Pepi has established himself as one of the top young strikers in the game at PSV and is the only 2003 born player that has solidified himself within the USMNT roster. 

Paredes has proven to be a solid Bundesliga player when he has been healthy, but he has struggled to stay on the field. Questions remain around his ideal position fit. Is he a winger or a left-back? He has USMNT potential, but he needs to find consistency before he becomes a reliable USMNT player. 

No player from this class has seen a larger ascension this year. He has become the starting left-back for Eintracht Frankfurt and has been rumored to be on Germany’s senior team radar. For theUSMNT, he would compete for the LB2 position behind Jedi Robinson. Brown looks like a player that we will have a difficult time landing. 

Aaronson has been one of the top players on a top 3 Eredivisie team this year, the type of progress that should give his parent club, Eintracht Frankfurt the confidence that he can be a contributor next season. Unfortunately for Aaronson, he plays one of the most competitive positions within the USMNT pool and is still on the outside looking in. 

McGlynn has proven to be a very good MLS player and is ready to test himself at a higher level. He needs a move now to get on the USMNT radar Like Aaronson, he plays a position with a ton of competition. 

Luna is in a very similar position as McGlynn. He is ready to take the next step beyond MLS and needs a move to get a USMNT look. The good news for Luna is that he plays a position with a little less competition, but still, his path to the USMNT is a challenging one. 

Gutierrez has shown flashes of being a very good playmaker in MLS, but he still struggles a bit with consistency. A hot start to the 2025 season could see him get a move to Europe in the summer. 

Cowell had a very nice Apertura season in LigaMX and there were rumors that PSV was interested in his services. Cowell has earned a small role under new USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino because of a thin winger group. He will face more competition for his spot when Haji Wright and Kevin Paredes get back to health. 

A year and a half ago, I thought Neal was one of the players from this class that would have a chance to make the 2026 World Cup roster, but injuries and stalled progression have hurt his chances. He is a solid MLS center-back, but has not yet shown consistently enough that he can be more than that. Montreal has shown to be a good place for young Americans looking to rejuvenate their career, hopefully it does the same for Neal. 

Clark’s young career has been a roller coaster. In some moments he looked like a potential USMNT player and in others  he struggled to get on the field. He seems to have found a good home in Montreal. 

Edelman has become a key component to RBNY’s midfield and while he has become a solid MLS starter, he doesn’t flash huge potential beyond an above average MLS starter. A USMNT future does not look likely, but you never know. 

Alvarez became a consistent starter for Montreal last year and performed adequately, slightly below an average MLS starter level. As a left-footed center-back, he’ll be intriguing to monitor and with the lack of depth at that position, he could put himself in a position to be courted by USMNT. He is currently provisionally cap-tied to Colombia. 

Talent has never been in question for Sealy, but consistency and impact has and he has yet to solve it. He has shown signs of being a decent MLS player, but has yet to truly establish himself. 

Jones showed flashes of potential in his rookie MLS season before going down with an injury. He doesn’t look like a future USMNT player, but he could become a solid MLS player. 

At one point, Che looked like a top three player in this class. Talent-wise, he is a top player in his class, but injuries have stunted his development and he is currently not playing at all for Brondby. He has the talent to redirect his career in a more positive direction and could one day get himself back into the USMNT conversation. 

Gomez’s career has taken a winding path and he is currently in a poor situation in Greece where he is barely playing. He had two decent LaLiga 2 loan spells, but his performances didn’t create enough demand around Europe and now he is stuck. 

It seems like every year Halliday wins the starting right-back job at Orlando City early on and then every year he gets injured and does not win the job back. At his best, it looks like Halliday is a slightly above replacement level right-back in MLS. 

Pierre is another talented player whose career has been derailed by injuries. If he can find a way to break through into Genk’s first team, he could emerge as a USMNT option, but that is a big if.  

Seattle had a bunch of defensive midfielders breakthrough from their academy to their first team and Leyva has been the odd man out. His career in MLS is wallowing and it might be that a move to a lesser league is needed for him to get regular playing time. 

Alvarado looked like an exciting prospect during the 2021 U20 World Cup Qualification tournament, but his prospects have faded since that time. His club situation has not been good and he needs a career reboot to have a chance at a decent professional career.