The summer transfer window is the time for clubs to do big business. This summer, though, is particularly important. With a World Cup on the horizon, every decision will get extra scrutiny, especially for the U.S. men’s national team stars looking to represent their team next summer.
Transfers are always under the microscope – doubly so in a World Cup year. High risk and high reward. It can mean more money, more prestige, a World Cup spot – all are there for the taking when players take a big swing on the transfer market. It’s been an eventful summer for the USMNT as players seek to make the right decisions on the club level.
Throughout the summer window, BALLGM will grade every completed deal involving USMNT players.
The summer transfer window is the time for clubs to do big business. This summer, though, is particularly important. With a World Cup on the horizon, every decision will get extra scrutiny, especially for the U.S. men’s national team stars looking to represent their team next summer.
Transfers are always under the microscope – doubly so in a World Cup year. High risk and high reward. It can mean more money, more prestige, a World Cup spot – all are there for the taking when players take a big swing on the transfer market. It’s been an eventful summer for the USMNT as players seek to make the right decisions on the club level.
Throughout the summer window, BALLGM will grade every completed deal involving USMNT players.
For Weah: Clearly a sentimental return to French soccer, one that allows him to continue to retrace his father’s massive footsteps. Nostalgia aside, this is an interesting move for Weah, though, as he joins a team that is seemingly already pretty well-stocked with attacking talent. There are minutes to be earned, of course, whether as a winger or wingback, and Marseille are set to compete in the Champions League this year. Ultimately, it will depend on what kind of role Weah can carve out. Grade: B
For Marseille: It’s easy to see why the Ligue 1 club would want Weah, particularly in this loan-to-buy format. For very little up-front cost, the club is getting a player capable of playing all over the field as they prepare for a season where they’ll compete on multiple fronts. At the very least, Weah will provide competition for multiple positions on the field and, in the best-case scenario, will win one of them to make the team better. It’s a relatively low-risk move for a club with plenty of ambitions. Grade: A-
For Juventus: So ends apretty ugly transfer saga, one that led to Juve taking shots from Weah’s representatives. On the field, Juve should be relatively fine, having brought in both a star attacker in Jonathan David and a new defender in Joao Mario, so no real worries in that regard. Realistically, the club would have probably preferred to get the fee for Weah up front, but once it was pretty clear the U.S. international was leaving, a deal was always going to get done. Grade: C
For Lund: It’s not hard to see why he wanted this move. Seemingly on the outside looking in ahead of the World Cup, Lund needed to change something if he’s to be considered for the USMNT squad. Having already played in Serie B with Palermo, he’ll now get his chance to play in the Bundesliga, a pretty obvious step up. There’s still room there for him to be Antonee Robinson’s backup, but that’ll depend on how well he plays for Koln and then, ultimately, under Mauricio Pochettino with the USMNT. Grade: A-
For Koln: It’s never particularly easy for a newly-promoted team, one that has to balance both improving via new signings and fighting off the vultures for their already-successful players. Koln weren’t able to keep hold of one American, Damion Downs, which certainly won’t help, but they did get a relatively cheap answer at left-back in the form of Lund. There’s little to no risk for them here, with it only being a loan. Grade: A-
For Palermo: Mired in Serie B after ninth, sixth, and eighth-place finishes, Palermo haven’t quite been able to take that big leap forward despite City Football Group’s backing. When that happens, players tend to move on, including Lund, who understandably wanted a crack at the Bundesliga. If Koln exercise their option to buy, Palermo would get double the fee they paid to acquire Lund ahead of last season. Decent business, then, even if it hurts to lose a solid fullback. Grade: B+
For Turner: Just on a human level, this is fantastic. It’s a return home to a familiar setting at a time in which Turner surely needs it, both as a player and as a person with a young family. On the field, the only thing that mattered this summer was finding a place to get playing time – and with New England, he’ll surely get his minutes. He’ll likely have to stop some shots, too, considering how poor the Revs have been of late. Would it have been nice to link up with a big club in a big league? Sure but, considering what unfolded, it’s a positive that Turner landed on his feet, particularly somewhere he knows he’ll be comfortable. Grade: B+
