CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
UEFA Champions League: Americans who will play in 2023/24 group stage
Another edition of the European Cup campaign is ready to go and we know all the teams that are taking part in the group stage.
On Wednesday we saw the conclusion of the final matches of the playoff round of in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24, where PSV Eindhoven, featuring Americans Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and Malik Tillman, secured their spot in the group stage.
As we look forward to the official draw -- although you can also simulate your own -- we present a comprehensive list of United States players who will partake in this edition of the most prominent club-level tournament.
In addition to the Dutch squad, other teams such as Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Royal Antwerp, Celtic, and Union Berlin will feature players from the US for the European Cup campaign, assuming no last minute transfers take place. While each club’s destinies will only be revealed in Thursday’s draw, we expect that a grand total of 10 US national team stars will be involved
Who are the American players in the Champions League?
None of the US players are included in the clubs sitting in Pot 1 this season, so we turn our attention to the second group to find the Black and Yellows from the Bundesliga, where Giovanni Reyna is situated. It is anticipated that he will once again get significant pitch time in the Champions League as a part of Edin Terzic’s squad.
In Pot 3, AC Milan and Royal Antwerp emerge waving the stars and stripes, with Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah starring for the Italians and Sam Vines in Belgium. In the case of the Serie A side, the additions of Pulisic and Musah bring a notable improvement and depth to Pioli’s team; meanwhile, Vines will be contending for a starting position alongside Jelle Bataille.
Among the final group of teams heading into the draw, we find Cameron Carter-Vickers with Glasgow Celtic, Brenden Aaronson, and Jordan Pefok with Union Berlin, and PSV with Dest, Pepi, and Tillman. All of them will strive to make their mark in the premier club competition, aiming to capture the attention of Gregg Berhalter within the United States National Team.
Note that a certain Folarin Balogun would have been involved with Pot 2′s Arsenal, but made a late transfer to Monaco.