The UEFA Champions League is back for the 2025/26 season, and American soccer players are all around the tournament.
The Champions League is the greatest club competition in the world, with the best teams from all across Europe competing for the ultimate crown.
Only one American player has ever lifted the prestigious trophy after actually playing in the final - that man is Christian Pulisic, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.
Pulisic now plays with AC Milan in Italy, who missed out on the Champions League this season after finishing eighth in the Serie A.
11 players have the opportunity to be the second American to lift the trophy this season in a competition where every team has a chance before this early on.
Americans in the UEFA Champions League
Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco)
USMNT forward Folarin Balogun plays for AS Monaco in Ligue 1, and has scored and assisted in his first three matches for his French club this season.
Balogun has the chance to start in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the USMNT and scored in his most recent match for the USA in an international friendly against Japan.
Balogun's current market value is $21 Million.
Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Weston McKennie is the USMNT anchor for Mauricio Pochettino's midfield.
He currently plays for Juventus in Serie A, and started in their most recent 4-3 win over Inter Milan after coming off the bench in the Juve's first two Serie A matches.
McKennie's current market value is $26 Million.
Johnny Cardoso (Atletico Madrid)
Johnny Cardoso joined Atletico Madrid from Real Betis for over $28 million over the summer.
Cardoso's current market value is $29.6 Million.
Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Tillman won the last two Dutch Championships with PSV before joining Bayer Leverkusen this summer for around $41 million.
Tillman's current market value is $40 Million.
Sergino Dest (PSV)
Sergino Dest is still a member of the PSV side that won the past two Dutch Championships.
The defender has earned 35 caps for the USMNT, scoring two goals and adding five assists.
Dest's current market value is $18.9 Million.
Ricardo Pepi (PSV)
Pepi, again, has played for PSV the past three seasons but has suffered multiple injuries which have kept him out of many matches.
The promising striker will be competing with Balogun, Josh Sargent, and more promising strikers to play in the 2026 World Cup.
Pepi's current market value is $18.9 Million.
Yunus Musah (Atalanta)
Musah is currently on loan at Atalanta from AC Milan where he played with Christian Pulisic the last two seasons.
Musah's current market value is $23.7 Million.
Tim Weah (Marseille)
Tim Weah, the son of soccer legend George Weah, currently plays for Marseille in France on loan from Juventus.
The 25-year-old came up through PSG's academy and currently plays on the right side as a winger or wing-back.
Weah's current market value is $20 Million.
Timothy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Timothy Chandler is the only true veteran on this list at 35 years of age and has played for Eitracht Frankfurt for nearly his entire career dating back to the youth level.
The defender has appeared in 29 matches for the USMNT, most recently in 2016.
Chandlers current market value is $415 thousand.
Cole Campbell (Borussia Dortmund)
Campbell is an exciting USMNT prospect, following in the footsteps of Pulisic by playing on the wing for Dortmund through the academy to the first team.
The 19-year-old has made seven total appearances for Dortmund's first team to date, including one appearance as a substitute in the Champions League group stage match last season against Sturm Graz.
Campbell's current market value is $1.8 Million.
Josh Wynder (Benfica)
Wynder has barely played with Benifca's first team team but has a great story of how he got there.
The 20-year-old began his professional career in the USL Championship with Louisville City. His ability turned heads in Europe and opened the door to his $1.32 Million move to Benfica B.
Wynder's current market value is $1.8 Million.
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