WITH THE WORLD CUP now over, let us recap the summer transfer window for American players and look at what could be in store for the coming weeks and months. Certainly more rumors and news will surface, but here is what we have, so far.

Moves and news

Kevin Paredes signs with Utrecht: The 2024 U.S. Olympic team winger saw his contract with Wolfsburg expire after the 2025/26 season where he played just 205 minutes due to an ankle injury. The season before he was limited to 125 minutes. Wolfsburg was relegated after the season and opted not to sign Paredes to a new deal. Now Paredes has signed for Utrecht in the Eredivisie.

Utrecht finished sixth in the Eredivisie last season and is never top team in the league but is usually top half. But this move is not about Paredes and Utrecht, it is about whether Paredes can stay healthy. If he can, he is in a solid position to rebuild his career.

Benjamin Cremaschi transfers to Parma: 2025 U.S. U-20 Golden Boot winner Benja Cremaschi spent 2025/26 on loan from Inter Miami to Parma in Serie A. For several months, he was glued to the bench with only a few late-game cameos but in March that showed signs of changing. But on March 13, Cremaschi injured his knee and was out for the rest of the season. Despite that, this summer Parma exercised its option to buy on the loan from Inter Miami despite limited minutes. That is impressive because Cremaschi must have shown enough in training that he could be part of the team’s future. Likely part of the U.S. Olympic team for 2028, Cremaschi could be poised for a breakout if he is healthy for preseason.

James Sands returns to New York City: Sands made a go of it in the Bundesliga the last two seasons on loan with St. Pauli. But each of his last two seasons ended with a broken ankle. The U.S. international defensive midfielder played well for St. Pauli and the team was far better with him on the field. But without Sands for the final two months of the season, St. Pauli struggled and was relegated. Sands needed to come home and reset his career after two serious ankle injuries. He is in a good spot. NYCFC signed him to an extension and the club will spend money aggressively ahead of its move into a new stadium. He should get back into a winning mindset again and will play if he is healthy.

A third return to Europe is not out of the question, but Sands needs to stick around for awhile in New York and show that he is healthy and that his ankle injuries are firmly in the past.

Bryan Reynolds transfers to Rennes: Reynolds has spent the last four years at Westerlo and is now pushing for a return to one of Europe’s top leagues with Rennes. The former FC Dallas homegrown right back first moved to Roma before heading to Belgium, after first with Kortrijk and then Westerlo on loan, before a full transfer. He likely stayed at Westerlo two years too long, but the small Belgian club was a good stop to allow him to fully understand the right back position (after he developed as a forward).

Now 25, it raises the question whether Reynolds is moving to a place where he can start? Rennes has options in that position including Alidu Seidu (who also plays as a central defender), Polish international Przemys?aw Frankowski, and Rayan Bamba who spent last season on loan with Ligue 1 side Nancy.

Diego Kochen on loan to Lyngby: U.S. youth international and likely Olympic starter Diego Kochen has finally found a home where he can likely get first team minutes with his club. The Florida native will spend 2026/27 on loan with Lyngby, which just earned promotion to the Danish Superliga in May. It is very hard to find teams where a young goalkeeper can play on loan, and this could be a nice place to achieve that purpose. Lyngby will be desperate to stay up and Kochen will play a big role in that. We will learn a lot about him as a goalkeeper very soon.

Neil Pierre: After spending 2025/26 on loan with Lyngby where he helped the team to promotion to the Danish Superliga, Pierre has returned to his parent club, the Philadelphia Union. He is now in a much better position to start for the Union, and the loan served its purpose. There is a clear opening on the Philadelphia Union, who had a miserable start to the 2026 season and are in last place. He’s one of the top central defenders in the U.S. U-20 player pool and it would be really important for him to start playing regularly for the Union. It looks like that is going to happen.

Cole Campbell to SV Elversberg: The 2025/26 season was terrible for Campbell who struggled at the U-20 World Cup in September, didn’t play for Borussia Dortmund, and then went on loan to Hoffenheim where he also did not play much. This summer he moved on full transfer to SV Elversberg, which is a small club that just won promotion to the Bundesliga. Elversberg is in an uphill club to survive the season in the top tier, but the club’s strategy is to bring in several young and hungry players to try to make a difference.

Along with Campbell, Elversberg also made a series of additions. Attacking midfielder Noah Darvich, 19, joins on loan from Stuttgart. Attacking midfielder Francis Okyeka, 19, joins on loan from Leverkusen. Winger Maurice Krattenmacher, 21, signed from Bayern Munich after a loan from Hertha BSC last season. There are others rumored to be joining too.

Campbell has struggled to find a place to play. This needs to be that opportunity.

Max Dietz to Górnik Zabrze: After three years with Greuther Furth in the 2.Bundesliga, the 2024 U.S. Olympic team defensive midfielder/central defender Max Dietz is on his way to Górnik Zabrze in Poland’s Ekstraklasa. It is a good move for Dietz as Greuther Furth is going nowhere in Germany’s 2.Bundesliga and Górnik Zabrze finished second in Poland last season. Plus, this will allow Dietz to play in European soccer. Dietz struggled last season, but playing for winning club might help bring out the best in him.  

Daryl Dike to Orlando City: After Dike’s contract with West Bromwich Albion expired in June, the center forward will return home to his first club, Orlando City, to hope to jump start his career. Dike’s career has been plagued by serious injuries, specifically both Achillles’ tendons. It is impossible to know what to expect from Dike after he has been unable to play regularly for so long, but returning home should give him some comfort. The concern for Dike is that Orlando City now has Antoine Griezmann and U.S. U-20 star Justin Ellis as the team’s forwards.

Ian Hoffmann to Mjallby: American fullback Ian Hoffmann will now play his trade in Sweden’s top tier with Mjallby, which he joined this summer on loan from Lech Poznan.

Potentially on the move

Yunus Musah: Musah’s loan to Atalanta in 2025/26 did not work out and he is now back with AC Milan. Initially it appeared as if he was going to remain with AC Milan, and he still might, but there are rumors that Leeds United and Ipswich are both looking at him in England. Now this week, it looks as if Lazio is going to come in with a bid. Lazio’s new manager Gennaro Gattuso previously coached Musah at Valencia. It would help Musha to play under a familiar manager, but Gattuso has been unsuccessful in his recent gigs.

Sebastian Berhalter: The U.S. national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter will have his current contract with Vancouver expire at the end of the season. Given his World Cup resume, national team stature, and his great 18 month run in Vancouver, Berhalter should have options.

Max Arfsten: The Columbus Crew winger/wingback made the World Cup team but interest in him could reheat after offers from Toulouse and Middlesbrough were rejected last year.

Matt Freese: A few reports listed Celtic as interested in Freese following the World Cup, but nothing concrete.

A few other notes

In a few other minor moves.

Former U.S. international John Brooks decided not to retire after a tough season with Hertha BSC. Instead, he will play for VSG Altglienicke in the non-professional fourth-tier Regionalliga.

Speedy winger Jonathan Amon left Velje in Denmark following the club’s relegation out of the Superliga. He is now in Austria’s second tier with SKN St. Poelten.