club Leon in 2015 -> moved back to the MLS with Minnesota -> had a short stay with Seattle -> moved to lower USA pyramid divisions.

Another player this happened to was Jack Elliott who was drafted in 2017 by Philadelphia Union and was recently, December 2024, free transferred to Chicago. This is the most successful division 3 story other than Agyemang due to the longevity in the MLS.

A third player has done this type of career in Drew Yates. However, Yates primarily spent his time in the USL and was not given much of a chance similar to Ibarra after being drafted. Yates was drafted in January 2010 and released to Tampa Bay Rowdies in April 2010.

Section 3 - why is his career so unusual?

This is rare as the common progression for USA internationals is often this;
MLS Academy → MLS/Europe → National Team
However, there are outliers here with some players starting outside of the US and being dual nationals. Some come up through lower divisions in the professional system instead of college.
However, Agyemang had his career path take more steps and take longer overall;

• High school → NCAA Division III → NCAA Division I transfer

• MLS SuperDraft → MLS → USMNT → Europe

Both paths can work and can also not work. Both have the same result in the examples given.

Section 4 - will it happen again?

Yes. A lot of money is needed in youth to be a part of the professional game. I believe that with the online world being more accessible and with more free scouting and analyst work available parents will turn to supporting their kids as well. Some coaching and experience is still needed of course. With a lot of soccer fan beginning to have kids of their own or grandkids the love of the game will be given to the next generation. The passion the parents and grandparents will have will help their kids get into division 2 or division 3 college and be found similar to Agyemang.

The United Soccer League (USL) is restructuring its men’s professional system to introduce promotion and relegation, something that currently does not exist in almost ANY American sports. The league plans to create a three-tier pyramid consisting of a new USL Premier Division at the top, followed by the existing USL Championship (second tier) and USL League One (third tier). Once fully implemented, teams will move up or down between these leagues based on their performance each season, similar to almost every league system used in European soccer. The goal is to create a more merit-based competitive structure and potentially position the USL as an alternative pathway to top-level soccer outside the closed franchise model used by Major League Soccer (MLS).

Key dates that have already happened and future dates announced regarding the changes-

• February 13th 2025 - announcement made saying USL Premier will be added to the pyramid

• March 19th 2025 - supermajority vote from owners of the clubs to add promotion and relegation across the men’s league

• October 31st 2025 - announcement made that the new structure will launch in 2028

• November 3rd 2025 - Tony Scholes hired (former Premier League executive) to help build the new top tier

• January 27th 2026 - framework of the 3 tiers announced

• 2028 - planned launch year

Section 2 - Recent MLS comments

There are a lot of voices when it comes to soccer and some of those have been vocal about the opportunities or promotion and relegation in the USA for soccer.

The most interesting is current commissioner Don Garber. Previously he had stated the following “Promotion and relegation “doesn’t work for MLS because of the huge amounts of money owners have spent on stadiums, training complexes and youth academies.”

However in December 2025 his tone changed around the subject and was quoted saying “Back in the day, I would say ‘Never.’ Today, there’s no real point of saying never, because I don’t know what the future would look like.”

Ex pros have had comments too with Landon Donovan (LD), Tim Howard (TH) and Alexi Lalas (AL) saying the following

LD - P romotion and relegation is “interesting in theory,” but the financial realities of U.S. sports make it difficult to implement quickly.
TH - American sports model is fundamentally different, saying the league structure and ownership investment make pro/rel “far more complicated than people think.
AL - the debate often ignores “the business realities of American soccer.

Section 3 - what I think could happen?

For me, I can see the USL having a tough opening 1-5 years with some teams folding due to the financial struggles of relegation or overspending to achieve promotion. This has been seen all over Europe with teams like Brescia, Siena, Oldham to name a few.

However, I think it will be a success and I predict that the MLS will absorb/purchase the USL and link the MLS as the new top tier and include relegation for the first time. I believe this is the most likely option. However, the alternative which I honestly hope happens is that within a generation, 20 years, the USL will overtake the MLS in viewership due to the risk of every season. Soccer needs highs and lows and the lows of MLS make supporters rate the highs lower. I have supported my team, Bristol City in EFL cup semi final games, I have watched us lose in playoffs multiple times, I have seen us relegated, I have seen my team win at wembley stadium and win a trophy. I have experienced the highs and lows and I would always have the lows for the highs I have experienced. I know promotion and relegation will work and best believe I will be the number 1 fan in the USA for the 2028 season.

