McKennie, Pulisic, Reyna and more: Breaking down a big season for USMNT stars across Europe

Sergino Dest, DF, Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie)

The young right back enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2019-20 and went from the fringes of the senior squad to being one of the most sought-after fullbacks in Europe. Dest, 19, signed his first professional contract with Ajax in December 2018 and made his first-team debut in August 2019. His impressive form for Ajax started turning heads at the Netherlands and then-boss Ronald Koeman was keen for Dest to declare for the Oranje. But Dest, who played youth-level football for the U.S., took his time to shore up his decision and opted for the USMNT.

Exclusive: Why Dest chose U.S. over Netherlands

His trajectory has been rapid, like his darts down the right flank, and he was crowned U.S. Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year for 2019. But there's still a chance he has a new club by the end of the transfer window on Oct. 5 as he's getting plenty of interest. Ajax have a practise of eking out one final season from their ridiculous list of prodigious young talents before they secure a move to one of Europe's bigger fish. Bayern Munich are still being heavily linked with Dest, and if he moves there he'll have Benjamin Pavard and Joshua Kimmich as rivals for a spot. But if he does stay put he'll still be front and centre of Ajax's Eredivisie and Champions League campaigns. He will look to another season of starting week-in-week-out for the Dutch giants and continuing to develop his game. -- Hamilton

Gio Reyna, MF/FW, Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga)

The sky's the limit for the 17-year-old forward. Having joined Borussia Dortmund from MLS side NYCFC in July 2019, Reyna made his debut for the Bundesliga giants in January 2020 and scored a memorable first goal in their DFB-Pokal defeat to Werder Bremen in February. But it was enough to make people sit up and take notice, while those who had followed his promising career -- including father Claudio, who won 112 caps for the USMNT, and mother Danielle Egan,  who won six caps for the USWNT -- knew it was a matter of 'when' not 'if' Reyna would start making his mark for Europe's elite.

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It is easy to forget he has played just 18 first-team matches for Dortmund. But in a team that boasts all-world young talent like Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, Reyna has the perfect role models around him to take his game to the next level. He is still waiting to make his USMNT debut -- his first chance was delayed in the spring due to the coronavirus outbreak -- but expect that to come sooner rather than later. He has all the ability and application to be a USMNT mainstay for the next 15 years, but his goals this season will be to get as much first-team football as possible for Dortmund and continue to develop. -- Hamilton

Antonee Robinson, DF, Fulham (English Premier League)

Robinson's 2019-20 campaign was a veritable roller-coaster. He was one of the few standouts on a Wigan team that ended up being relegated from the English Championship, with his runs forward offering a threat in attack. He nearly parlayed that into a dream move to AC Milan, only to have it scuttled by a heart condition that showed up during his medical. He eventually made a move to Fulham, freshly promoted back to the English top flight.

Robinson's goal this season will be to force his way into the first team, no easy task at a Premier League club, especially with playoff final hero Joe Bryan ensconced at left-back. Robinson didn't make the subs bench in the Cottagers' 3-0 opening-day defeat to Arsenal, but given the investment Fulham have made in him, he'll be given time to acclimate. -- Carlisle

Tim Weah, FW, Lille (French Ligue 1)

Injuries -- in particular a recurring hamstring ailment -- have so curtailed Weah's playing time that he's almost the forgotten man of the U.S. player pool. In his first season with Lille, Weah made just three appearances totaling 84 minutes. Given the time lost, this is very much a critical season for the New York City-born attacker. The early returns on the 2020-21 campaign are that Weah is still in the thoughts of Lille management, making two substitute appearances. Given the difficulty Weah has had staying healthy, it amounts to a promising start that he hopefully can parlay into additional minutes. -- Carlisle

Reggie Cannon, DF, Boavista (Portugal Primeira Liga)

Patience paid off for Cannon, who, after two years in FC Dallas' academy, a brief stop in college soccer at UCLA and then three-plus seasons with FCD, made the move to Europe with Portuguese side Boavista in September. Since the start of the 2018 season, Cannon was a consistent presence at right back and while his numbers didn't necessarily catch the eye -- he had three goals and five assists in 68 league and playoff appearances -- his attacking instincts impressed U.S. national team manager Gregg Berhalter.

At Boavista, Cannon will be making his initial foray into European soccer and he's already made a positive impression, scoring the opening goal in the club's 4-1 friendly win over CD Tondela last weekend. The right-back spot for the U.S. is there for the taking, so he'll need to adapt quickly if he is to grab that position at the international level. -- Carlisle

DeAndre Yedlin, DF, Newcastle United (English Premier League)

The big question for Yedlin is simple: Will he even be in Newcastle much longer? Yedlin was a peripheral figure last season, making 20 league and cup appearances, but just 10 starts in league play. (The majority of those came in the front half of the season, too.) Hip and hand injuries also made it difficult for Yedlin to remain in the lineup and he ultimately lost his starting spot to Javier Manquillo.

A change of scenery might do Yedlin good. One would expect that at age 27, and given his Premier League experience,  Yedlin would be a shoe-in to be the right back for the U.S. men's national team, but he seems far from first-choice there. If he can establish himself at a new club -- Turkish side Besiktas is among the sides interested in Yedlin -- then that might revitalize his career and allow him to reclaim his spot with the U.S. national team. -- Carlisle

Tim Ream, DF, Fulham (English Premier League)

The center-back has been a mainstay with Cottagers for the last five seasons, making his 200th appearance for the club in the season-opening 3-0 defeat at Arsenal. In last season's promotion push, Ream made a staggering 47 league and playoff appearances, testament to his consistency and durability. His passing ability out of the back remains a strength, though as U.S. fans can attest he is guilty of the occasional gaffe.

This season will mark Ream's third foray into the Premier League, having had previous campaigns with Bolton Wanderers in 2011-12 as well as Fulham's previous season in the top flight in 2018-19. If Fulham are to avoid relegation this time around, Ream will certainly need to be at his best on both sides of the ball. Fulham can only hope that Ream's consistency comes to the fore over the course of the campaign. -- Carlisle