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USMNT Overseas: Jack McGlynn Spearheads Stoke City’s Success

Every American was adamant to impress U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Zach Lowy|
Jack McGlynn is on fire for Stoke City.
Jack McGlynn is on fire for Stoke City. | Steve Bardens/Getty Images

It was a prolific week for the stars of the U.S. men’s national team, who play all around the world at the domestic level.

Quite a few Americans found the back of the net in Europe this weekend, while others helped their teams secure clean sheets through impressive defensive performances.

Whether or not they were selected to the USMNT’s November camp for Concacaf Nations League play, every player in the pool was adamant to deliver on the pitch and convince Mauricio Pochettino of his merits.

Here are the USMNT stars that stole the show in Europe this weekend.

Jack McGlynn Scores for Fun at Stoke City

It has been a sensational week for Jack McGlynn. After bagging a goal and an assist against Preston North End on Halloween, the 23-year-old forward then opened the scoring at Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday. It was more of the same over the weekend, with McGlynn equalizing at Portsmouth as Stoke City came away with a third win in a row. The club also moved level on 29 points atop the EFL Championship table alongside Birmingham City and Middlesbrough.

McGlynn, now up to five goals this season, will head back to the U.S. for the upcoming fixtures against Haiti as a late replacement for the injured Giovanni Reyna in the squad. It is McGlynn's first call up since September 2025, as well as his first since leaving MLS for the EFL Championship, and it is thoroughly deserved.

Alex Freeman Helps Villarreal Come Out on Top

Alex Freeman
Alex Freeman proved decisive in Villarreal’s second-half turnaround. | Maria Jose Segovia/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Villarreal manager Iñigo Pérez has yo-yoed back and forth between Alex Freeman and Santiago Mouriño at the starting right back position this season. So it’s no surprise that after losing 6–0 to Paris Saint-Germain midweek, Freeman relinquished his starting spot against Getafe.

Nevertheless, he made his presence felt. Scoreless throughout the first hour, Villarreal scored twice in the 30 minutes that he was on the pitch and also kept a clean sheet. Freeman provided the Yellow Submarine with a new dimension, constantly barraging forward and helping to instigate the opening goal. Whether starting or coming off the bench, he is crucial for Villarreal, who have ascended to eighth in La Liga.

Mark McKenzie Comes Up Big for Toulouse

Between Tanner Tessmann assisting for Lyon in the UEFA Europa League, Giovanni Reyna scoring for Strasbourg and Timothy Weah captaining Marseille to a fifth straight win, it’s hard not to spotlight an American player from Ligue 1. Our pick is Toulouse defender Mark McKenzie, who will actually rejoin Philadelphia Union in January.

McKenzie excelled at the back for Toulouse over the weekend, making five defensive contributions and winning three out of five duels. He also proved decisive at the other end of the pitch, scoring their second goal in a 3–1 win against Strasbourg. To put the cherry on top, he’s been called up at the last minute to replace the injured George Campbell in the USMNT’s defense.

Tyler Adams Holds It Down for Bournemouth

Tyler Adams can’t stop making history for Bournemouth. On Thursday, he came off the bench and scored the equalizer in a 3–1 win against Sparta Prague, which saw Bournemouth join Liverpool’s 1964 squad as the only teams to win their first four matches in European soccer.

On Sunday, he was back in the starting lineup at Ipswich Town and proved indispensable in midfield alongside Ryan Christie with nine defensive contributions, six recoveries, three interceptions and five ground duels won (out of seven). Bournemouth have equalled their club-record streak of eight wins on the bounce—only PSG have a longer streak in Europe's top five leagues.

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Zach Lowy
ZACH LOWY

Zach Lowy is a journalist, writer and interviewer whose work explores the stories, personalities and defining moments shaping the global game. Zach has covered European and North America soccer in-depth, and was on the ground for the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup.

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