Top 11 Americans who star in the EFL
Americans are having a profound impact in the EFL Championship and League One this season. With players dotted across the league hailing from the United States, many teams in the English second division are getting the most out of their talents. For example, Norwich and Coventry City are going back and forth trying to reach the promotion playoffs this season. American strikers have been instrumental in that success.
Elsewhere, Americans have had a role in midfield and defense with one goalkeeper coming from the United States. While it is not possible to form a hypothetical XI of Americans thriving in the EFL because of positional restraints, it is worth recognizing the best players from the USA in the lower tiers of English soccer. Some of these players may be due for an international call-up if they have not already received one from Gregg Berhalter.
The best Americans in the EFL
Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City)
Horvath has regularly taken a back seat to other American goalkeepers like Matt Turner or Zack Steffen. While those two have been on the squads for Premier League teams, Ethan Horvath has floated around the Championship. A move to Cardiff City in this season’s January transfer window gave Horvath a starting position.
He has cashed in by delivering the Welsh side five wins in his first 10 Championship appearances. That includes three clean sheets after a rocky beginning with the club. It is building on the success he had last season with Luton Town on loan. He was second in the Championship with 19 clean sheets as Luton secured promotion with Horvath in net.
Haji Wright (Coventry City)
Haji Wright has been making waves this season with Coventry City. Wright has scored 14 goals with Coventry City this season, which puts him in a tie for sixth with two players on the scoring charts in the Championship. That has propped Wright back into the USMNT’s Nations League squad, where Wright scored twice in the semifinal win over Jamaica.
Josh Sargent (Norwich City)
Joining Haji Wright in that tie for sixth is Josh Sargent. The Norwich City striker has been on blazing form of late. After returning from a four-month injury, Sargent has scored in 10 out of Norwich’s 16 games since then. With Sargent bagging so many goals, the Canaries climbed from 13th to sixth in the Championship.
Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion)
Among the Americans playing striker in the EFL Championship, Daryl Dike has the most unfortunate track record. Unable to battle back from injuries, Dike has missed extended time over the last two seasons. Dike scored in the FA Cup against Aldershot, but another Achilles injury canceled his season prematurely.
Reggie Cannon (QPR)
Reggie Cannon has always been a player on the cusp of developing into a regular USMNT squad member. The emergence of players like Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson has hindered that prospect. Regardless, consistent minutes this season with QPR are helping Cannon develop despite QPR floating around the bottom half of the table in the Championship.
Vaughn Covil (Hull City)
Vaughn Covil is a player to keep an eye on among the USMNT ranks. The 20-year-old winger is yet to play for Hull City this season outside of an appearance in the EFL Cup. Yet, he is garnering looks from US Soccer, as he was a part of the 2023 Pan American Games where the United States finished fourth.
Lynden Gooch (Stoke City)
A Swiss-Army knife type of player, Stoke City has used Lynden Gooch across the pitch. Right-back, left-wing, left-back and right-midfielder are some of the places Gooch has played this season. Stoke has been working to build a gap away from the relegation zone, and Gooch will play a role in that as the season nears its end.
Duane Holmes (Preston North End)
The 29-year-old Holmes has been a starter and a substitute in Preston’s strong campaign so far. Narrowly outside of the promotion playoff places, Holmes has given Preston four goals and four assists this season from the attacking midfield.
Matthew Hoppe (Middlesbrough)
Returning from a loan, Matthew Hoppe has not made the squad for Middlesbrough this season. At one time, Hoppe looked like one of the best American prospects during his time with Schalke. A couple of failed transfers curtailed that development, but Hoppe is still able to grow at the age of 23.
Donovan Pines (Barnsley)
Looking down into League One, Donovan Pines could be an option at center-back. The Barnsley defender moved from DC United to League One in January, and he has just four appearances with the club so far. Barnsley won three of the four and drew the other, and Pines scored in two of those games as a center-back.
Charlie Kelman (Wigan)
After failing to make headway with QPR this season, Wigan brought in Kelman on loan for the remainder of the season. Kelman made himself stand out with a goal and assist in his first three games with Wigan, but he has failed to turn in any other goal contributions after his January switch.
PHOTOS: IMAGO