The German Bundesliga has become the destination of some of America’s best young talent. Here are 11 players who played club soccer in the USA before making the jump.
1. Christian Pulisic
Born and raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Christian Pulisic began playing soccer at a young age with the PA Classics youth club. He later joined the youth academy of Borussia Dortmund in Germany and made his professional debut for the club in 2016 at the age of 17.
Pulisic became a regular for Dortmund, helping the team win the DFB-Pokal cup in 2017. He later signed with English club Chelsea FC in 2019.
2. Weston McKennie
Weston McKennie grew up in Little Elm, Texas, and played youth club soccer with FC Dallas. He joined German club Schalke 04’s academy in 2016 and made his professional debut for the team the following year.
McKennie became a regular for Schalke, helping the team finish second in the Bundesliga during the 2017-2018 season. He later joined Italian club Juventus in 2020.
3. Gio Reyna
Born in Durham, North Carolina, Giovanni Reyna played youth club soccer with New York City FC before joining the Borussia Dortmund academy in 2019. He made his professional debut for the club in January 2020 at the age of 17 and has since become a regular for the team.
4. Josh Sargent
Josh Sargent is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and played youth club soccer with the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club. He joined German club Werder Bremen’s academy in 2017 and made his professional debut for the team later that year at the age of 17.
Sargent has since become a regular for Werder Bremen, helping the team avoid relegation from the Bundesliga during the 2020-2021 season.
5. Tyler Adams
Tyler Adams grew up in Wappingers Falls, New York, and played youth club soccer with the New York Red Bulls. He joined German club RB Leipzig in 2019 and has become a key player for the team, helping them reach the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in 2020.
6. Fabian Johnson
Fabian Johnson was born in Munich, Germany, but grew up in Chandler, Arizona, and played youth club soccer with Sereno Soccer Club. He began his professional career with German club 1860 Munich in 2006 and later played for Hoffenheim and Borussia Mönchengladbach before retiring in 2021.
7. Timmy Chandler
Timmy Chandler was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but grew up in Los Angeles, California, and played youth club soccer with the LA Galaxy academy. He began his professional career with German club Eintracht Frankfurt in 2010 and has since become a regular for the team.
8. Terrence Boyd
Terrence Boyd is originally from Bremen, Germany, but played youth club soccer with the San Francisco Bay Area Ambassadors before signing with German club Borussia Dortmund’s academy in 2009. He later played for Austrian club Rapid Vienna, German club RB Leipzig, and Turkish club Sivasspor before retiring in 2021.
9. Alfredo Morales
Alfredo Morales was born in Berlin, Germany but spent part of his childhood in the United States. He played youth soccer with various clubs in the New York area, including Blau-Weiß Gottschee and the New York Red Bulls academy. Morales later returned to Germany to join Hertha BSC’s youth academy.
Morales made his professional debut for Hertha BSC in 2010 and played for the club until 2013, when he transferred to FC Ingolstadt 04. He played for Ingolstadt for five seasons, helping the club gain promotion to the Bundesliga in 2015. In 2018, Morales signed with Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he played for two seasons before joining Arminia Bielefeld in 2020.
Morales has represented both the United States and Germany at the international level. He has made over 15 appearances for the US national team since his debut in 2018, and he previously represented Germany at the youth level.
10. Haji Wright
Haji Wright was born in Los Angeles, California and played youth club soccer with the LA Galaxy academy before joining the New York Cosmos youth academy. He joined the youth academy of German club Schalke 04 in 2016 and made his professional debut for the team in 2018.
Wright has since played for several clubs, including Dutch club VVV-Venlo and Danish club SonderjyskE. He currently plays for Danish club AC Horsens.
11. Chris Richards
Chris Richards was born in Birmingham, Alabama and played youth club soccer with the Alabama FC. He joined the FC Dallas academy in 2017 and signed with German club Bayern Munich’s youth academy in 2018.
Richards made his professional debut for Bayern Munich II in 2019 and played for the team for one season before joining German club Hoffenheim on loan in 2020. He has since become a regular for Hoffenheim, helping the team finish in the top half of the Bundesliga during the 2020-2021 season.