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.
REGGIE CANNON
Wearing the traditional number 2 of a right-back, Reggie Cannon is currently the first choice at Portuguese club Boavista. Recently, Reggie has hit the headlines as a transfer target for the famous English side, Nottingham Forest.
HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE CAREER
After being scouted playing at the high school level by the FC Dallas Academy, Reggie spent his early teenage years playing at the Academy and winning state championships with his high school Grapevine Faith.
His college career was relatively short-lived. He spent one year playing for UCLA, making 20 appearances for the Bruins. His talent was evident as he was the only freshman to start in every match that season.
FC DALLAS DAYS
After one season at the college level, Cannon signed a homegrown contract with FC Dallas in December 2016. He made his debut the following Summer in the US Open Cup against the Tulsa Roughnecks in a 2-1 victory. His MLS debut coming the subsequent Fall against New York Red Bulls in what was a 2-2 draw.
After featuring intermittently in his first season, Cannon cemented his place in the FC Dallas defence the next year making the right-back position his own. He started every match that season. He would remain a mainstay in the Dallas defence until the Coronavirus pandemic halted the competition.
On August 12th 2020 he made national headlines after speaking out against abhorrent behaviour from his own fans. A section of FC Dallas fans booed and threw bottles at the players after Cannon and his FC Dallas teammates took a knee prior to kick-off in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Not long afterwards transfer speculation began linking him with a move to Liga Nos in Portugal. On September 9, 2020, it was announced he had made the transfer to Portuguese side Boavista for a fee of €2.5M.
LIVING LA LIGA NOS
After making the leap to the European stage, Reggie Cannon made his debut in Boavistas season opener against CD Nacional in an entertaining 3-3 draw. His second appearance was a sobering one resulting in a 5-0 defeat by Portuguese giants FC Porto.
That didn’t slow the Chicago-born right-back down as he went on to make 31 appearances out of a possible 34 in his debut season for the Portuguese side. He was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for As Panteras as they finished 13th.
USMNT STORY SO FAR
Cannon made his full international debut for the United States in a friendly against Peru which finished 1-1. He has since gone on to make 18 international appearances for the senior national men’s side. He was a part of the side that won the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 1-0 AET victory over rivals Mexico.
Reggie Cannon has massive upside and the journey from FC Dallas to Boavista will surely not be the last step he takes as he maximizes the most out of his footballing potential.
USMNT Golden Generation Profile Series
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USMNT Stars in the Making Series
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