From Fulhamerica to a Champions League winner, GOAL takes a look at the best Americans to play in England's top-flight
The Premier League is viewed by many people in the United States as the pinnacle of the club game. It's the division where the spotlight is brightest, the one where stars are made and broadcast onto TVs all over the world. It's where kids honing their crafts on stateside pitches aspire to play.
A total of 49 Americans have competed in England's top flight, with the league hosting many of American soccer's best ever exports.
From a seemingly unending stream of bald goalkeepers to a legendary group at Fulhamerica, the U.S. has delivered very important players to Premier League teams in recent decades.
With that said, GOAL takes a look at the 10 best Americans to ever play in the Premier League.
Getty10Landon Donovan
Tenth on our list not because of lack of impact but rather a lack of time.
The LA Galaxy icon spent just a few months on loan at Everton across two spells, but the impact he made during his brief stays in England was massive.
During his first stint in 2010, Donovan scored two goals in 13 appearances and was named the club's Player of the Month in January.
In his second crack at the Premier League, he provided three assists in just seven games, including helpers in wins over Chelsea and Manchester City.
Everton would have loved to have kept him, but it wasn't to be as the Galaxy were determined to keep hold of their legendary American star.
However, those brief spells proved that Donovan did, in fact, have the talent to make it at the highest level.
AdvertisementGetty9John Harkes
A true trailblazer, a player that was present for the transition into what we now know as the Premier League, Harkes was the first American to play in the newly-formed division as a member of Sheffield Wednesday.
He made a total of 137 top-flight appearances for the Owls, even if a bulk of those came before the formation of the Premier League.
Harkes, who also lined out for Derby County and West Ham, was one of the greatest American players of his era and one of the first to prove that USMNT stars could cut it at the highest level in Europe.
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images8Geoff Cameron
Only one American outfield player amassed more Premier League appearances than Cameron, who was a regular for Stoke as the club remained a top-flight regular for years.
Cameron's career began with the Houston Dynamo, where he earned a move to Stoke at the age of 27. He appeared in 168 Premier League games as he proved something of a Swiss Army Knife for the club.
A player who could line up as a holding midfielder, right back or center back, Cameron provided a rare level of versatility during his six-year stay.
He moved to QPR in 2018-19 to begin a three-year stint in the Championship before eventually joining FC Cincinnati in 2021.
Getty Images7Claudio Reyna
The original Captain America.
Reyna is one of America's best-ever exports, having also starred at Rangers before arriving in England.
His spell at Sunderland was marred by a torn ACL, and his time at Manchester City also saw him battle several injury issues.
However, he did make a total of 105 appearances in the Premier League and was a hugely popular figure, even if his best days were spent in Scotland and Germany.
Fun fact: His son, Borussia Dortmund star Gio, was born in Sunderland, making him eligible for England's national team. However, as we all know, he followed in his father's footsteps by playing for the USMNT.