USMNT players with most to gain after transfers: Make or break season for Gio Reyna, Matt Turner

For the many members of the U.S. men's national team's wide player pool, the next few months offer the chance to make a compelling case to be named to the 2026 World Cup roster, the foundations of their arguments based on their play at the club level. It made this summer all the more important for several players stuck in imperfect club situations, a few of whom were in desperate need of a move and finally got them before the transfer window closed.

The group of players who joined new teams this summer can basically be placed in three categories – those who earned an upgrade with the hopes of challenging for a starting spot at the World Cup, the mainstays in search of playing time and the players on the cusp with a point to prove. None of these players will take part in the USMNT's September friendlies against South Korea and Japan, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino using the matches as a final chance to expand the player pool, though it reasserts the point that club form is the entry point for the national team with a World Cup on home soil less than a year away.

How well-suited they will be in their new surroundings is up in the air, some moves more clearly checking off the necessary boxes than others. Each, though, provides the opportunity for these players to showcase their true potential – and not miss out on a World Cup spot on the technicality of a lack of match fitness.

Here's a look at the USMNT players with the most to gain after their summertime moves.

Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen

After years of riding the USMNT's bench, Malik Tillman slotted in seamlessly to the lineup during the Concacaf Gold Cup and proved himself to be a compelling option in a new-look midfield, contributing three goals and three assists in eight games over the summer. In accordance, he earned himself a move from PSV to Bayer Leverkusen, the German club lining him up as their replacement to Florian Wirtz. His may be incredible shoes to fill, but with most of the key figures from Leverkusen's historic 2023-24 season now elsewhere, the pressures on Tillman will be different. He has yet to make his debut for the team as he battles a calf injury, but upon his return to fitness, a new-look Leverkusen could be a perfect platform for his evolution after a promising summer.

Gio Reyna, Borussia Monchengladbach

Tillman's rise has almost come at the expense of Gio Reyna's standing with the USMNT, the player going from a near lock on the World Cup roster to someone on the outside looking over the span of a few short months. The main reason for his slide down the ranks is his club situation – since making his professional debut in 2020 for Borussia Dortmund, Reyna has only made double-digit starts in a season once, stagnating his growth. His injury history has not helped, but at 22 years old, Reyna's full potential is still unkown, but he has the chance to change that after joining Borussia Monchengladbach this summer. The stakes are probably as clear-cut for him as they will be for anyone – this is undoubtedly a make-or-break campaign for the midfielder, who now has genuine competition for a role on the USMNT with Tillman and Diego Luna in the picture.

Johnny Cardoso, Atletico Madrid

On the topic of the USMNT's midfield, Johnny Cardoso has a similar opportunity in front of him with Atletico Madrid, though this transfer is more about extremes. Cardoso has been frequently unable to carve out a spot in the U.S. lineup because of injury, but at one of Europe's top clubs, he will have the chance to make up the difference. The expectations will be fairly hefty at Atletico, a team that contends for the top spots in LaLiga and has a habit of deep runs in the UEFA Champions League, especially so after going winless in two matches to start the season. Also, like Tillman's move, Cardoso's transfer has a classic double-edged sword quality to it – if he impresses, he may have a reasonable chance of starting in a World Cup, but an inability to adjust could be costly. A starting role for the USMNT might be a little bit of an uphill battle since Tyler Adams, someone who Pochettino almost signed when he was in charge at Chelsea, usually anchors the midfield, but the team's Gold Cup performance could see the head coach rethink his midfield after a batch of strong outings from different players.

Patrick Agyemang, Derby County

Patrick Agyemang has taken just about every chance handed to him this season, going from relative obscurity in MLS to a player with 12 USMNT caps and a gig in the Championship with Derby County in almost record time. The 24-year-old, who is currently sidelined after undergoing hernia surgery, has impressed with five international goals this year and boasts a reasonable shot at making the World Cup roster but it will be a complicated race to the finish line for him and his fellow teammates. Agyemang was not a standout at the Gold Cup, scoring just twice in six games, and faces stiff competition – Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun are returning to fitness, while Josh Sargent is back in Pochettino's good graces after a strong start to the Championship season with Norwich City. A jump from MLS to the Championship, as a result, is a risky one – a lengthy adjustment period could mean the 2026 World Cup might just be too soon for Agyemang. It is an ambitious risk, though, one that has its similarities to Tillman's and Cardoso's moves this summer.

Matt Turner, New England Revolution

Like Reyna, Turner's club career has taken a beating in recent years, even if his standing as the USMNT's starter has not changed much. Since moving to the Premier League before the 2022 World Cup, the goalkeeper has made 10-plus league starts once and may not be suited to the speed of the game at Europe's top levels. A return to his old stomping grounds, in that case, is a good fit for Turner, especially since Pochettino has no intentions of counting MLS moves against players. Playing time will be essential for him to stay in the mix for a starting spot but it is hard to read where Pochettino goes from here – New York City FC shotstopper Matt Freese made an argument for himself after some penalty heroics at the Gold Cup, while the Columbus Crew's Patrick Schulte still feels like the heir apparent to some.