The paths of the seven Americans who were involved in the
penultimate week of the Bundesliga season are varied. Three — John Brooks, Timothy
Chandler and Alfredo Morales — were born and raised in Germany. The other four — Tyler
Adams, Weston McKennie, Giovanni Reyna and Josh Sargent — were primarily brought up
in the U.S. and did most of their development in the American youth system.
Adams, who moved from the New York Red Bulls to RB Leipzig in January 2019, was the only
member of that group who played in MLS; the other three began their professional careers
in Germany.
The trend of American players spending formative years in Germany goes back decades, to the
likes of Eric Wynalda, Claudio Reyna and Landon Donovan, just to name a few. The German path
is now more common, though, particularly for young prospects who are joining academies
there.
Six members of the U.S.’s 2019 Under-20 World Cup team, including Wolfsburg winger
Ulysses Llanez, now a senior international, were contracted to German clubs during the
tournament. Four more German-based players were called up to the first U.S. team of the
2021 under-20 cycle last September.
A confluence of factors both on and off the field have made Germany a popular destination
for top young Americans. The first and most pragmatic of those is the immigration laws.
England, given its popular league and shared language with the U.S., would probably be
a more natural landing spot for Americans, if not for its strict work-permit requirements.
But Germany has more lax immigration restrictions for athletes than many other European nations.
In fact, no work permit is required for an athlete to gain residency. They only need
to be 16 years old, earn a living wage and be confirmed as a competent athlete by their
sport’s German governing body.
It also helps that German clubs haven’t paid fees for most of their American players.
Pulisic signed with Dortmund for free in January 2015. Four years later, the club sold him
for $73 million. Dortmund could turn that trick again with Reyna, who left New York
City FC without signing a pro deal and joined for no fee in October 2018.
McKennie’s journey from the FC Dallas academy to Schalke was the same, though Dallas did
manage to get a $1.25 million transfer fee out of Bayern for Richards, who they signed
to a pro deal less than a year before selling him.
Part of the reason American teams haven’t received any money for players who leave their
academies for Germany or other countries is the fact that MLS and U.S. Soccer have not
allowed them to pursue training compensation or solidarity payments. U.S. Soccer claimed
it became neutral on the topic in 2015, and MLS changed its stance on that last April,
when it announced it would comply with FIFA’s system and allow its teams to go after training
compensation and solidarity payments. “That’s been a big problem for MLS teams,
but it’s also one of the reasons why American players are so attractive, because basically
they are free,” said Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner.
“There is an academy payment in place now, but I don’t know if there have been any
cases where the German clubs have had to pay training fees.”
The friendly immigration laws and the lack of transfer fees make it easier for Americans
to get into Germany, but it’s not what allows them to make a career in the Bundesliga. And
while talent is, of course, the most important factor for any player looking to establish
himself in the German top-flight, Americans are helped by their tendency to have a relatively
simple time adapting to life on and off the field.
Away from the pitch, players can get by using English without too much issue while they
learn to speak German. They also have a typically easy time dealing with German coaches, who
often share similar sensibilities with their American counterparts.
“When it comes to Germany, football is very structured,” said former U.S. international-turned-agent
Cory Gibbs.
“Every player knows where they need to be, the coach has a specific game plan and they
follow that game plan. And I think Americans follow that type of mentality as well.”
The prevailing style in Germany — a fast-paced, transition-heavy game that suits athletic
players — also works well for young Americans.
“Whenever we talk about players”, says former US and Hannover defender Steve Cherundolo,
“we break it up into four general areas: mentality, physicality, the technical side
and the tactical side.“
“Most American players are very well developed in three of those areas — physical stature,
technical ability and the mentality side of the game. The tactical side, that’s where
the Europeans are maybe a little further along. But a lot of German clubs believe they can
teach the player the tactical side of the game, which is why they love Americans and
why they usually always fit, because most are able to learn the necessary tactical pieces.”
The recent emergence of young Americans in the Bundesliga, beginning with Pulisic and
continuing with McKennie and Adams, has created a positive feedback loop on both sides of
the Atlantic. The old European biases against American players that Cherundolo and others
had to fight against at the start of their careers have largely receded.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., prospects are seeing more and more young players have an easier
time getting high-level opportunities in Germany than in the other big-five leagues. Bring
it all together, and it’s easy to imagine a steady stream of future American prospects
continuing to head for the Bundesliga.