With the likes of Christian Pulisic, Zack Steffen, and Josh Sargent amongst the many American talents looking to make a splash in the Premier League this season, it’s time to have a look at the future USMNT internationals who are plying their trade on the continent.
There’s not only the multitude of American youngsters at all levels of football in Germany but there are also future USMNT stars plying their trade across the vast European football landscape in the 2021/22 season.
EARLY LIFE
Son of former Ballon D’Or winner & Liberian President George Weah, Timothy Weah was born in Brooklyn, New York. He learned football at an early age from his legendary father and appeared for academy sides in both Florida and New York.
At the age of 13, the competition to sign him to an academy contract began to heat up. After initially deciding to join the Red Bull academy in New York, it wasn’t long before some European giants noticed the talent of the second generation superstar and Weah was off to London for a trial with Chelsea.
His trial at Chelsea didn’t seem to materialize into anything. Instead, it was announced that he would be joining PSG’s academy. He made an instant impact for Les Parisiens under 17 team, scoring a hattrick in an 8-1 victory in the UEFA Youth League against Ludogorets on debut.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
In June 2017 it was announced that Weah had signed his first professional contract with PSG. After making a handful of appearances for the first team it was decided he would head on loan to Scotland giants Celtic.
He would make 17 appearances for The Bhoys where he scored four goals. He also picked up his first league winners medal. He finished the season with the obligatory league/cup double that was the norm in those days for Celtic.
The following season he would leave Paris and sign a five-year deal with LOSC Lille. His first year would be wrecked with injury and illness as he struggled to make it out of the medical room for much of the season. The 20/21 season would be dramatically different as Weah would make 37 appearances and score five goals, from mostly the center or right of a front 3 as Lille romped home to an unlikely Ligue 1 title over his former club PSG.
USMNT STORY SO FAR
In 2017 the son of the Liberian legend announced he would be representing the USA in international football. Despite being strongly pursued by the French national team setup and also being eligible to represent Liberia and Jamaica, Weah remarked that the decision “wasn’t difficult at all’” citing his love for the country and the bond he shared with his international teammates.
After representing the USA at every youth level, he made his full debut for the USMNT in a 1-0 friendly victory against Paraguay. Almost exactly two months later he would score his first senior international goal in a 3-0 thrashing of Bolivia at Subaru Park in Philadelphia.
Playing Champions League football and competing for domestic titles already, Tim Weah and his genes of greatness should be a mainstay in the national team set up for years to come.
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