With five Americans in major roles, PSV Eindhoven has moved into the elite of international soccer. 

One of the key figures at the reigning Dutch champion is U.S. Hall of Famer Earnie Stewart, who joined PSV as director of football in 2023 after five years at U.S. Soccer, where he was sporting director. 

Ever since, PSV has expanded its American influence more than any other team in Europe with Stewart heading up its soccer division and Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillman, Sergiño Dest and Richard Ledezma starring as players. (Wisconsin-born teen Esmir Bajraktarević, who was signed in January from the New England Revolution, has switched his international allegiance to represent Bosnia & Herzegovina at the senior level.)

Soccer America talked with Earnest Stewart, as he prefers to be called, in Eindhoven about PSV’s American family.

SOCCER AMERICA: Is the heavy American presence at PSV a part of your vision?

EARNEST STEWART: This story is bigger than that. I started in Eindhoven on March 1 2023, and had only three, four months for the new season. We needed to make adequate choices, and Ricardo Pepi was already within the [recruiting] profiles on the list at PSV. Just like Malik Tillman and Sergiño Dest. Because I also knew them, it made it easier to make choices.  A combination of the transfer window approaching rapidly, learning more about our own squad and knowing all three players from a personal, quality potential standpoint helped us make these choices with full confidence.

SA: Because all these American players have adjusted so well to the PSV system, does that mean the club will be more focused on prospects from the United States?

EARNEST STEWART: One of the main qualities Americans bring is their do-or-die mentality. They always want to win games and work hard, which are basics in soccer to achieve your goals. Therefore, the  United States has become an interesting market for us. But the combination of knowing them, the way we want to play, the mentality we look for and still being capable of doing those investments has to chain together at the right time. The American market is very interesting from a talent and cost standpoint, where other countries such as Brazil, with a huge history of talented players that have succeeded in Europe, have a different price range.

The Dutch company Philips was founded in 1891 in Eindhoven. In 1913, it launched the sports club Philips Sport Vereniging (PSV) for its employees. It became one of the three big soccer clubs in the Netherlands, along with Ajax and Feyenoord. PSV joined them in winning the European Cup in 1988, a remarkable accomplishment for a country with a population of less than 20 million. PSV, the reigning league champion, has won the Eredivisie 25 times, the KNVB Cup 11 times and the Johan Cruyff Shield a record of 14 times. Brazilian greats Romário and Ronaldo both started their European careers at PSV.

SA: So there’s a hotline with the United States?

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