American soccer players in Germany: The 2025/26 edition
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.
You can track their performances every week in the Bundesliga here...
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Midfield
Age: 23 (Born May 28, 2002)
Appearances: 22
Starts: 17
A Bayern Munich academy graduate, Tillman returned to the Bundesliga with Leverkusen in summer 2025, having impressed in the Dutch Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven over the previous couple of seasons, where he scored 25 goals in 73 games in all competitions. The attacker also has 28 international caps for the USA, scoring three goals.
Matchday 27
Tillman played 82 minutes of Leverkusen's exciting 3-3 draw at Heidenheim, scoring the opening goal.
Watch: Meet Tillman and Leverkusen's summer 2025 signings
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 23 (born November 13, 2002)
Appearances: 13
Starts: 4
After making 16 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund in 2024/25, Reyna has now joined their league rivals - and fellow compatriot Scally - at Gladbach.
Matchday 27
Reyna was an unused substitute as Gladbach drew 3-3 with Cologne in the 100th Rhine derby.
Watch: Reyna on his ambitions at Gladbach
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Full-back
Age: 23 (Born December 31, 2002)
Appearances: 25
Starts: 22
Now in his fifth full season with Gladbach, Scally has continued as first-choice right-back in 2025/26. With 21 senior caps for the USA to date, he'll be keen to maintain his form with a bid to secure a spot in his side's roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Matchday 27
Scally played 88 minutes of Gladbach's eventful draw away to Cologne.
Watch: Bundesliga Beyond with Joe Scally
Kevin Paredes
Club: Wolfsburg
Position: Winger
Age: 22 (born May 7, 2003)
Appearances: 5
Starts: 1
Paredes only made his first appearance of the 2024/25 season on Matchday 30 as a result of a foot injury, and although he was again laid low after summer surgery, the winger returned to action against Bayern on Matchday 16.
Matchday 27
A muscle injury kept Paredes out of the matchday squad as Wolfsburg lost 1-0 at home to fellow relegation battlers Werder Bremen.
Lennard Maloney
Club: Mainz
Position: Midfielder
Age: 26 (born October 8, 1999)
Appearances: 16
Starts: 4
After becoming a midfield mainstay and fan favourite at Heidenheim, Maloney made the switch to Mainz during the January 2025 transfer window.
Matchday 26
Maloney came on in the 87th minute of Mainz's crucial win over Werder Bremen.
James Sands
Club: St. Pauli
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25 (born 6 July, 2000)
Appearances: 23
Starts: 22
After two short stints with Rangers in Scotland, Sands made his third trip abroad on a temporary basis from New York City FC in January 2025. His presence gave Alexander Blessin another option as the Kiezkicker looked - and managed - to beat the drop, with Sands making seven appearances before a ligament tear curtailed his season.
His loan deal was extended for a further campaign, but the 25-year-old is now set to miss the rest of the 2025/26 season after picking up an ankle injury against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 25.
Matchday 26
Sands missed St. Pauli's defeat at Gladbach through injury.
Cole Campbell
Club: Hoffenheim (on loan from Dortmund)
Position: Forward
Age: 20 (born 20 February, 2006)
Appearances: 3 (1 for Dortmund, 2 for Hoffenheim)
Starts: 0
Born in Houston, Texas, Campbell made his Bundesliga debut on Matchday 8 of the 2024/25 season and then his Champions League bow in the league phase against Sturm Graz. He had made six competitive appearances for BVB and won two U20 caps for the USA before he switched to Hoffenheim on a six-month loan in January 2026.
Matchday 27
Campbell came off the bench in the 69th minute as Hoffenheim were trounced 5-0 in Leipzig.
Timothy Chandler
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Full-back
Age: 35 (born 29 March, 1990)
Appearances: 0
Starts: 0
Chandler is in his 12th - and possibly final - season with Frankfurt. A bit-part player last term, the veteran full-back's latest contract expires in summer 2026. The 29-time USMNT international is two games shy of 200 in Eintracht colours.
Matchday 26
Chandler didn't make the squad for Frankfurt's 1-0 victory over Heidenheim.
Noahkai Banks
Club: Augsburg
Position: Defender
Age: 19 (born 1 December 2006)
Appearances: 21
Starts: 20
Honolulu-born to an American father and German mother, Banks played youth football in Europe and joined Augsburg in 2015. The defender was first included in the senior squad against Freiburg in October 2024. The US youth international made a total of eight Bundesliga appearances last season, providing a glimpse of his talent that Augsburg fans will hope to see more of this season.
Matchday 26
Cédric Zesiger replaced Banks, who didn't feature in Augsburg's 2-0 defeat against Dortmund.
Montrell Culbreath
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Right winger
Age: 18 (born 29 August 2007)
Appearances: 5
Starts: 3
A German-American dual national, Culbreath made three appearances for the US U16 national team but has since represented Germany at U17, U18 and U19 level. After first making a Bundesliga matchday squad as Leverkusen visited Mainz in October 2025, Culbreath made a dream debut by scoring within 20 minutes of his introduction as a substitute in a 3-1 win at Leipzig on Matchday 15.
Matchday 27
Culbreath played the entire 90 minutes as Kasper Hjulmand's side were held to a 3-3 draw in Heidenheim.
Watch: Culbreath scores on dream debut in Leipzig
Damion Downs
Club: Hamburg
Position: Centre forward
Age: 21 (born 6 July 2004)
Appearances: 9
Starts: 7
Another German-American dual national on this list, Downs returned to the Bundesliga in January 2026 on loan from Southampton. The 1.92-metre attacker made his breakthrough as a pro at Cologne in 2023/24, and hit ten goals in 29 appearances to help them to return to the top flight the following season.
Matchday 27
Downs made a 67th-minute substitute appearance as Hamburg lost 3-2 versus Borussia Dortmund.
Americans in Bundesliga 2
John Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
Santiago Castañeda (Paderborn)
Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Fürth)
Johan Gómez (Eintracht Braunschweig)
Julian Green (Greuther Fürth)
John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel)
Mael Corboz (Arminia Bielefeld)
Isaiah Young (Arminia Bielefeld)
Nils Fröling (Dynamo Dresden)
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