Face of the franchise: Christian Pulisic, Clint Dempsey, Antonee Robinson and USMNT stars that have been Euro clubs' best player

Before we really dive in, we have to discuss a few of the players that were really close.

Tim Howard was an Everton star but, somehow, was never recognized as the club's Player of the Season. You could argue at many points he was the club's best player but there's a key word there: argue. It's a tough one, and maybe Howard should be on this list, but that's the fund of the debate?

Landon Donovan won Premier League Player of the Month during his time at Everton, and you could argue that he was the club's star during those brief stays. Those stays, though, were too brief to count, but it does make you wonder where he'd be if he sustained his career in Europe for a little longer.

DaMarcus Beasley was always a big piece, but never quite THE piece. He was incredible during PSV's run to the Champions League semifinals, but that team also had the likes of Park Ji-sung, Mark van Bommel, Jefferson Farfan and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink lighting it up.

As a more modern example, there's Weston McKennie, who you could argue was Juventus' best player last season. However, Dusan Vlahovic and Bremer probably had a better case.

Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson and John Brooks all had cases in the Bundesliga, but they were arguable, too.

We'll start with an obvious one, because there are few Americans as synonymous with one club as Clint Dempsey is with Fulham.

He was the team's best player for large stretches of his time in London, but that title was unquestionable from 2010-12, when he racked up back-to-back Player of the Season awards. He was the top scorer in both seasons, totaling 13 goals in 2010-11 and then 23 in 2011-12 to earn his move to Tottenham.

That version of Dempsey is the best we saw, and it's among the best players that Fulham ever saw, too.

We have to get creative with some dates to confirm Tim Ream's spot, but it feels fair.

After previously winning Player of the Year with Bolton twice, Ream was handed the honor at Fulham in 2017-18. He'd just led the club back to the Premier League, playing 44 Championship games to get Fulham back into the top flight. He was a massive player for Fulham at that time, particularly as they yo-yo'd back and forth to the Premier League.

Despite not getting the accolade, you could also put Ream into the mix in 2022-23, but we'll call his 2018 peak as the best version of the center back.

Brad Friedel is among the best goalkeepers American soccer has seen and, in truth, you can take your pick of which season was his best.

You can make an argument that he was the top player at some point at Aston Villa, but there's no argument against his 2002-03 season at Blackburn Rovers. That season, he was named to the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the club while leading the league in clean sheets with 15 for the sixth-place finishers.

Freidel was in illustrious company that season on that Team of the Season list. Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Paul Scholes, Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole - Friedel earned his place right there with them as Blackburn's big star in goal.

There's a reason that Roma came knocking right after Bradley's lone season at Chievo Verona. That reason? Michael Bradley was really good.

The midfielder was solid at Roma, but there was no doubt he was Verona's best player during that 2011-12 season. Nicknamed "The General" by club fans despite suiting up for the team for less than 12 months, Bradley played in 35 matches for the club before making his big move to Rome.

Oh look, another Fulham player, but Brian McBride is the only one that has a bar named after him.

Recognized as Fulham's Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006, McBride was Fulham's leading goalscorer in consecutive seasons while also earning the honor of serving as team captain. During those two campaigns, McBride had 22 goal contributions. It was fairly unprecedented for an American at the time, as McBride became a legitimate hero.

He was so good that Fulham named the Craven Cottage bar McBride's in his honor, showing just how important he was to the team during his peak.

Brad Guzan patiently awaited his chance to start as Friedel's understudy at Aston Villa, only to be released in an odd and unexpected move by the club. He quickly proved them wrong, delivering arguably his best performances after returning that summer as Villa’s No. 1.

It all happened ahead of 2012-13 season, Guzan re-signed with Villa to compete with Shay Given for the starting role, and he did just that - earning the title of Villa's Player of the Season while starting 36 of the team’s 38 Premier League matches. He beat out 23-goal scorer Christian Benteke for the honor. While Benteke’s contribution was notable, Guzan ultimately took home the accolade.

Guzan would go on to serve as Villa's starter for four years.

Stu Holden's time at the top level was brief, but it was impactful. That's why he's on this list.

Injuries derailed his career, ensuring he'd play just one full season in the Premier League. In that season, the 2010-11 campaign, Holden was clearly Bolton's best player and, despite missing the final two months of the season, he was awarded the club's Player of the Year honors. With Holden, Bolton nearly pushed for a European place. Without him, they crashed and burned down to 14th.

It's impossible to know how high Holden could have climbed if not for the injuries but, in that one season, he showed that he very well could have been a Premier League star.

He scored 51 goals in 93 matches - what else needs to be said? For a while, Jozy Altidore was among Eredivisie's best attackers, which really is saying something given the talent in that league.

That's especially impressive he wasn't playing for a traditional power like Ajax or PSV, he was playing for AZ, a decent but not great team. Altidore was undoubtedly great during his time in Holland. He led the club to a KNVB Cup and, in his first season, a fourth-place finish.

Altidore was a superstar for AZ, more than earning his place on this list for his two dominant seasons in the Netherlands.

The Mayor of Hannover? You don't get that nickname without making an impact at the club.

It's tough to pinpoint an exact point when Steve Cherundolo was explicitly Hannover's best player, as the fullback's career was just as much about longevity as it was quality. In 2005, he was offered a chance to move to the Premier League with Bolton but opted to stay with the club, so you could go with that. In 2010, he was appointed team captain, so you could give him that honor there, too.

Realistically, there are multiple points over his 15-year stay in Germany where you could say that Cherundolo was the face of his club.

Antonee Robinson is the best player on his club team, and might be the best at his position in the entire Premier League.

Yes, Robinson is that good. He's blossomed into an incredible left-back, one that impacts the game on both sides of the field. After several solid seasons, the 2023-24 campaign was his true breakout, with Robinson emerging as a legitimate force while earning recognition as Fulham's Player of the Season for his efforts at Craven Cottage.

He may very well win it again this season, too, as the USMNT star remains the club's most consistent player.

An American is the best player at one of the game's five most historic clubs. You read that correctly. Who would have thought we'd see the day?

No, Milan isn't at that top, top level right now but there's no understating the talent in this squad. And, among that talent, Christian Pulisic is the best of the bunch, scoring goal after goal in big games to keep Milan rolling. Pulisic is, without bias, the face of AC Milan now.

There's still a lot of season left but, if the first few months is anything to go by, Pulisic is on his way to a historic campaign.