Gio Reyna, Miles Robinson and 10 USMNT stars who most need a January transfer

Over the last 12 months, Steffen's stock has taken quite a tumble. From a World Cup omission to an injury suffered over the summer's, the former USMNT No.1 now needs to rebuild his career and make up for lost time.

That rebuilding won't come at Manchester City, which we've known for a while. He's so far down the pecking order at that club and, at this point, is it to anyone's benefit to send Steffen out on another loan?

Probably not, and Steffen will have options at home and abroad. He's been linked with a move to MLS, which would probably be a good idea to help him return to the USMNT picture. He could stick it out in Europe, too, although that always comes with a bit of risk.

Wherever he chooses to go, it needs to be somewhere he'll play. Years on the bench knocked Steffen out of the USMNT picture, and he'll need to get back starting somewhere if he wants to get another crack at international level.

Everything you just read about Steffen, you can apply to Horvath, too. The goalkeeper has been a good back-up for the U.S. and had his moment in the sun during the inaugural Nations League. A loan spell at Luton Town helped, but once the newly-promoted Hatters decided not to bring him in ahead of the season, Horvath got caught in limbo.

Now back at Nottingham Forest, he's nowhere near the field, but he'll need a good run of games to stay in the national-team picture. With some youngsters pushing up behind him and players like Steffen eager to battle back to challenge incumbent starter Matt Turner, the goalkeeper competition is heating up. If Horvath doesn't move in January, he'll probably be left behind.

Reports say Robinson has already met with FC Cincinnati, offering a glimpse into his thinking after he hit the free agent market this winter. For years, it felt like a foregone conclusion that he'd head to Europe, but now, it doesn't seem so sure.

Cincinnati would be an intriguing spot for the ex-Atlanta star, but there are questions about how much they could realistically pay him. Robinson will hope to command Walker Zimmerman-money, but there aren't too many MLS teams willing or able to spend that on a defender in the current economy.

So what about Europe? PSV have been linked, showing the influence of Earnie Stewart. That would be a logical landing spot, as Robinson would likely thrive in that team.

The defender is 26, but his terrible Achilles injury kept him out for a chunk of time while hindering his development a bit. It took Robinson some time to build his way back, but now fully healed, his next step is imminent, whether it comes in MLS or elsewhere.

The USMNT striker position feels like a two-horse race right now: Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi. But can Vazquez become the third horse?

To be that, he'll need a move, as he's shown basically all he can at FC Cincinnati. He's scored plenty of goals and has a Supporters' Shield in his back pocket, having spent the last two years making his case in MLS. Rumors swirled about him throughout 2023, but ultimately, Cincy decided to keep him with the team to make a real push.

There's still plenty of interest in him, from England to Germany to Mexico, so Vazquez will have some choices to make. His decision will determine whether he can or can't compete with Balogun and Pepi going forward, so he better get it right.

It's no secret that things aren't going great for Reyna. Routinely benched and frequently overlooked, he isn't getting much time to shine at Dortmund. Reports say both sides are entering crunch time as they decide what to do about the situation. On one hand, Dortmund see Reyna as a future star. On the other, they see a player that can't get past Julian Brandt or Marco Reus in the pecking order.

Because of that, Reyna's future may just be elsewhere. At this point in his career, he needs to play, and right now, there aren't enough opportunities to do that at Dortmund.

He'll have his options, for sure, as there will be no shortage of clubs eager to help Reyna live up to his unlimited potential. The question is which one would be best as, at 21, Reyna's ceiling will very much depend on what happens in the coming years.

Cowell is a prospect with a very, very high ceiling. The question is if he's gotten all he can get out of MLS.

We know what Cowell brings: Incredible athleticism, ridiculous pace and confidence when dribbling. However, the 20-year-old still has his shortcomings in the final third that could prevent him from really reaching the top level.

Bologna were reportedly interested at one point, and given the success of other Americans in Serie A this season, that would be worth a shot. Some of the big hitters have kept an eye on Cowell through the years, teams like Bayern Munich and Newcastle, but would time on their benches help him as much as consistent games elsewhere?

Either way, Cowell will also have the choice of staying with the Earthquakes, his hometown team. Maybe he stays another year or two, but Cowell feels like a player who needs a European education sooner or later.

Take everything we said about Vazquez and put that towards Ferreira. Still, of the two, Ferreira seems the far more likely to stay at his current club.

He's shown he can score in MLS and against the lower levels of CONCACAF, earning himself that famous 'Pirate of the Caribbean' nickname. He's also getting paid very, very well at FC Dallas, and he probably isn't worth anywhere near that much to anyone besides his hometown club.

So it comes down to comfort versus ambition. Ferreira needs to improve as a striker to really compete with Pepi, Balogun and, potentially, Vazquez, as well as the other strikers scattered throughout Europe. Goals in MLS will only count for so much because we already know he can score them.

So is it time for Ferreira to take an uncomfortable leap? At 23, it seems like a good time to do so.

He certainly doesn't have to leave Fulham, considering how important he is for the club. But given the rumors, he has to at least think about it, right?

A mainstay at Craven Cottage, Robinson has recently been linked with Liverpool, who are dealing with a left-back crisis. Both Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are out of action, and Robinson is reportedly a player Liverpool think can plug that hole.

That move comes with two issues, though. One is Robinson's connection to Fulham, as he's become a valued member of the team during his time with the club. The second is his connection with Everton, his boyhood club and Liverpool's city rival.

Still, this isn't the first time Robinson has been linked with a step up. A move to AC Milan was cancelled at the last moment, while Manchester City were, at one point, also linked with the American. Maybe this winter is the right time for that move, as difficult as it may be.

It's unlikely to come this winter, but another move for Aaronson is coming, who has not found a new home at Union Berlin.

The big knock on Aaronson has been his physicality, and he hasn't taken a leap forward with that this year. The midfielder hasn't shown much that would make Union want to keep him, and given everything, a return to parent club Leeds doesn't seem like it would work out, either.

Could it be a case of needing to take one step back to take two forward? Maybe. Aaronson thrived in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg, and a move to a league of a similar stature could help him regain the confidence that was clearly lost at Leeds. Aaronson looks nothing like the player that left Salzburg bought in 2022, and any belief he has in himself when on the ball seems to have been sapped.

He's young enough to get back on track, but he needs to find the right level to do so.

Coming off his best season yet, Tolkin could very well become the next New York Red Bulls star to make the move over to a sister club.

Tolkin grew not just as a player but as a leader in 2023, scoring the vital penalty to send his club to the MLS playoffs. The confidence it took to step up to take that penalty shouldn't go unnoticed, although it's safe to say the young left-back has never struggled for confidence.

Salzburg seems like it would be a good next step for Tolkin, one that would put him in Europe's shop window. Teams in England have also been linked, so it's worth keeping an eye on those, too.

He doesn't need a move and it could be argued that the young defender would be best served with another season or half-season of MLS experience. But given the Red Bull connection and Tolkin's potential, it seems that move will come at some point soon.