Over the last decade, America has embraced football as one of the most popular sports among the youth. It has created a foundation for new players to flourish, and a new pathway has developed for some of the most precocious American footballers to generate colossal transfer fees. Although footballers from the United States have managed to break into the top leagues in Europe, it’s only over the last five years that American footballers have commanded the same sort of transfer fees we have seen for other top players worldwide.
American players in the English Premier League
The 1990s saw a handful of American players move across the pond and test their skills against some of Europe’s best. Goalkeepers such as Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel were two big names who made a name for themselves in England, playing for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, respectively. The 1990s was an exciting time for English football; it signalled a time when the roles of different positions changed, with midfielders developing into all-round attacking and offensive players.
Midfielders like Roy Keane and Vinnie Jones championed the position of tough-tackling midfielders. Although this position has long existed in football, the characteristics of a footballing hardman in midfield took on new significance as hundreds more games were broadcast on television and the popularity of football soared. After his retirement, Vinnie Jones went on to star in movies, TV shows, and adverts. As a powerhouse for Leeds United and Wimbledon, he was technically proficient. His appeal as a tough-tackling midfielder led to him having a revered name in online games post-retirement, with branded Vinnie Jones games and a vast filmography, starring alongside the most prominent names in British cinema.
This signalled a shift in the rhetoric, and with hundreds of millions of people beginning to watch the English game, the popularity of the sport was driven to new heights in the United States. We’re now treated to performances from top talents like Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Giovanni Reyna, who is the youngest of this talented bunch, and according to many American fans and football analysts, is also the best of the current crop.
Why is Reyna so highly rated?
English Premier League fans might remember his father, Claudio Reyna, who played for Manchester City before their billion-pound takeover, and spent several seasons at Rangers and later at Sunderland, where his son…
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