Five USMNT stars whose transfer values could sky-rocket after Copa America

The 2024 Copa America kicks off in less than a month’s time and United States head coach Gregg Berhalter has already named his provisional 27-man roster for the tournament on home soil.

The USMNT’s final squad will be whittled down to 23 players before the Copa begins, and regardless of who makes the final cut, the hosts will have talent in abundance as they look to make a splash on the international scene ahead of co-hosting the World Cup in 2026.

Here are five young USMNT players poised for breakout campaigns at the Copa America, who could command high price tags if clubs show interest in signing them.

Johnny Cardoso

Since signing from Brazilian side Internacional in January for just €6 million, Johnny Cardoso has been a revelation for Real Betis.

The 22-year-old New Jersey-born midfielder, who was raised in Brazil and pledged his international allegiance to the stars and stripes in 2019, has already started 14 games for Manuel Pellegrini’s side and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win over Athletic Club in February.

The 11-cap USMNT man ranks second among La Liga’s holding midfielders for defensive interventions per 90 minutes, with an average of 15.7. He also has the second-best passing accuracy inside the opponent’s third of the pitch among players in his position in the Spanish top flight, with 89.7 per cent of his attempted passes finding their target.

Tyler Adams, the USMNT’s stalwart and prohibitive starter at the base of midfield, has endured an injury-raved 2023-24 season with Bournemouth in the Premier League. If the former RB Leipzig and Leeds United player is unable to show full sharpness in time for the Copa America’s kick-off next month, Berhalter will be able to call upon a more than capable understudy.

“I’ve always dreamt big, so I’ve always dedicated myself to my goals,” Cardoso told ESPN. “That’s what made me get me this far and be keen to develop even further.”

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Malik Tilman

One of the three young American stars of PSV’s Eredivisie title winners this season, attacking midfielder Malik Tilman blossomed over the second half of the season in the Netherlands to the extent the Eindhoven club have paid a reported €12 million to secure the on-loan player’s future on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich.

The 22-year-old former Rangers loanee scored nine goals and registered 10 assists for Peter Bosz’s side this term, averaging a staggering 1.07 goal contributions per 90 minutes.

The Germany-born youngster – whose older brother, Tim, has also been named in Berhalter’s provisional squad for the Copa America – logged invaluable Champions League experience this term, too, featuring in all six of PSV’s group games and playing the full 90 minutes in both legs of a last-16 loss to eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund.

With 10 senior USMNT caps to his name but no goals, Tilman is yet to translate his club form to the international stage. If he can do that this summer at the tournament on home soil, he could cement his status as one of the United States’ key talents ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Haji Wright

At 26, Haji Wright has enjoyed something of a belated breakout campaign at club level this season.

The Los Angeles native’s itinerate career had already encompassed spells in the US, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey before he arrived in England to sign for Championship side Coventry City last summer for a club-record fee of €9m.

Finally, though, the nine-cap USMNT winger looks ready to put down some roots after producing the best form of his career with the Sky Blues this term, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, including crucial strikes that powered Coventry’s fairy-tale run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Wright also shone in the Nations League back in March, coming off the bench and scoring twice to fire the USMNT past Jamaica in the semi-finals, a cameo that earned him a starting berth for the victory over Mexico in the final.

Similar tournament heroics at the Copa America will see his star rise even higher.

Ricardo Pepi

Another of PSV’s gifted young Americans, Ricardo Pepi has earned a reputation as one of the most impactful substitutes in Europe this season.

The 21-year-old striker initially broke through at FC Dallas, scoring 13 goals in 31 appearances as a teenager in the 2021 MLS season. That earned him a big break in Europe, signing with German side Augsburg.

But Pepi struggled in the Bundesliga, scoreless through 15 appearances. A loan switch to the Netherlands with Groningen last season got his young career back on track, with 13 goals in 31 games for the Eredivisie side.

Then came a €10 million move to PSV last summer. And while the forward from El Paso, Texas, only started one league game all season, his impressive return of seven goals game at a rate of one every 65.7 minutes. When his two assists are factored in, that gives Pepi an average of one goal contribution for every 51.1 minutes of Eredivisie action.

And the young goal-scorer has already shown he can produce on the international stage, with 10 goals in 21 senior USMNT appearances.

Joe Scally

With the third member of PSV’s US trio, Sergino Dest, absent due to an ACL injury, Berhalter will be without his first-choice right-back for the tournament.

Borussia Monchengladbach’s Joe Scally could step into that role and the young Bundesliga star has the tools to ensure Dest’s loss isn’t detrimental to the USMNT’s cause.

Still just 21 years old, Scally already has three full seasons of Bundesliga experience under his belt, with 98 appearances for Gladbach since joining the German club from New York City FC in 2020 for a bargain €1.8m.

Able to play anywhere across the backline, most of his 21 league starts this term came at right-back and the versatile defender produced four assists and scored one goal.

A top-flight professional since making his NYCFC debut as a 15-year-old and with nine senior USMNT caps to his name, Scally has the quality and temperament to fill in for Dest and thrive on the big stage.

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