SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia – The new Premier League campaign kicks off this weekend, so it's time once again to examine the season prospects for the US national team's England-based players and their clubs.
There are five players who look set to start the term on EPL squads, and another three that could get their chances at some juncture. The action begins on Saturday, so let's ditch the ceremony and jump right in.
Geoff Cameron - Stoke City
The US international has earned consistent praise for his solid contributions at three positions since moving to Stoke in 2012. Last season, he posted career high averages in passing percentage (76.3%), shot blocks (.6 per game) and aerial duels won (2.3), as well as his lowest total turnovers per contest (1.2). The Potters have grown into a more attack-minded side over his tenure, making his steady play at the back all the more important.
With the emergence of Giannelli Imbula and the arrival of Joe Allen, barring injuries, you can expect Cameron to do most of his work on the backline this season. Right back competition Glen Johnson is still on the mend as the season opens, so the former Houston Dynamo man looks set to begin the campaign there.
In the forecast: Once Johnson returns, Cameron could also battle with Philipp Wollscheid for the place in central defense alongside skipper Ryan Shawcross. The American handyman has averaged 32 starts over his four seasons at the Britannia, so he's well-versed at earning a spot and should again be good for about that many lineup nods if healthy.
Stoke have finished ninth in the EPL table in each of the last three seasons. They have threatened to break into the Europa League places, but still look like they are one sharp striker away from actually getting there. After failing to lure Robin van Persie from Fenerbahçe, reports are suggesting that Arsenal could now hijack their move for Manchester City's Wilfried Bony. It's a pity, because the Potters have added winger Ramadan Sobhi, an exciting prospect from Egypt, to a fine set-up crew led by Marko Arnautović and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Brad Guzan - Middlesbrough
After spending most of the last four seasons as the starter at Aston Villa, the US netminder is back to playing second fiddle with promoted Boro – at least for the time being. Former Barcelona No. 1 Victor Valdés arrived at Riverside Stadium from Manchester United three weeks before Guzan, giving him a head start in the goalkeeping competition. He will also compete with 37-year-old Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, who backstopped the club to promotion by playing every league contest last season
Now that he's escaped the line behind Villa's Keystone Cops defense, Guzan can hope to avoid much of the desperate scrambling of the last two seasons and reclaim his top form. His distribution has slipped over the past couple of years, so he will certainly look to shore up that area of his game this term.
In the forecast: Guzan is easily the youngest of Boro's three 'keepers and possibly the best of the bunch at commanding his area. What's more, Valdés hasn't played more than nine games in a campaign since 2013-14, so it's not far-fetched to imagine the American could claim the starting job at some point this season. For now, it seems likely he could make his competitive debut for his new employers when they visit Tim Ream and Fulham for second-round EFL Cup action on August 22.
As for the club, they have a good balance of talent on each line and a fair amount of speed in attack. Boro have also made some shrewd offseason acquisitions, bringing in the likes of experienced right back Antonio Barragán (from Valencia) and feisty destroyer Marten de Roon (Atalanta), as well as a trio of slick new offensive weapons in Viktor Fischer (Ajax), Álvaro Negredo (Valencia) and Gastón Ramírez (Southampton). All told, the Teessiders look a decent bet to avoid the quick drop.
Emerson Hyndman - Bournemouth
The diminutive possession maestro has missed the entire preseason with an ankle injury. Hyndman is unlikely to dress for the season opener against Manchester United and will need to play catch-up in the fight for playing time.
It also doesn't help that the Bournemouth have added Football League Young Player of the Year Lewis Cook to a well-stocked midfield stable led by the experienced trio of Harry Arter, Dan Gosling and Andrew Surman, but this level of competition is what one buys with a jump to the Premier League.
In the forecast: Cherries manager Eddie Howe is very high on the US midfielder, and former Fulham boss Kit Symons says the youngster is a better fit stylistically for the Premier League than he was for the Championship. With possession sure to be key for an underdog side with slim margins for error, Hyndman should see some work once he's fit.
Bournemouth won admirers for their positive play as a EPL debutant last term, when they surprised many by finishing five points above the trap door. If new attackers Jordan Ibe and Lys Mousset (who scored 14 goals for Bob Bradley's Le Havre last season) can help top gun Callum Wilson carry the offensive load, they can build on last season. If not, the leaky defense may be under too much pressure for them to stay up again.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, DeAndre Yedlin - Tottenham
Yedlin, the US right back, earned some preseason pitch time for Spurs, including a look over on the left, where Spurs aren't as deep. However, he was then omitted from the squad for their final tune-up match against Inter Milan. Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier seemed entrenched as the top two at Yedlin's position, making it seem as though the American could be surplus goods.
That being said, Yedlin has made tremendous strides on the defensive side of the ball over the last year. His loan spell with Sunderland was enough of a success that fans at the Stadium of Light have spent recent days moaning about the fact that he hasn't been brought back. If the 23-year-old can now re-amplify his attacking skills and maintain his improvements off the ball, he would be a proper threat to crack the rotation at White Hart Lane once and for all.
Meanwhile, Jan Vertonghen's Euro 2016 injury setback gave Carter-Vickers (pictured below) the chance to show what he can do during the preseason. The Spurs skipper should be ready soon, but the young American may have done enough to earn a place in the squad as the fourth center back.
In the forecast: At the moment, regarding Yedlin's season outlook, the magic eight-ball says "Reply hazy, try again." He's also been identified as a possible target for a return to Sunderland by their new manager, David Moyes. However, the Black Cats have now agreed on a fee for young Manchester United right back Donald Love and are also being linked with an approach for Torino's Davide Zappacosta. As for Carter-Vickers, he will probably be banking on soft opponents in England's two domestic cups as his best bet for playing time.
Tottenham threatened to snatch their first league crown since 1961 last season, but dropped too many points down the stretch and settled for third place and a return to the Champions League. After picking up AZ Alkmaar striker Vincent Janssen and Southampton midfield general Victor Wanyama over the summer, they can still improve, but will really need to avoid last year's poor start to do so.
On the Cusp:
Lynden Gooch - Sunderland
The 20-year-old attacker made his Black Cats debut last term and appears to be in line for some activity at some point in the forthcoming campaign. Moyes kept Gooch with the first team throughout their unbeaten preseason run, and has spoken of giving the team's youngsters some chances this season. However, the California native will probably shift back to the reserve team (at least temporarily) once the bench shortens with the start of league play.
Matt Miazga - Chelsea
The Red Bulls product debuted impressively for the Blues last season, but he did not see the field during this preseason and new manager Antonio Conte has publicly spoken of farming the young defender out to gain tactical experience. Miazga was linked with a loan to Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, but the Bundesliga club have rejected that report. Still, it seems only a matter of time before he takes temporary leave in search of playing time.
Gedion Zelalam - Arsenal
The US Under-23 playmaker has looked good for the Gunners in the preseason, but will surely need to do more to break into the title contenders' packed central midfield rotation. The offseason arrival of Granit Xhaka has just given him one more international star to contend with, but Arsenal's heavy fixture load and injury woes in attack, which may necessitate running a five-man midfield early in the season, should earn him a nod from Arsene Wenger before too long.
