Ahead of the winter transfer window, GOAL reevaluates its grades for the biggest summer moves involving USMNT stars.
Transfers are made for a variety of reasons, often with patience built into the plan. A World Cup season, however, rarely allows for it.
With the 2026 World Cup looming, multiple U.S. men’s national team mainstays made significant summer transfer decisions. Some moved on loan in search of minutes. Others took major steps up the ladder in pursuit of a bigger stage. All came with risk — and all were made with the same prize in mind.
It's hard and harsh to judge these decisions after just a few months. In truth, it'll be hard to really gauge what they all meant until we see what names end up on Mauricio Pochettino's squad list next summer. However, as the winter window opens, we do have a pretty good idea of which USMNT stars have found transfer destinations that work and which have found destinations that certainly don't.
With that in mind, GOAL revisits its summer grades for every major deal involving USMNT players.
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Yunus Musah (Atalanta, on loan from AC Milan)
This has been pretty bad. When Musah moved on loan from Milan this summer, he did so with the understanding that he'd get more playing time at Atalanta. It hasn't happened that way. Just before leaving Milan, Musah played 90 minutes in Serie A for the Rossoneri. In the nearly four months since, he's played just 175 league minutes for Atalanta.
The one saving grace? 115 of those minutes have come in December. Perhaps Musah can use that as a springboard to a bigger role. There's also a chance that both Musah and Milan have had enough, though, and will end this experiment at some point in January. Whatever happens, the initial results of this have been bad enough to actively derail Musah's development, which is far from ideal for a young player in a World Cup year.
PREVIOUS GRADE: A
CURRENT GRADE: F
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Gio Reyna (Borussia Monchengladbach, $8.25M)
It started a little bit slowly, but realistically, it probably had to. Gladbach, from the start, wanted to take some time to build Reyna up. Now that they have, he seems close to resembling his best.
USMNT fans got a glimpse at that in November as he showed out in games against Paraguay and Uruguay. In the weeks since, he's had a more regular role for Gladbach, providing something of a creative spark to the midtable Bundesliga team. He's not been dominant, but this is a player who's still finding himself after effectively missing out on three years of development.
We'll have to see how this goes during the second half of the season, but Reyna has reason for optimism and, after so long with that not being the case, that feels nice.
PREVIOUS GRADE: B
CURRENT GRADE: B
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Paxten Aaronson (Colorado Rapids, $7M)
This move was ultimately made with the long-term in mind. That's the reality when you head to MLS midseason, particularly to a team that wasn't exactly in the playoff hunt.
Now, though, the Rapids are heading into a new era. A new coach, Matt Wells, is on the way, and he'll arrive with Aaronson positioned as one of his team's centerpieces. Just 22 years old, there's a lot of weight on Aaronson's shoulders, but he knew that when he opted to head back to Colorado.
The results weren't particularly great in those final weeks of the MLS season, with the Rapids missing the playoffs, but Aaronson won't be judged on those. It's all about how he'll fare in this upcoming season and, realistically, in the years to come.
PREVIOUS GRADE: C
CURRENT GRADE: C
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Tim Weah (Marseille, on loan from Juventus)
Weah's return to Ligue 1 has gone about as well as many would have expected. There were no real surprises involved with the move; Weah knew the league well and, over his last few seasons at Juventus, Weah had proven he was a quality player who could contribute at multiple positions.
That's what he's done this season, too. He's featured on the right and the left and at winger and wingback but, regardless of where he's been on the field, he's been a solid piece for Marseille. he has two goals and two assists, including one each in the Champions League, and he's played almost 1,300 minutes in all competitions for a team fighting at the top of Ligue 1. You can't ask for much more than that, can you?
PREVIOUS GRADE: B
CURRENT GRADE: A-
