Bayern Munich
The German
champions
brought Richards
to Munich in
2018 as part of
their partnership
with FC Dallas,
and handed him
his Bundesliga
debut at the end
of last season.
The USA U23
centre-back
is hoping to
emulate the
impact of
Alphonso Davies
by establishing
himself in the
Bayern defence.Chris RICHARDS
Tyler ADAMS
RB Leipzig
Adams’ successful
transition from New
York Red Bulls to
the Bundesliga has
made him something
of a poster boy for
MLS, proving that
the league’s best
talents can step up.
It was his introduction
that turned the
Champions League
quarter-final against
Atletico Madrid: first
by curbingJoao
Felix’s influence on
the game, then by
scoring the winner.
Austria Vienna
The centre-back
caught the eye of
European scouts
when he made his
Sporting Kansas
City debut aged17
in 2014.Juventus
reportedly made
an offer before he
spent a year on
loan at Porto, then
joined current club
Manchester City
in 2018. Now 23,
he is hoping for
a breakthrough in
his second season
on loan in Austria.
Erik PALMER-BROWN
Boavista
Shortly after capturing Cannon,
Boavista completed a Texas double
signing by adding Elis from Houston
Dynamo, creating a right flank of
unrivalled pace, energy and trickery.
NicknamedLa Pantera(The Panther),
Elis has been a tormenter of MLS
defences since 2017, with a direct hand
in 56 goals in 90 matches. He also has
a good goal record at international level,
with10 in 42 appearances for Honduras.Heerenveen
It is a sign of Llanez’s confidence that
when USA won a penalty on his senior
international debut, the then18-year-old
grabbed the ball and calmly slotted home.
The LA Galaxy graduate made a name
for himself with seven goals in the U20
CONCACAF Championship win in 2018,
then joined Wolfsburg. The tricky winger is
now on loan at Dutch outfit Heereneveen.Manchester City
Work permit issues denied Steffen a
transfer to Championship side Bristol
City in 2018, and within a year he had
joined Manchester City instead. After
spending 2019-20 in Germany with
Fortuna Dusseldorf, the USA No.1 is
back at the Etihad to replace Claudio
Bravo as City’s reserve keeper.Besiktas
The striker was named MLS Rookie
of the Year after scoring17 goals for
Orlando City in 2015. In 2018 he left for
Turkey, where his form has been mixed.
After four goals in his first four games,
he struggled in 2018-19 and spent last
season on loan at Zulte Waregem, scoring
seven goals and assisting five to help the
Belgians to a respectable mid-table finish.
The early signs are that he has taken
that form back to his parent club.Boavista
With Cannon competing with ex-Ajax
academy graduate Sergino Dest and
Newcastle United’s DeAndre Yedlin, USA
are not short of athletic, attack-minded
right-backs. The 22-year-old has been
an MLS regular for FC Dallas over the
last three years, before moving to
Portugal in September.TALENTSCOUT
Zack STEFFEN
Reggie CANNON
Cyle LARIN
Ulysses LLANEZ
Alberth ELIS