USMNT Transfer Watch - Movers and Shakers

Where does Tolkin go... who can afford him, biggest transfer ever on a fullback didn't exactly work out here

I’d expect John Tolkin to be on the move this summer following Holstein Kiel’s relegation from the Bundesliga.

Tolkin did well in limited time. #USMNT pic.twitter.com/ZYyNF7azlB

— Larry Henry Jr (@lhenry019) May 12, 2025

 

Like I've been saying, though. We had 12iah players contributing significantly to teams in the top 4 leagues this year. We could double that this year.

B Aaronson promotion to EPL.
Koleosho - promo to EPL.
P Aaronson - back to Frankfurt
Benja - transfer to Spurs or Juve
Campbell - rumored BL interest
Banks - more PT at Augsburg or move to Roma
Mathias Albert debut at Dormund
Klinsmann - move to BL or Serie A
Tillman -move to BL or EPL
Scott - playing time at Lecce
Brown, Downs, Chase announce switch.
Luna -Euro transfer
Yow- maybe?
Akinmboni and/orEyestone debut?

 

He's used to playing with talented guys at least. Seems like a possible Gold cup guy if it's going to be an MLS affair.

 

I don't believe it.

 

Koleosho - promo to EPL! He has had a grand total of 179 minutes of play for Burnley since the new year with no reported injuries. This kid will not be playing in the Prem's.

 

What could be worse than Spurs?
Maybe ManU? A whole bunch of clubs are being connected to him in the press, but that Spurs puchase options looms large.

Man Utd to do battle with Tottenham again! Red Devils eye move for Johnny Cardoso despite Europa League final opponents Spurs agreeing €25m purchase option for summer window | Goal.com US

 

I think Cremaschi’s work rate and physicality (when combined with his creativity) give him a higher ceiling than McGlynn but I generally agree. I could see him doing well at one of the better (but not top) Dutch or Belgian clubs but I’m not sure they’d pay better than he’d get in mls.

Gutierrez is the player I think is really underestimated by a lot of folks.

🇺🇸🇮🇹 Per @TuttoMercatoWeb , Roma are eyeing Chicago Fire’s Brian Gutierrez.

💪 The 21-year-old has 3 goals in 8 games this season, averaging 4.6 duels won and 2 chances created per match.

📈 Gutierrez has been a key man for Chicago since he was 18 and made his debut for the… pic.twitter.com/FdyprhiFp5

— MLSeli (@MLSELI) May 13, 2025

 

Gutierrez also a player name checked by Adams in terms of who he is impressed with in camp from the last window.

 

There's a little bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to our MLS players. All of Cremaschi, McGlynn, Gutierrez, Luna, etc. can play in Europe.

There's the issue of who can pay them what the MLS clubs are paying them. And who, in 2025, can afford the transfer fee. When people say "Oh, Brian Gutierrez can play in Belgium!!!" They're right. He sure can. Take a look at what Brian Gutierrez is paid versus the players on most Belgian clubs. Take a look at what transfer fees most Belgian clubs pay.

Who's paid more? Brian Gutierrez or Griffin Yow? Check it out. It ain't even close. Brian Gutierrez by an absolute mile. Why would Brian Gutierrez go to Belgium? Only the biggest of clubs could get him, and he'd be one of the highest paid players on the team.

 

Higher pay does not equate to a better player. Pulisic or Wes could come back to MLS and get paid higher than big players in Europe does that mean they are better than the those players? Your argument also goes to the root of why the Mexican National team does not have many players in Europe. Liga MX is pricing the players out of transfers to Europe and in all probablitity stiffling player growth.

 

I've noticed most people assume things stay the same which they don't. There's an improvement in MLS this year from last. It's not just one thing. Even the example of Galaxy shows how much MLS improved: You can't just take people willy-nilly off a team under the accountant's direction unless you want to set new records for futility.

The 35 yr old legend from Europe isn't saving anybody anymore. The playmaker role isn't as important anymore with the new generation of players who can contribute more in the creative goal scoring department. Shield leaders Vancouver don't have a trad 10; nor does LAFC. When he interviewed Poch, Valeri commented that MLS was a league for the "10" and Poch agreed. Yes, it may still be but less so now than before and the direction is clear enough to see. Other players are becoming more aware.

I'll be glad to see the back of our current European Bronze generation. Character doesn't change much and Berhalter's selection just was not a team with the personality to do anything major in a WC. We need new players with a new way of playing. Turn the apple cart over and make sure to cull the rot.

 

Higher pay doesn't necessarily mean a player is better, but it does mean that he's harder to acquire. People who scoff at Cremeschi to Juve rumors (or whatever) should understand that increasingly those are the only sorts of teams that can afford to buy any but the youngest US players. Most of European soccer is puny, broke, shambolic, dying, etc.

 

I think you're jumping to conclusions about Miami. They lost two matches to Vancouver and conceded 4 goals to Dallas and Minnesota. But they also hammered the Red Bulls last week and they've only lost twice in 11 MLS games.

