USMNT's James Sands Leaves NYCFC for Rangers on Loan

James Sands has parlayed his MLS Cup success with NYCFC and growing role with the U.S. men's national team into a move abroad.

Scottish champion Rangers has signed the versatile 21-year-old on an 18-month loan with an option to buy, adding another American to its extensive history of U.S. talent and giving Sands his first taste of club soccer overseas. A member of the U.S.'s Gold Cup-winning squad who started the final, Sands has seven caps with the senior national team. He helped steer NYCFC to its first MLS title last month and will look to develop further under the guidance of Rangers manager and former Netherlands great Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Sands joins a growing contingent of U.S. players in Scotland's top flight, which currently includes the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Christian Ramirez (Aberdeen), Ian Harkes (Dundee United) and Chris Mueller (Hibernian). Ramirez is in contention for the Scottish Premiership's scoring crown, with his eight goals one off the pace set by Motherwell's Tony Watt.

As for Sands, he follows in the footsteps of distinguished U.S. internationals such as Claudio Reyna, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu and Alejandro Bedoya who have featured for Rangers. More recently, Americans Emerson Hyndman, Gedion Zelalem (Sands's teammate at NYCFC) and Matt Polster spent brief stints there. 

"While this has been a difficult decision for me to leave a club that I love, I feel it is time in my career to test myself in another league and face a new challenge in Europe," Sands said in a statement. "Rangers is an incredible club in a very competitive league with high expectations and a passionate fanbase. It will be a fantastic learning curve for me, and one that I feel ready for."

After an undefeated, title-winning season under Steven Gerrard, Rangers eyes another league trophy this season, as it currently sits six points clear of rival Celtic in the table. It also remains alive in the UEFA Europa League, with a two-legged, knockout playoff round tie vs. Borussia Dortmund on the docket for February, where a place in the round of 16 will be on the line. The matchup would give Sands a first look at European competition while also potentially pitting two NYCFC academy products against one another between Sands and Dortmund's Gio Reyna (who, to bring it full circle, was named after van Bronckhorst, his father Claudio Reyna's former teammate and good friend).

“James is a player who I have been aware of for some time. His versatility was a big attraction and I’ve been impressed with his attitude and mentality in the games that I have watched recently," van Bronckhorst said in a statement. "He is a talented young player with areas of his game which we will endeavor to develop through our coaching.

“I am looking forward to getting him onto the pitch and starting to work with him.”

Sands becomes the latest U.S. international to leave MLS this winter, with Ricardo Pepi going from FC Dallas to Augsburg for a reported $20 million fee, while Daryl Dike bolted Orlando City for West Brom on a reported $9.5 million deal. U.S. youth international Mauricio Cuevas, 18, also left the LA Galaxy's setup to join Club Brugge. He played for Galaxy II in USL Championship.