Mark McKenzie is somebody I rarely see mentioned in the world of USMNT squads but is arguably one of the most consistent American players this season. I know he is in the latest squad but honestly I see him being crucial in the World Cup squad as his performances in France deserve a starting spot in centre back in my opinion. After another incredibly strong performance over the weekend I hope he gains crucial and deserved minutes in the March/April international window.

During the game against Lorient, which Toulouse won 1-0, McKenzie put up solid numbers with 2 clearances, 4 recoveries, 1 duel won from 2 attempts. As well as this he was an accurate passer of the ball hitting 43 of his 44 attempted passes with a lot of the balls played being progressive passes, as seen in the image below

Section 2 - Malik Tillman - Bayer Leverkusen vs Heidenheim

Talking of strong performances, another was Tillman in the away game vs bottom of the table Heidenheim. A poor defensive performance saw Leverkusen drop 2 points against the relegation battlers in a 3-3 draw. However, Tillman put in a great performance and got his first goal contribution since January 31st.
Aleix Garcia set up the American attacking midfielder in the 22nd minute and Tillman slotted it away from around 7 yards out. One thing that stood out to me in this game was the defensive contributions of Tillman and this was a key part of his game over the weekend.

He had 1 interception, 1 clearance, 1 blocked shot, 6 recoveries and 3 duels won in 9 attempts. For an attacking midfielder these are insane numbers and shows his strong work ethic on both sides of the ball. Arguably his form is coming at the right time after a strong performance the week before against Bayern Munich. If the form continues he could be a starter at the World Cup and a locked in first choice.

Section 3 - Noahkai Banks - Augsburg vs Stuttgart

One of the best performing young players in German football unfortunately had a weekend to forget, as did his backline partners. In the Augsburg defence the 3 centre backs had match ratings of 5.3, 5.7 and 5.7 which was awfully low and resulted in Nahkai being subbed off at half time to try to stop the goals being conceded. Sadly, Chaves came on for Banks and had a match rating of 5.9 according to sofascore so it was not much better after half time.

The game finished 5-2 to Stuttgart Banks had very little defensive contributions overall and it showed conceding 3 goals in the first half of the game. He did have 12 interception and 2 recoveries but he did lose his only duel attempted. His passing was accurate with 94% accuracy but almost all of his passes were backwards towards his own goal or his centre back partners.

Luc is a Canadian centre back who currently plays for Belgian side Fc Dender in the top division, the Pro League. He is currently on loan at the Belgian side from English Premier League side Fulham. He has made 3 appearances for his parent club Fulham with all the games coming in cup competitions with 3 in the 23/24 season and one appearance in the 24/25. He has also made appearances in the development teams of Fulham in the Premier League 2. Internationally he has made 11 caps for the Canadian national team and has been involved throughout the last few years after his debut in March 2024.

Section 2 - how has he been this season?

His contract at Fulham expires in June 2029 but his loan at Dender ends in June 2026. Overall, Luc has had a very solid season in Belgium even with Dender currently sitting in the last place of the division. He has made 23 appearances, 16 of those were starts. The statistics are slightly elevated due to the weak overall squad but he has the following stats from this season;

• 1.4 tackles per game

• 2.6 recoveries per game

• 3.5 clearances per game

• 0.7 blocked shots per game

• 5.3 duels won per game (65% of duels won)

Overall, as I mention, a strong range of statistics for a team who have 3 wins in 28 games and who score less than 1 goal per game and concede almost 2 goals per game.

Section 3 - what would I suggest is his next move?

Fulham are one of those sides who loan players out to the efl championship, the English second division. For me, this is the logical next step. Given the fact it would be a miracle if Dender survive relegation I don’t believe he will be extending his loan at the Belgian side. I do see him being loaned to a team in the championship where he can have first team opportunities. I think he would struggle in an existing efl championship side who will remain in the second tier next season.

However, either of the top two teams of the third tier would be great fit. Both Lincoln and Cardiff are comfortably in the top 2 spots and look certain to be promoted (unless something ridiculous happens). However, both sides play with 4 at the back often but this could be a great move for Luc if this happens.

Section 4 - long term future

For me, Luc won’t make it at Fulham. The London based side are quite set in the Premier League now after a good few years of jumping up and down the divisions. If Fulham were to go down in the next 2 years I would expect Luc to stay. Otherwise I can see Fulham loaning him out for the next 2 years and then cashing in before his contract expires. Dependent on performance Luc could be heading to a stronger Belgian side or second division English side. I wouldn’t rule out an MLS move though but as I mention it is dependent on his performances.

