Dive Back In - USMNT in Portugal, Holland, Scotland, Turkey, and Belgium
The third installment in the USMNT restart articles but the last for a while, mostly because the German Bundesliga and Champions League don’t start until late January and February respectively. In this article on the USMNT abroad, we’ll cover Portugal, Holland, Scotland, Turkey, and Belgium.
Portugal (restarts 12/23)
Reggie Cannon (Estoril v Boavista, 2pm ET 12/29)
Reggie along with Ricardo Pepi were two of the last players left out of the World Cup roster for the USA. Reggie Cannon could have provided flexibility in center-back and right-back positions but alas - it was not meant to be.
Cannon will get back into action for Boavista after Christmas and they will need him in form. Currently sitting midtable, Boavista is mostly safe in the Portuguese league mostly due to the horrific form of the teams below them.
So far this season, the 24 year old has made 11 appearances for his club mostly as a right-sided center-back. We should expect to see more of him for Boavista as the club season gets back in action.
Alex Mendez (Vizela v Vitoria de Guimaraes, 2pm ET 12/30)
Alex Mendez seems to be a long-forgotten name for someone that is only 22 years old. A promising player in his younger days, he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype we all hoped when he made a transfer to famed Dutch club Ajax in 2020.
Vizela has given him a new lease on life, and he’s done well to change his position to get into the team. Once thought of as a pure attacking midfielder, he’s built a new skill set around defensive awareness and positioning to play more as a pure 8. But don’t worry, he’s still got a silky pass that is beautiful to watch when it comes off.
After 13 matches Vizela sits 6 points above the relegation playoff, and will depend on Mendez to bring them up the table towards safety. He’s appeared in all but one match so far this season with an average FotMob rating above 7.0.
Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (Vizela v Vitoria de Guimaraes, 2pm ET 12/30)
Following in Alex Mendez’s footsteps is American Alejandro Alvarado Jr. If you haven’t been paying attention you might be surprised to hear this 19 year old prospect has made 5 senior appearances for Vizela so far this season.
Alvarado Jr was a fun player to watch during the CONCACAF U20 championships last summer and helped the team qualify for the 2024 Olympics. I expect Alejandro to make many more appearances for Vizela this season as he grows into the role.
He plays as a versatile midfielder, and may be an option to backup Tyler Adams as he develops.
Netherlands (restarts 1/6)
Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht v Feyenoord, 6:15am 1/6)
Taylor Booth was voted the Player of the Month in the Dutch Eredivisie for his performances in November. The former Bayern player now has 2 goals and 2 assists for FC Utrecht in the current season from 9 appearances.
If you want to learn more about Taylor Booth make sure to watch my scouting report on his play:
He’ll be one to watch as we go into the 2026 cycle! By the way… Utrecht just fired their manager for an altercation during training, so Booth will have a fresh start with someone new.
Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven v Sparta Rotterdam, 3pm ET 1/7)
Ah Richy, Richy, Richy. Ledezma is a 22 year old central midfielder at PSV Eindhoven with a knack to create special moments. He’s been sidelined with countless injuries but has persevered to get healthy, and finally able to get minutes for a senior club team.
He’s appeared in 6 matches so far this season with 0 goal contributions, but I expect him to become a more important member of the squad as time goes on. His skill is just too unique for a club (and national team hint hint) to not take advantage.
Ricardo Pepi (Excelsior v FC Groningen, 10:45am ET 1/8)
The man that missed the World Cup call-up by a hair. A smidge. An infinitely small nanometer stood between him and the USMNT jersey.
The most in-form striker USA-eligible striker will be back in action for FC Groningen as they look to get out from the bottom of the table. Currently sitting just 1 point above the drop, Pepi needs to start scoring a lot more goals to make up for Groningen’s leaky defence.
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Scotland (restarted)
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic v St. Johnstone, 7:30am 12/24)
The USMNT ace is back in action for league leaders Celtic. We could have a 24 year old winning the Scottish Premiership as their captain this year. That would be an amazing achievement as his American counterparts play for Celtic’s biggest rival!
CCV had an almost perfect performance at the World Cup against Iran and has not scored under a 7.0 match rating for club and country since October 11th against RB Leipzig. That’s a 12 match streak - the man is on fire.
Malik Tillman (Ross County v Rangers, 2:30pm 12/23)
Another player that just narrowly missed the roster for the USMNT, the dual national played a huge part in Ranger’s 3-2 victory over Aberdeen on December 20th. In 15 matches so far this season the 20 year old attacking midfielder has 3 goals and 4 assists. Quite the production for such a young standout!
Tillman is an exciting prospect and should continue to get the bulk of minutes for Rangers in his position. We’ll see what happens at the end of this season if Bayern think he’s ready for the Bundesliga or if Rangers will pay a transfer fee to bring him on full time.
James Sands (Ross County v Rangers, 2:30pm 12/23)
Sands has had an up and down season so far for Rangers. He’s still on his 18-month loan from NYCFC but has performed admirably when called upon.
It’s not easy going in and out of the lineup to try and win your place as a defensive midfielder/centerback but James Sands has shown maturity throughout the season. It looks like he’s getting back into the team and I hope to see more of him in the latter half of the season. He’s still someone that has the potential to grow immensely over the next 4 years.
Turkey (restarts 12/23)
Haji Wright (Antalyaspor v Ankaragücü, 12pm ET 12/23)
Apparently Haji might be ready to make the jump from Antalyaspor to a bigger club in Turkey like Galatasaray. Based on his club performance this season I could see that happening, but based on his production at the World Cup for the USA… I don’t.
9 goals in 12 matches is nothing to sneeze at but he’ll need a bit of help from his club teammates as they sit only 3 points above the drop zone. I genuinely hope for the best with Haji Wright, and at 24 years old he could be in his prime for the 2026 World Cup,
Belgium (restarts 12/21)
Owen Otasowie (Club Brugge v OH Leuven, 7:30am ET 12/26)
Otasowie is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He’ll be completely out of the club and then come back to play in Champions League matches, then he’ll drop out again and not be heard from.
Currently, his last senior appearance for the club was back in August. He’s still only 21 and has one of the best physical profiles in our centerback pool, but being completely honest I don’t know if this will be a player we can count on in the future. I have no idea what to expect from him in the second have of the season - but hey, maybe that makes him an exciting player to follow!
Sam Vines (Westerlo v Royal Antwerp, 2pm ET 12/27)
Sammy Vines was injured back in October and it doesn’t look good for his return. He was picking up momentum and could have been an option to back-up Antonee Robinson for the USA at the World Cup but the timing of his injury was unfortunate. I don’t expect Vines back until after the new year…
Marlon Fossey (Gent v Standard Liege, 2:30pm ET 12/23)
Who would have thought at the beginning of the season out of the three candidates of Owen Otasowie, Sam Vines, and Marlon Fossey that Fossey would be the one left standing in December?!
If you’re unfamiliar with the 24 year old, Marlon has been around the English football pyramid for a few years jumping from Fulham to Bolton and now landing on his feet with Standard Liege in Belgium. He’s a tricky right midfielder/wingback who has been getting a ton of minutes and plaudits from Liege fans.
If I’m going to be watching any Americans this year in the Belgium First Division A, it’s Marlon Fossey
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