For the Revolution: They needed to do something. It’s been a miserable season for the club, one that has lost the current administration a whole bunch of goodwill. Signing a fan-favorite won’t paper over that, either on social media or on the field, but it is a feel-good story for a club that hasn’t had much positivity of late. We’ll see how much it helps. Realistically the Revs should now have one of the best goalkeepers in the league – if not the best. That’s usually a good place to start when trying to fix a broken team. Grade: B
For Lyon: The club could not have looked more foolish or incompetent in all of this. Yes, there were extenuating circumstances and they led to a tumultuous summer. But this situation was a mess from the start. Lyon, ultimately, were fortunate to wiggle their way out of an awkward situation, all things considered, while giving themselves a way out of a deal that instantly gave them buyer’s remorse. Turner, in many ways, is lucky to have avoided the mess. Grade: D-
For Wiley: A logical move, given his history with the club. The former Atlanta United defender spent the second half of the season on loan with the Championship club, looking more than capable of contributing. Knowing that, it’ll be good for Wiley to get a full year in that familiar environment, one that should allow him to develop as a player in one of the world’s toughest leagues. The only question? Could have gone higher, having looked capable at Ligue 1’s Strasbourg before being injured. Overall, though, familiarity is good, so this move makes sense. Grade: B+
For Watford: This one is a no-doubter, given what they saw during his brief spell with the club last season. One of the best ways for the teams to improve is to find high-value loans, and Wiley is exactly that for a Watford side that finished 14th last season. The Hornets, of course, face a fight to be anything more than mid-table under new coach Paulo Pezzolano. But bringing in high-upside players such as Wiley surely helps. Grade: A
For Chelsea: The jokes continue about Chelsea’s loan army, and the hardest part of managing that is making sure each individual gets what they need – whether that’s another loan or a sale. Just 20, Wiley is still in the development phase and will likely spend at least another few years as part of this Chelsea group. Overall, then, what matters is Chelsea doing right by their investment so that they can maximize value. This seems like a good place for him to do that, which means it’s good for Chelsea. Grade: B+
For Campbell: This is the big leap that’s needed if he’s to really contend for a centerback spot. At the moment, he doesn’t seem to be a favorite to snag a spot, but a strong season with his new club would surely see him make a late push to be involved at the World Cup. In that sense, it’s a low-risk move from a USMNT perspective as he looks to follow up on his January debut. It’s surely also a feel-good moment from a personal perspective as the 24-year-old gets his crack at English soccer. Grade: A
For West Brom: The club has identified centerback as a position of need, having signed both Campbell and former Liverpool defender Nat Phillips during this window. With the defense clearly bolstered, it’ll be interesting to see if another American, Daryl Dike, can get going in the attack, giving the club what it needs to go from a ninth-place finish last season into one of those playoff spots. The only question is if Campbell, who hasn’t played in that league before, will be good enough to help – which is always a risk when you sign players from abroad. Grade: B
For CF Montreal: The team is going nowhere fast, so it makes sense to cash out on one of the few valuable assets and start rebuilding for the future. Sitting last in MLS, the Canadian side needs a massive amount of help and that help will likely have to come across multiple transfer windows. Knowing that, they did right by Campbell by letting him go while also netting a little $1.5 million transfer fee. Grade B
For Cardoso: How many better coaches are out there than Diego Simeone? The longtime Atletico Madrid boss clearly sees something special in Cardoso, which means that the American will get his chance at one of the world’s true megaclubs. That said, the move won’t feel like a massive leap up, as Cardoso has already proven himself against La Liga’s best during his time at Real Betis. The question is whether he can translate his Betis performances to Madrid and, ultimately, the USMNT. There’s clearly a special player there, but one that still needs to be unlocked. Grade: A+
For Atletico Madrid: With Rodrigo De Paul on his way to Miami, the club needed midfield help, and they found it in Cardoso. He arrived with a solid track record and, just as importantly, plenty of upside, which means Simeone can mold him into what he needs going forward. The fee is hefty, of course, but it’s also the going rate for top players. Cardoso is clearly one of those. He’s also one of the projects that so often ends up being a success story at Atleti. Grade: A-
For Real Betis: They knew this day was coming. Tottenham reportedly had the right of first refusal, but Atletico Madrid went above and beyond to cut a deal for Cardoso. That deal sees the midfielder leave Betis after just more than a year and a half with the club. But in truth, during that year and a half, he showed he was ready for more. Good on Betis, then, to get a decent fee for him. After falling just short in the Conference League final last season, they will have to go again without a major piece in midfield. Grade: B
