Making a List: Youngest U.S. debuts in Europe

At the age of 18 and less than a year after he left the FC Dallas academy, Weston McKennie made his debut for German club Schalke 04, becoming the seventh youngest American to make his league debut in a major European league.

Youngest U.S. Teen Debuts (Major European Leagues)
1. Christian Pulisic (17 years, 3 months), Bor. Dortmund/GER (2016)
2. Freddy Adu (18 years, 3 months), Sporting/POR (2007)
3. *Neven Subotic (18 years, 5 months), Mainz/GER (2007)
4. Rubio Rubin (18 years, 5 months), FC Utrecht/NED (2014)
5. Jonathan Spector (18 years, 5 months), Man. United/ENG (2004)
6. Michael Bradley (18 years, 7 months), Heerenveen/NED (2006)
7. Weston McKennie (18, years, 8 months), Schalke 04/GER (2017)
8. Jozy Altidore (18 years, 9 months), Villarreal/SPA (2008)
9. Bryan Arguez (19 years), Hertha Berlin/GER (2008)
10. Josh Perez (19 years, 2 months), Fiorentina/ITA (2016)
*Later switched allegiance to Serbia.

Note: Jermaine Jones (German international before he became a U.S. international), David Regis (French citizen before being naturalized on eve of 1998 World Cup), Giuseppe Rossi (U.S.-born and -raised Italian international) and Espen Baardsen (U.S.-born and -raised Norwegian international) also made league debuts as teens.
2 comments about "Making a List: Youngest U.S. debuts in Europe".
  1. Quarterback TD, May 22, 2017 at 8:53 a.m.

    Just hope the Academies are getting some kind of transfer fee for these players. What is the German agenda with signing so many US base players ? Is it because of low valuations?

  2. Fire Paul Gardner Now replied, May 22, 2017 at 11:41 a.m.

    There we go - I knew you could manage to turn this into a negative. 18 year old Americans playing in the Bundesliga? Must be bad for some reason.

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