How USMNT Stars Are Conquering Europe and Leaving Their Mark Abroad

Browse through the names topping the EFL Championship Golden Boot standings over the past two seasons, and a familiar pattern emerges: North Americans consistently near the summit of the scoring charts. 

Last season, USMNT World Cup forward Haji Wright netted 17 goals for Championship club Coventry City, claiming second place in the Golden Boot race. In the early weeks of the new 2026–27 campaign, Canada's Cyle Larin leads the scoring charts with seven goals in seven appearances. 

While prolific goalscoring may be the most eye-catching element of North Americans competing in England's second division, it underscores a broader trend of USMNT and Canadian players making their mark at this level overseas.

Alongside Larin's blistering start with Southampton, several USMNT arrivals who made the move from MLS this summer have hit the ground running in the opening weeks. This weekend, former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter scored twice in Middlesbrough's 4–3 victory over Norwich City, while former Houston Dynamo standout Jack McGlynn opened his European account for Stoke City in a 2–1 win against Watford.

First Boro goal ✅
Second Boro goal ✅

A fine afternoon's work for Seb Berhalter 👏 pic.twitter.com/8zXYyIj6bP

"It's an intense league," Berhalter said following his standout display. "The referee lets a lot go, and I love that. It's exciting that the games are end-to-end, and the fans are right there behind you giving you that energy."

The immediate contributions of Berhalter, McGlynn, Max Arfsten, Aidan Morris and others—all of whom arrived from America's top flight—raises an intriguing question: Is the Championship truly a step up in quality? MLS, despite being outside Europe, may actually be on par with, or even superior to, the Championship. 

If that's the case, what makes the Championship such an appealing destination for MLS players and North Americans broadly? Here, Sports Illustrated examines a few key factors.

MLS Has Higher Talent Ceiling Than the Championship

What MLS lacks in promotion and relegation, it compensates for with extraordinary global talent, headlined by world-class superstars still performing at an elite level, including Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Thomas Müller. 

The caliber of the league's top players far exceeds that of the Championship and pushes younger domestic talents to raise their game. Meanwhile, MLS's restrictive roster regulations funnel domestic talent into starting lineups in ways unlike other leagues, giving North Americans greater opportunities to adapt to the league's growing international standard. 

As the world's most diverse league, featuring players from 79 nations, MLS also presents different challenges than a typical EFL Championship side. Some weeks, players go up against aging global icons; others, promising young South American talents signed on lucrative U22 Initiative deals and using the league as a launchpad, like former Inter Miami attacker Diego Gómez, now at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Those varied challenges—set against the league's distinctive physicality and grueling travel schedules—compel MLS players to adapt, giving them an advantage that can translate into a higher overall average quality. That quality can then be showcased in the Championship, where squads may be more evenly balanced from top to bottom, but lack the star power MLS players encountered at the highest end. 

EFL Championship Money, Premier League Opportunity

Beyond the Championship's reduced travel demands compared to MLS, the wage gap also makes England's second tier more appealing, as does the prospect of competing for a place in the Premier League. 

While salaries aren't disclosed publicly in the same manner as MLS, the substantial transfer fees—such as the $11 million Stoke paid for McGlynn and Luca Bombino, the $7 million Derby County spent on Patrick Agyemang, and the combined $10 million Middlesbrough invested in Max Arfsten and Berhalter—suggest these players are entering a new earnings bracket. 

In MLS, for reference, Agyemang earned $105,000 in 2025, while Berhalter took home $305,000—well below the 2025–26 Championship average of  $1.08 million per season. The MLS average, by comparison, stood at roughly $354,390 in 2025. 

At the same time, securing a place in the EFL Championship and helping drive a club toward the top of the table can offer a more manageable pathway into the highly coveted Premier League than a direct transfer, such as the one Zavier Gozo completed this summer. Gozo has since found it difficult to adjust to the immediate jump in quality, despite Crystal Palace paying $15 million to Real Salt Lake. 

Go make us proud, Gozo. ❤️@realsaltlake transfers Zavier Gozo to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. pic.twitter.com/b0gSVaumPe

The Championship represents an appealing option for MLS talents as a sideways move into a more financially rewarding and opportunity-rich league.

Given the immense possibilities the Premier League and European football can offer, the Championship has rapidly become the ideal stepping-stone league for MLS and North American talent seeking to make their name on the other side of the Atlantic.

Yet, it's no longer a jump in quality, but rather a leap toward limitless opportunity.