USMNT Prospects Storm the English Championship in a Summer Transfer Frenzy

The platform keeps expanding for American soccer players across the world, and this summer's transfer window has demonstrated exactly that, with a surge of USMNT-eligible talent heading to some of Europe's most competitive leagues.

While the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun had already cemented their places in Europe's top competitions over the past decade, more of their American counterparts are now making their presence felt.

This summer, the spotlight has fallen on the English Championship. Widely regarded as the most competitive second division in the world, it competes with the standard of European leagues outside the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, and could play a crucial role in the next chapter of the USMNT's development.  

On Monday, Middlesbrough confirmed the signing of 22-year-old American midfielder Rokas Pukštas from Hajduk Split, bringing their U.S. contingent to four players, while Houston Dynamo standout Jack McGlynn and San Diego FC center back Luca Bombino are reportedly on the brink of completing moves to Stoke City.

Red, White and @Boro 🇺🇸

Rokas Pukstas is the latest American to join Middlesbrough in the @SkyBetChamp 🔴👏 pic.twitter.com/oIKe4Oxm0r

With the potential addition of three new arrivals to the EFL Championship, the total American contingent climbs to 13, up from 10 during the 2025–26 and 2024–25 seasons. Meanwhile, the two latest moves represent the most recent highlights of a defining transfer window for American talent, with McGlynn and Bombino's MLS-to-Championship switches being the fourth and fifth of their kind this summer.

While there are no certainties when switching leagues and the gap between England's second tier and Major League Soccer isn't enormous, the move has grown increasingly popular for MLS talent, with clubs paying significant fees to recruit from North American shores—McGlynn's transfer fee is reportedly $5.5 million and Bombino's reportedly "north of $5 million." 

From a club standpoint, MLS and North American talent have become a reliable recruitment source—a pipeline that has also drawn in Canadian players—and it has become something close to a sure bet. Middlesbrough have already demonstrated this through the rapid adjustments made by USMNT World Cup players Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten.

Similarly, Darryl Dike previously enjoyed a strong stint with West Brom following a prolific run with Orlando City. The track record of players transitioning smoothly from key MLS roles has been well established, opening the door for more to follow. 

Every American in the Championship

For the players themselves, a move to the Championship offers European exposure and a shot at reaching the Premier League. Though never an MLS player, Canadian winger Liam Millar guided Hull City to promotion last season and is now thriving as a Premier League player, netting the only goal in a 1–0 victory to help the Tigers to a flawless 2-0-0 start. 

"The Championship is one of a kind," Millar told Sports Illustrated ahead of the World Cup. "It's a league where, genuinely, you don't need to play good soccer. You just need to know how to win... Playing the Championship, it's tough, it's challenging, it's not easy and the longer it goes on, the harder it gets."

At this stage in the development of MLS and North American soccer, players are increasingly viewing the EFL Championship—and to a comparable degree, the Belgian first division—as a vital stepping stone. At the same time, clubs feel more and more confident making those investments.

In time, performing under that pressure and adapting to a different style of play could attract the attention of bigger European clubs and national team coaches, potentially opening the door to greater international opportunities for players like the uncapped Pukštas, Bombino and 13-cap McGlynn, among others. 

Pukstas's Remarkable Rise and Raktic's Push

For Pukštas in particular, the departure from Croatian powerhouse Hajduk Split had been a long time coming.

Regarded as one of the club's brightest talents, he had the backing of Croatian legend and Hajduk Split sporting director Ivan Rakitić, who urged USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino to include him in the 2026 World Cup squad after he registered 10 goals and four assists in 36 appearances in 2025–26. 

During his time with the Croatian coastal club, Pukštas experienced some of Europe's most electric atmospheres, and played under the intense management of Gennaro Gattuso, whom Pukštas described as "militant" in an interview with FourFourTwo. 

The Statistically Strongest Leagues in World Soccer

1. English Premier League
2. German Bundesliga
3. Spanish La Liga
4. Italian Serie A
5. French Ligue 1
...
9. Portuguese Primeira Liga
10. English Championship
11. Polish Ekstraklasa
...
18. Ecuador Liga Pro
19. U.S. MLS
20. Czech First Leage

* Based on Opta's power rankings.

"He's very strict," he added. "He has orders. I think the things that I took from him were seeing how the locker room changed, with all the players respecting him as a legend, and I really liked that he really reminded me of my parents as well, because he was disciplined and strict; he asked for the things that he wanted."

A native of Stillwater, Okla., Pukštas was raised in a demanding Croatian household with an Olympian father and had trials at Manchester United and Barcelona academies before joining Sporting Kansas City on his path to Croatia at 16, making his Hajduk debut at 17. 

Arriving in the Championship, he will need to raise his game beyond what he showed in Croatia and compete with 27-year-old Australian midfielder Riley McGree for minutes in the No. 10 role, but he is well positioned to develop at a higher level.

The Need to Thrive in the EFL Championship

With four Americans now at Middlesbrough, the club has become a focal point for a USMNT-driven experiment, and the team's fortunes could significantly shape how U.S. players are viewed in future moves to England's second tier. 

Middlesbrough were clearly won over by Aidan Morris's first two seasons after his arrival from Columbus Crew and have made a bold commitment by bringing in Arfsten, Berhalter and centre-back Adilson Malanda from MLS, further influencing the rest of the division. 

If the MLS talents—and other American players—flourish this season, it would serve as even stronger evidence that players of their background can succeed in the league, potentially enticing more clubs into similar deals, with the ambition of climbing to the upper levels of English soccer. 

While a round-of-16 exit at the World Cup was far from the result the USMNT hoped for, the wave of transfers has been a positive development, with the English Championship's growing appetite for North American talent taking center stage in the aftermath of World Cup disappointment.