The Bundesliga is blessed with some of the best American soccer talent. - © DFL

bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga

American soccer players in Germany: The 2025/26 edition

09.05.2026

A healthy number of American nationals are currently on the books of soccer teams in Germany, including USMNT regulars Malik Tillman, Joe Scally, Gio Reyna and James Sands. Find out how they fared over the course of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign...

Malik Tillman

Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Midfield
Age: 23 (born May 28, 2002)
Appearances: 29
Starts: 18

A Bayern Munich academy graduate, Tillman scored six goals in 29 appearances over the course of his first Bundesliga season at Leverkusen. The US international also registered an assist.

Gio Reyna

Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 23 (born November 13, 2002)
Appearances: 19
Starts: 4

Former Borussia Dortmund talent Reyna had to wait until the penultimate matchday of the season to score his first Gladbach goal, after form and fitness issues reduced him to just four league starts.

Watch: Meet Leverkusen's new signings

Joe Scally

Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Full-back
Age: 23 (born December 31, 2002)
Appearances: 32
Starts: 29

Unlike teammate and friend Reyna, Scally was a virtual ever-present at Gladbach. The US international full-back registered two goals and three assists in 32 matches.

Watch: Gio Reyna on his ambitions at Gladbach

Kevin Paredes
Club: Wolfsburg
Position: Winger
Age: 23 (born May 7, 2003)
Appearances: 6
Starts: 1

Paredes experienced another injury-hit season, playing just six times as Wolfsburg secured a relegation play-off berth on the final day.

Watch: Bundesliga Beyond with Joe Scally

Lennard Maloney
Club: Mainz
Position: Midfielder
Age: 26 (born October 8, 1999)
Appearances: 21
Starts: 4

Maloney was largely used as a second-half substitute in 2025/26, a role he played as Mainz confirmed his former team Heidenheim's relegation to the second tier on Matchday 34.

Kevin Paredes was an unused substitute on the last day of the regular 2025/26 season. - DFL/Getty Images/Boris Streubel

James Sands
Club: St. Pauli (on loan from New York City FC)
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25 (born July 6, 2000)
Appearances: 24
Starts: 23

After a ligament tear curtailed his 2024/25 season, an ankle problem sustained on Matchday 25 denied Sands the chance to help keep Pauli from the trap door. The US international scored his only goal in a 3-2 loss to Dortmund.

Lennard Maloney made four Bundesliga starts for mid-table Mainz over the season. - IMAGO/Steven Mohr

Cole Campbell
Club: Hoffenheim (on loan from Dortmund)
Position: Forward
Age: 20 (born February 20, 2006)
Appearances: 6 (1 for Dortmund, 5 for Hoffenheim)
Starts: 0

Dortmund loanee made five substitute appearances for Hoffenheim during the second half of 2025/26. The young forward also played once for the BVB first team earlier in the campaign.

James Sands joined Pauli on a loan deal until summer 2026. - IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Max Vincen

Timothy Chandler
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Full-back
Age: 36 (born March 29, 1990)
Appearances: 1
Starts: 0

Chandler made a late cameo on Matchday 34 of his 12th and final season with Frankfurt. The veteran full-back - who has made 199 appearances for the club - is out of contract in June.

Cole Campbell made four Bundesliga appearances for parent club Dortmund last season. - DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

Noahkai Banks
Club: Augsburg
Position: Defender
Age: 19 (born December 1, 2006)
Appearances: 23
Starts: 20

Honolulu-born Banks enjoyed a breakout 2025/26. He was a regular in defence between Matchdays 6-25, but fell out of starting favour towards the end of the season.

Timothy Chandler has been on the books of Frankfurt - the city of his birth - since July 2014. - DFL

Montrell Culbreath
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Right winger
Age: 18 (born August 29, 2007)
Appearances: 12
Starts: 9

A German-American dual national, Culbreath started nine of Leverkusen's last 11 league games of the season. The teenager famously scored a debut goal in Leipzig just before Christmas.

Noakhai Banks made 20 starts for Augsburg in 2025/26. - Sebastian Widmann

Damion Downs
Club: Hamburg
Position: Centre forward
Age: 21 (born July 6, 2004)
Appearances: 12
Starts: 6

Downs returned to the Bundesliga in January 2026 on a loan deal from Southampton. However, the former Cologne forward struggled for form and fitness, failing to score in 12 appearances.