The 2024-25 English Football League season gets underway on August 9 with several U.S. men’s national team players sprinkled throughout the divisions.
Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson and Josh Sargent headline the 12 American players between the Championship, League One and League Two. Both Wright and Sargent enjoyed double-digit goalscoring campaigns and will aim for similar success this time around as their clubs seek promotion.
Auston Trusty and Sheffield United dropped into the Championship after Premier League relegation. Trusty remains a key part of the Blades squad after joining the club last summer.
Aaronson returns to Leeds United after a season-long loan spell at Union Berlin. Daniel Farke has provided Aaronson with an opportunity in the squad, one that the 24-year-old will look to make the most of.
Aidan Morris, Ethan Horvath, and Reggie Cannon are a few other faces in England’s second tier, with Morris only recently making the move abroad from MLS.
Here is a closer look at the American players set for involvement in the EFL this season:
Haji Wright, Coventry City
Haji Wright showed little frustration in his first season with Coventry City.
Wright finished the 2023-24 campaign with 19 goals across all competitions, which saw him tied for the team lead alongside Ellis Simms. The 26-year-old forced his way back into the USMNT picture and also helped the Sky Blues reach the FA Cup semifinals.
Mark Robins will rely heavily on Wright’s goalscoring abilities yet again, as Coventry City seeks to be among the promotion chasers.
Josh Sargent, Norwich City
24-year-old Josh Sargent will be ready to take the next step in his career this season.
The American forward has totaled 100 combined appearances for Norwich City since his move from Werder Bremen in 2021. Sargent has contributed 33 goals and seven assists for the Canaries, registering double-digit goals in each of the past two seasons.
Sargent, who was linked with a summer move, looks to be staying at Carrow Road, which is a major sigh of relief for new manager Johannes Thorup.
Brenden Aaronson, Leeds United
Brenden Aaronson is back at Elland Road and seeking to lead Leeds United back into the English Premier League.
Aaronson spent all of last season on loan at Union Berlin, scoring two goals and adding two assists in 38 appearances. The attacking midfielder endured some tough moments during his first season with Leeds United but will hope to have a larger say under manager Daniel Farke.
After missing out on promotion last season, pressure will be on the Lilywhites to get the job done in 2024-25.
Auston Trusty, Sheffield United
2023-24 was a season to forget for Sheffield United.
Chris Wilder’s men suffered relegation back to the EFL Championship after a horrendous overall campaign. Auston Trusty served as one of the few bright spots in the squad though, logging 34 appearances in his first season with the club.
The veteran defender will remain a key player for the Blades this season, hoping for better memories in his second year at Bramall Lane.
Aidan Morris, Middlesbrough
22-year-old Aidan Morris became the latest American player to embark to England this summer.
Morris made the move to Middlesbrough from the Columbus Crew after winning two MLS Cups. The aggressive midfielder made 105 combined appearances in Columbus, scoring seven goals and adding 11 assists.
Now a new chapter begins on Teesside with Morris set to learn from longtime veteran, Michael Carrick.
Ethan Horvath, Cardiff City
Cardiff City handed Ethan Horvath the keys to the No. 1 goalkeeper job and the veteran hasn’t looked back.
The 29-year-old made 16 appearances for the Welsh club following his transfer from Nottingham Forest last January. Horvath registered four clean sheets for the Bluebirds, playing consistently after a frustrating time in Nottingham.
Horvath remains the No. 1 heading into the new season as Erol Bulut’s squad seek a top-six finish.
Lynden Gooch, Stoke City
Not many clubs have the services of a player with over 300 appearances under his belt but Stoke City is one of them.
28-year-old Lynden Gooch heads into his second season with the Potters after spending most of his career with fellow English club Sunderland. Gooch scored two goals in 30 appearances for Stoke City last season, jumping right into the left back position and not looking back.
Gooch remains a key figure in the squad as the Potters hope to steer clear of the relegation picture this season.
Reggie Cannon, QPR
QPR will also look to avoid a relegation fight this season, with Reggie Cannon fighting for the cause.
Cannon made the move to West London last summer and proceeded to feature in 21 matches for QPR. The former FC Dallas homegrown overcame a slight injury spell to become a regular in Marti Cifuentes’ squad.
QPR fought off relegation last spring and will seek a much stronger start to the season this month.
Duane Holmes, Preston North End
Duane Holmes remains an important playmaker for Preston North End this season.
The 29-year-old returns to Deepdale after a five-goal, six-assist haul in 2023-24. Holmes brings ample experience and versatility to the squad, something that we saw in Ryan Lowe’s squad last season.
Should Preston want to be among the promotion chasers, a healthy and in-form Holmes will help in that quest.
Jonathan Tomkinson, Norwich City
Jonathan Tomkinson heads into the final season of his Norwich City contract.
Tomkinson, a former U.S. Under-23 men’s national team defender, has spent parts of the last two seasons on loan at Stevenage and Bradford City respectively. He made 28 appearances for the Bantams last season, logging over 2,000 minutes of playing time.
He’s only made three appearances for Norwich City’s first team to date, but has been part of the preseason plans this summer.
Donovan Pines, Barnsley
26-year-old Donovan Pines will hope for a healthy 2024-25 season.
Pines made the move to English third-tier side Barnsley last winter but was reduced to only four appearances through injury. The former DC United standout scored twice in those appearances, quickly becoming a fan favorite at Oakwell.
After missing the tail-end of the league campaign, Pines is fighting his way back to 100% fitness.
Daryl Dike, West Bromwich Albion
Injuries have derailed Daryl Dike’s spell at West Bromwich Albion, but the American forward will hope he can play a vital role this time around.
The former Orlando City standout has been reduced to only 32 appearances for the Baggies since arriving in 2022. However, his eight goals have provided West Brom fans with a glimpse of his long-term potential when healthy.
Dike is set to miss the first few months of the league season, but a second-half surge could be vital in West Brom’s promotion fight.
TT3S ,
“I wonder if we have equivalent numbers on the coaching side?”
If you mean coaching in Europe it is unlikely. Our two most prominent American born managers with European resumes were kind of outliers.
Matarazzo went over on his own and worked his way up the ladder the hard way.
Jesse must have impressed someone in the Red Bull corporate as they got him set up as an assistant to Rangnick at Leipzig and then got him the gig with Salzburg. That was a great kickstart to his managing career in Europe. I don’t know if he gets that jump had he been managing any other MLS team.
We’ll probably have to wait until more of our USMNT players retire and want to live and coach in Europe, like Dolo did. I did not include Dolo because while he was an assistant and a Youth coach in Germany, he had to come back here to be a head coach.
Expecting Wright, Sargent and Aaronson to have big seasons.
First season for Aiden let’s see what he can do.
Will Tomkinson break through for Norwich?
Can Trusty push for a USMNT role?
Will be monitoring the Championship this year
I do kind of see a Ream trajectory with Trusty.
Good gravy!
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That’s A LOT of guys playing abroad. On paper it looks like we have as many guys in the 2nd division now as we had guys in all euro 1st and 2nd divisions 10 years ago.
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Surely we’re making progress on the player dev side. I wonder if we have equivalent numbers on the coaching side?