Scally had a great performance over the weekend in the Bundesliga as the home side came out winners in a 2-0 rather comfortable win on March 13th. Scally playing as a RWB as he has this season did not have the best game in terms of match ratings. However, the impact he had was crucial as he set the side up for the win with his first goal involvement since January 11th earlier this year.

An assist to midfielder Honorat in the 62nd minute ultimately sealed the game for Scally and his team mates with the score finishing 2-0. Defensively, Scally was solid as he usually is with 2 tackles won out of 2 attempts as well as 4 duels won out of 7 attempts. He had 2 clearances as well as 3 recoveries in a solid clean sheet performance. One negative was his possession lost statistic with 13 times losing possession throughout the game which was the 4th highest on his team during the game. With that being said, he did have 2 successful dribbles from 4 attempts which was an equal high in the game showing his attacking threat throughout the fixture.

Section 2 - Malik Tillman - Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich may have had 2 red cards in the game. However, don’t let that distract you from the fact that Malik arguably had his best game in almost 2 months over the weekend. Supporting the left and central areas of the pitch Tillman played the full 90 minutes, something he had not done since February 7th 2026.

In terms of match involvements you can see from his heatmap below that he was supporting the left side of the pitch but also drifted central and occasionally to the right side.

In terms of key statistics regarding his game Tillman was involved in a lot of the movement of the ball but also the final touch with him having 3 total shots with 2 on target and 1 big chance missed. He had no successful dribbles but overall he had 19 carries of the ball as well as 59 touches in the game. Defensively he helped Leverkusen to get the draw against the runaway league leaders with a huge 7 recoveries.

Overall, this could be a turning point for Malik to find strong form before the World Cup this summer.

Section 3 - Niko Sigur - Hadjuk Split vs Lokomotiva

Niko is back after 3 weeks on the sideline due to a ban from his “spitting” incident back on February 22nd. He carried on where he left off with a solid but not too memorable performance with a match rating of 7.1 according to sofascore.

Playing in his usual position as Right Back as Hadjuk were able to hold on for the win after a Lokomotiva scare in the 61st minute when they pulled one back.

A key trend to the match for Niko was his long balls to the left wing position where Rebic was influential in the game grabbing a goal and an assist to basically win the game for Hadjuk. Niko and his long range passing ability (See image below) due to his talent to play as a right back or a central midfielder were on show and allowed Hadjuk to grab an early 2-0 lead in the 33rd minute.

Defensively Niko had an incredible game with the key stats being as follows
- 1 clearance off the line
- 1 error leading to a shot (likely due to no game time in almost a month)
- 3 blocked shots
- 6 recoveries

Overall, an incredibly strong game defensively which was needed after Hadjuk slipped away from Dinamo Zagreb in the title challenge with their most recent games ending in a draw and 2 losses whilst Sigur was banned.

Clearly a strong defensive display which solidified the backline of Hadjuk for the first time in almost a month.

I am writing this the day after the Juventus vs Galatasaray game where McKennie equalized late in the game before Galatasaray took control in extra time.

McKennie is one of those players who isn’t just consistent but is valuable in multiple positions. He played at the left back position in the Galatasaray game but has also played in so many positions this season for Juventus. He has played as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, right midfielder, left midfielder and a centre forward, 6 in total. He plays most of his games in right midfield, 15 out of 35 appearances with only one game in centre forward and left back which were the two games against Galatasaray.

The fact he is able to play in so many positions and so may positions so well is clear to the value he offers. When looking at his transfermarkt profile and looking at his 6 seasons at Juventus he has statistically played in 10 different positions across all the areas of the pitch.

Section 2 - his transition at Juventus

In his first season, 2020/2021, he played in 5 positions but mostly played as a central midfielder for the Turin based club. 2021/2022 season as well as the 2022/2023 season were similar with most of his games for Juventus coming in central midfield but with the occasional game in right midfield and left midfield.

Weston had his most consistent season by position in 2023/2024 where he played 37 games and had 29 in central midfield with his 8 other appearances being at right midfield.

2024/2025 was the season where he covered all the gaps for Juventus and this is where his multiple position ability really kicked in. In this season he played in 9 different positions throughout the season but also began playing as an attacking midfielder more with 10 appearances from this position.

2025/2026 season has become more of the past in some ways with his roles typically being right midfield, central midfield and attacking midfield positions. Out of 35 appearances this season he has 31 from these three positions.