For Agyemang: A logical step up, but also a risky one. It seems that he has the inside track on that third striker spot, and one pathway to that spot was to continue to bang in goals in MLS. Instead, Agyemang will now leap into the unknown, joining a Derby team that has certainly had its issues in recent years. What if he struggles to adapt? What if he doesn’t get service? What if he does well, but not as well as, say, the other USMNT contending strikers in the very same league? Agyemang has very much bet on himself and, while it could pay off, it’s certainly not the clearest path to a World Cup spot. Grade: C
For Derby County: After finishing just one point from relegation to League One, Derby needed to bring in reinforcements, landing on the rising USMNT striker. There are some drawbacks, of course, namely his inexperience at this level and the hernia problem that will keep him out for the season’s first few weeks. In general, though, Agyemang looks like a striker tailor-made for the Championship, a league where his physical gifts should stand out. Grade: B
For Charlotte: They’ll be sad, but sad like the Woody Harrelson meme from Zombieland. A whole bunch of money, potentially with more to come, will allow them to wipe away their tears. It’s hard to see a fan-favorite go, but the club does have a ready-made replacement in Idan Toklomati and can now re-invest that Agyemang money elsewhere. So, emotionally, it’s a blow, but from a sporting side? A pretty damn good piece of business for a player who was playing in college just a few years ago. Grade: A-
For Tillman: A well-earned step up to a massive, massive club. Tillman had dominated the Eredivise and was always going to spread his wings and fly off to somewhere else. Ultimately, he landed at Leverkusen, the club that beat Bayern Munich, Tillman’s former team, to the title in 2024. This is a big club, albeit one going through a bit of a rebuild following some major losses. Tillman, though, is a key part of that rebuild as he returns to the Bundesliga as a potential star. Grade: A
For Leverkusen: They certainly needed a Florian Wirtz replacement after the playmaker’s record-breaking move to Liverpool. Tillman, of course, can’t do that sort of heavy-lifting on his own, but Leverkusen did well to quickly sign a talented attacking midfielder who has proven he can create for himself and others, too. New manager Erik ten Hag has a lot to figure out, including how to sort the attack without the likes of Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong creating chaos. Ten Hag, though, will clearly rely on Tillman, the club’s record signing, in both the short and long term. A fun subplot: Bayern had an option to bring back Tillman, but it’s Leverkusen that ended up with him instead. Grade: B+
For PSV: The Dutch side knows where they are on the food chain. When they sign a player such as Tillman, they aren’t keeping him for long. Good on them, then, for getting two Eredivisie titles with him before making a massive profit on the sale. That’s how the club does business and, if they can do it while also winning, all the better. The Tillman era is over, but it was a highly successful and, ultimately, profitable one for PSV. Grade: A+
For Downs: In a sense, it’s a lateral move, going from one second division club to another. That, though, doesn’t take into account the money in the Championship or the resume of developing talent that Southampton has built. Downs is their latest project following a drop from the Premier League, and the club is invested in developing him, considering the fee they paid. Because of that, Downs should get a chance to shine at a legitimately big club, one that will have dreams of being back in the Premier League. He’ll also have a direct competition with the other Championship strikers, which should help clear up his USMNT case either way. Grade: B+
For Southampton: Downs is just one of three signing, so we’ll have to see how this team gets reconstructed under new coach Will Still. It’s not a direct comparison, of course, but goalscoring was the club’s downfall in a historically-bad Premier League season, with Paul Onuachu finishing as the team leader with just four. As a result, they’re back in the Championship. Would it have been wiser to spend on someone proven at this level? Perhaps, but Southampton clearly value upside, so they’ve taken a swing on a forward that could blossom into one worth multiple times what they paid. Grade: B
For Koln: A bitter loss for the club, who will now head back to the Bundesliga without the striker that got them there. Downs netted 10 goals while providing five assists last season, serving as the focal point for Koln as they escaped the 2. Bundesliga. Now, they’ll have to move on without him despite not getting a club-altering fee for that loss. Bundesliga survival was always going to be difficult – it’ll be even harder now as the club needs to find a replacement. Grade: D
