The wait is finally over for fans of the national team, as the first Player Performance Index of the new European soccer season has arrived. After a summer of disappointment and managerial changes, it’s time to focus on the top-performing American players.
This index evaluates club performance for US players, and although we’re still early in the season, it will allow us to track progress throughout the year. Trends will emerge, performances will solidify, and stars will rise and fall.
To create these rankings, we considered two main factors: how good a player’s club team is, and how much credit the player deserves for that team’s success. We used Opta’s power-rating database to compare every team in the world, from top-ranked Manchester City to Estonian club FC Warrior.
We also factored in the player’s crowd-sourced market value from Transfermarkt, which represents the general impression of the player’s quality. Since we’re still early in the season, this input makes up 60% of our rating, with 30% for team quality and 10% for minutes played. As the season progresses, we’ll decrease the transfer-value rating and increase the other two.
With that said, here are the top 50 American players in Europe:
1. Christian Pulisic, AC Milan – The clear top performer, with a significant gap between him and the next player.
2. Folarin Balogun, Monaco – Playing about two-thirds of the minutes for the second-best team in France, with impressive expected-goals numbers.
3. Antonee Robinson, Fulham – Consistently playing almost every minute for Fulham, with a strong percentage of minutes played over the past three years.
4. Weston McKennie, Juventus – Although he’s played only 30% of Serie A minutes so far, his quality is undeniable.
5. Johnny Cardoso, Real Betis – A good summer for Cardoso, who should find his way back into the lineup more often.
6. Malik Tillman, PSV – Impressive individual numbers in the Eredivisie, with a high level of involvement in the attack.
7. Yunus Musah, AC Milan – More involved in the attack this season, but still mainly used as a substitute.
8. Sergiño Dest, PSV – Out until 2025 with a torn ACL, but his importance to the national team is clear.
9. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic – Playing most of the minutes for the dominant team in the Scottish Premiership.
10. Giovanni Reyna, Borussia Dortmund – Injured and struggling to find consistent playing time, but his quality is undeniable.
…and the rest of the top 50:
11. Josh Sargent, Norwich City
12. Chris Richards, Crystal Palace
13. Joe Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach
14. Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United
15. Tyler Adams, AFC Bournemouth
16. Timothy Weah, Juventus
17. Ricardo Pepi, PSV
18. Rokas Pukstas, Hajduk Split
19. Brandon Vázquez, Monterrey
20. Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders
21. Mark McKenzie, Toulouse
22. Haji Wright, Coventry City
23. Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders
24. Lennard Maloney, Heidenheim
25. Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew SC
26. Caleb Wiley, Strasbourg
27. Gianluca Busio, Venezia
28. Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati
29. Jordan Pefok, Union Berlin
30. Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake
31. Quinn Sullivan, Philadelphia Union
32. Auston Trusty, Celtic
33. Jack McGlynn, Philadelphia Union
34. Tanner Tessmann, Lyon
35. Drake Callender, Inter Miami
36. Duncan McGuire, Orlando City
37. Keaton Parks, New York City FC
38. Julian Gressel, Inter Miami
39. Cole Bassett, Colorado Rapids
40. Paul Arriola, FC Dallas
41. John Tolkin, New York Red Bulls
42. Bryan Reynolds, Westerlo
43. Brooks Lennon, Atlanta United
44. James Sands, New York City FC
45. Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders
46. Timothy Tillman, LAFC
47. Zack Steffen, Colorado Rapids
48. Kevin Paredes, Wolfsburg
49. Jesús Ferreira, FC Dallas
50. Darlington Nagbe, Columbus Crew SC
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