Section 3 - how does this compare to his time at Schalke?

Weston played at Schalke for 3 seasons overall, removing a 13 minute appearance in the 2016/2017 season. However, his rotational position play was already evident in Schalke with the following statistics from his time in Germany -

Total appearances - 91

Top position played - central midfield - 41 appearances

Other top positions - defensive midfield - 18 appearances, attacking midfield - 11 appearances

Other positions played - right midfield- 7, centre back- 7, centre forward- 2, right back- 2

Overall, he had similar seasons in Germany when we compare his last 18 months at Juventus and this is what makes him so valuable.

Section 4 - what impact does this have for the USMNT?

Huge! Huge impact! The fact that Weston can play very confidently in a range of positions gives the USA team a huge advantage going into the World Cup. This gives the management and coaches of the USMNT an advantage of being able to go against expectations from opposition.

I think another strong aspect of Weston as well as his other international teammates is that he isn’t the only one who can do this. Tim Weah is able to play in multiple positions on the right side which gives the rotation, the rest and the tactics a massive boost to rest players and to allow for a much needed squad depth.

Section 5 - the future of this type of player

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if technical directors and scouts start looking for this type of player more. We have seen it with Nico O’Reilly at Manchester City who is able to play in a large range of positions. We have also seen this happen in other clubs in the past, think attacking threats like Joao Pedro able to play as a striker or a winger, same with Cunha at Manchester United.

I believe this will become more of the norm where players can play 2-3 positions very well. Niko Sigur is another who pops to mind who can play central midfield, defensive midfield as well as right back. There are a range of young players coming through being able to cover multiple positions and I believe this will be more common.

Next we will see attacking midfielder being able to play as wingers or being able to drop back to central midfield as the next main adaptation to squad depth.

Rokas Pukstas is an American 21 year old midfielder who is able to play in central midfield, defensively midfield and attacking midfield positions. He currently plays in Croatia for HNK Hadjuk Split where fellow North American, Niko Sigur also plays. Born in Stillwater, Oklahoma Pukstas is a strong running attacking midfielder who has dual citizenship with Lithuania being his other nationality. Pukstas has had a frequently changing youth past but has found stability in Croatia since his move.

OK Energy Youth -> Sporting Kansas City Academy - July 2018

Sporting Kansas City Academy -> Barca Academy (in the USA) - January 2020

Barca Academy -> Hadjuk U17 - September 2020

Section 2: What is his style of play?

Strong positioning, combative and clinical are words I would personally describe him as. He is a strong player with his finishing as he scores on average every 2.5-3 games in the Croatian league since his debut back in the 2021-2022 season. Combative is accurate for me as one of his key strengths which is rare in a more attacking midfielder is his ground duel ability and skills to win possession higher up the pitch. All we have to do to show his work ethic is his heatmap from the season.

He averages some strong statistics for this current season with 2.5 tackles a game, 3.2 balls recovered per game as well as having successful dribbles at 1.2 per game and total duels won per game at 9.6.

Section 3: Which team could he fit if he was to move?

For me there are 3 potential moves to further his career if the options are there. The best one I believe would be the EFL Championship. We can see strong incomings from other USMNT players like Agyemang, Haji Wright and Josh Sargeant. However, this would be a bigger step up for Pukstas but one I believe with the right fit he could do. Teams I believe that could merge his skillset well are Derby, Sheffield United in particular. Both clubs develop players well with good managers and a stable club with good ownership.

Secondly, a competitive non-top 5 league would be a good move. Hadjuk Split are not a bad team and they are not playing in a bad nation/league at all. However, a move like we saw Nathan Saliba do to Anderlecht or Sergino Dest to PSV could be a route for Pukstas to get his name into European competitions and into more eyes in the top 5 leagues. For me a team like Genk or Alkmaar would be good moves for his progression.

Thirdly and my final option would be a similar team like Noahkai Banks has now, relegation battlers like Augsburg. This would be a riskier move however as a relegation could set him back potentially and we all know what has happened to Gio Reyna in Germany. It is the last choice as it is the biggest step up where he may struggle to shine and have consistent game time.

Overall conclusion - Is he ready for this move?

It is a tricky question as some will say yes and others will say not yet. For me, I think he will move in the next 12 months but I am not convinced if this will be a summer or a winter move. I believe England, Belgium or the Netherlands will be the best options personally with style of play there as well as youth development within those nations. Time will tell but I believe summer may be a move and if not, winter for sure