 

Cremaschi holds an Italian passport, which makes him attractive to European clubs.
So does McGlynn (Ireland).

Today's rumor is Ben Cremaschi to Venezia.
[Which presumably would be contingent upon them staying up.]

I saw a recent column indicating his transfer fee will likely be in the 10 million dollar range. That's the Brenden Aaronson, Caleb Wiley, etc. range. Maybe north of that if a bidding war starts. That limits his potential destinations.

 

They might get $10 million including add-ons.

 

No, I'm not thinking about Miami other than as one board in the floor. Like I said, it's not one thing. I mean, Giroud can't get p.t. at LAFC and Reuss can't save Galaxy any more. Vancouver are fine without their best player, Gauld, who is supposed to be their creative type, I believe? There's just a lot more skilled American players in MLS these days and better skills inevitably mean better tactics, in time.

 

I think Italy realizes that it has lost a lot of ground in the past 20 years when the EPL went hard after the global/American marketplace. They're trying to correct course partly with American players. Which is great for us. I almost always watch AC games nowadays.

As far as MLS, there's kind of a choice here: do they keep selling top Americans, or top anybody, to the Euro leagues? If we could wave a wand and bring back the top 50 North Americans players, would that improve the league enough to support the NT?

 

I don't think they're signing American players for marketing purposes. European leagues don't work like that. Pulisic and Weah were astute pickups from bigger clubs (currently, not in the past). Juventus tried their best to get rid of McKennie.

 

The MLS has to be the league with the largest jump in quality over the past 5 or so years. I recall the days when the quality was so much lower than top 5 Europe (even Liga MX for that matter)... but now I would much rather watch a random MLS game than most of the leagues outside the top 5. Yes, some of that is related to the number of young US players but I also love that there is less of a disparity between the best clubs and the worst ones. I also think the pay scale is getting to the point where we may actually see some of our best USMNT players in the future never crossing the pond to apply their trade. If the MLS could rank around #5 in world league rankings consistently then I think more and more U14 athletes would choose to stick with soccer rather than choosing football, baseball or basketball. <fingers-crossed>

 

Yes, it's far too late now and American players won't do it, but we absolutely are seeing sales and acquisitions based on this idea. Bryan Reynolds, cough, cough.

The Top 50 North American players? I think quite a few of those probably already play in MLS (and LigaMX).

But to answer your question, no on several levels.

For one, making personnel decisions based on nationality doesn't improve a league; those kind of restrictions distort any kind of market and inevitably make it worse. It's not like MLS teams are actively avoiding Americans -- it's more that overpaying to acquire or retain them is a bad idea.

MLS is improving. Players are going to try Europe. Some will come back and some already want to stay. There will be more and more as it pays more and gains more legitimacy. But these things take time -- attempting to rush it really won't work, and if you were to rush it, you wouldn't start with Americans, you'd do what they are doing. You start with those that build credibility and overpaying to keep domestic talent home doesn't actually do that.

It's also important to note that MLS fanbases by and large don't give a shit about if a player is American. I mean, they like the local kid in Jordan Morris, but there's a reason the league let Jozy and Michael go to Toronto. The fanbases are very comfortable rooting for Diego Valeri or Miguel Almiron or whomever. Christian Pulisic would be a star because he's a star -- you don't see a rooting group for Indiana Vassilev in Philly.

And since most of them do very well in attendance, I think the idea that a team should break the bank for Weston McKennie, hoping he has a big World Cup to draw in casuals is reasonably met with skepticism.

 

Who knows? All depends who and how many bidders there are.

There are these players that go for a lot more than expected due to that competition. Bryan Reynolds, for instance. Remember when Fabrizio Romano quoted a Euro scout as saying Reynolds was a "Trent Alexander-Arnold starter kit?" That hasn't happened.

10 million these days isn't a heck of a lot.
You can't buy a garden hose in Europe for 10 million.

Cremaschi is under contract thru 2027. An actual young and fit player in a sea of geriatrics.

 

Ledezma... nothing

There has been no advancement in Richie Ledezma joining Liga MX side Chivas, sources say.

Interest remains though, as well as from clubs in Italy, France, Greece and the EFL Championship.

PSV also still has contract extension on table. #USMNT #ElTri pic.twitter.com/zIgKoyJzz9

— Larry Henry Jr (@lhenry019) May 14, 2025

 

Two days later:

I’m tired bruhhhhh!

How does a professional player miss an open goal like that 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/UTVWdAqbig

— 𝐂𝐀 𝐕𝐀?🐐🐐 (@psg_chief) May 15, 2025

 

the mls pay structure actively hurts our development.

 

Why do people overthink this. Look at other leagues outside the top 4. The elite move up the pyramid to highest levels of competition. The rest don’t.

Top of the pyramid is where most with that ability want to go.

Across sports.

Not complicated.