USMNT January transfer grades so far: Griffin Yow returns to MLS with the New England Revolution, Damion Downs looks to rebound with Hamburg

For Yow: A move that makes plenty of sense and gives him a pretty good fresh start. By joining up with the Revs, a team currently in the rebuilding process, he also joins up with Marko Mitrovic, his former coach with the U.S. U23s. That type of familiarity should help Yow, who clearly has his coach's faith before stepping foot onto the field with the Revs. It'll be interesting to see how much better Yow has gotten after a few years in Europe as he looks to truly take that leap from young player to contributor now that he's back in MLS. Grade: B+

For the Revs: It's a move that makes plenty of sense, doesn't it? By hiring Mitrovic, the club put a clear focus on adding and developing talented young players, which Yow is, no doubt. At 23, though, Yow is right on that line where he still has some growing to do, but has the right type of seasoning to be an everyday contributor in MLS. The move was pretty cheap, too, which means this could turn into something of a steal if Yow blossoms into a legitimate MLS contributor. Grade: A-

For Westerlo: A good return on investment, even if the club was surely hoping for more. When the Belgian side signed Yow from D.C. United, the hope was that he would grow into a player who could be moved up the European food chain. Instead, he went back to MLS, but Westerlo still got a decent little transfer fee for their efforts. In between, Yow was a key contributor to the club, contributing to 28 goals in 86 games. Not perfect, but overall, this worked out fine for them. Grade: B

For Downs: Goodness, this was needed. The move to Southampton was a calculated risk, but it's clear it wasn't paying off in the short-term and, in a World Cup year, every minute played, or not, matters more. He hadn't started since September and hadn't played more than 15 minutes since early November. It was time to pull the plug. Somehow, he ended up at a pretty good club in Hamburg, where he's become an immediate starter in the Bundesliga. If Downs can make this work, it'll be one heck of a response. Grade: A

For Hamburg: A risk, but surely one worth taking. The club is fighting to stay in the Bundesliga, and it's seemingly a fight that goes down to the wire. Reinforcements were needed and while Downs isn't Bundesliga-proven, he showed what he could do in Germany's second division after leading Koln to promotion last season. The debate, surely, was whether to approach a proven commodity or someone with high upside. Hamburg clearly went with the latter and will have to see if it pays off. Grade: B

For Southampton: At this point, the club is probably just looking to recoup something on their asset. The club paid a lot of money for him in the summer and, based on performance, they haven't gotten much back. Now sitting mid-table in the Championship, they're not fighting for promotion but rather just consistency. Maybe this ends with the club safe, Downs in form, and a reunion for next season. For now, though, this felt necessary. Grade: B

For Campbell: There have been plenty of rumors about what went on behind the scenes and why Dortmund didn't give him the amount of chances many would have expected this season. That said, if a player is going to pivot and find a place to get a chance, Hoffenheim is a pretty good landing spot. Everything will depend on playing time, of course, and if he doesn't get it at Hoffenheim, this will go down as a wasted year, which would be a real bummer for a 19-year-old as talented as he is. Grade: B

For Dortmund: It will depend on how Campbell performs. If he does and Hoffenheim take their purchase option, this will be a decent bit of business. The reported purchase option of $11.7 million is significantly more than what other clubs were offering, but again, it all depends on whether Campbell can get into the team. Still, this is a young talent that was expected to break through at Dortmund this season, so the club is no doubt disappointed that it didn't happen. Grade: C

For Hoffenheim: Worth a flyer, right? There's very little downside to this move, particularly with the club's place in the Bundesliga. Currently sitting third, the club is fighting for a Champions League spot, which is great, but also means they're facing different types of stressors. Does Campbell make the team better? Does he help move them closer to finishing in those top spots? If he does, that's great. If not, it was probably worth a shot given his talent, and they still might just be okay regardless. Grade: B

For De la Torre: He was in limbo after his stint with San Diego ended, and that limbo ended up with him landing in a pretty good place. Like San Diego, Charlotte are a competitive team with legitimate MLS playoff ambitions that already features one player, Tim Ream, in the USMNT mix. That's where De la Torre wants to be with the World Cup looming, so it was always going to be key to land somewhere that gives him the right sort of springboard. Grade: A-

For Charlotte: A no doubter. De la Torre is a proven commodity with top-level experience on the club and international levels. Charlotte, meanwhile, needed that sort of vibe in their midfield to join defender Ream, perennial Goalkeeper of the Year candidate Kristijan Kahlina, and star attacker Wilfried Zaha. Charlotte have a very well-balanced, well-constructed team, and De la Torre should be a key part of that. Grade: A

For Celta Vigo: It's still a little odd how De la Torre fell down the pecking order at Celta Vigo after being such a vital player for them from 2022-24. That said, they clearly had no real plan for him and needed to pivot once the loan to San Diego didn't end with a permanent deal. All said, no real loss for them considering he wasn't going to play there anyway. Grade: B

For Cowell: He's said he didn't fit in at Chivas, and when that's the case, it's time for a move. It started well enough in Mexico, but tactically, there just wasn't a real place for him in the club's current setup. There is a place for him with the Red Bulls, though, and he'll now look to use that as a chance to jump back into the USMNT picture after falling out of it in recent years. Grade: B+

For the Red Bulls: When the soccer gods hand you a player with the profile of Cowell with little investment required, you have to take it. With this being an initial loan, the Red Bulls essentially get a free trial on a player who was one of American soccer's hottest prospects just a few years ago. He also fills a need with his pace out wide, which should complement veterans like Emil Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. It'll be fun to see how new manager Michael Bradley uses him. Grade: A

For Chivas: Cowell was a history-maker for Chivas as their first USMNT player, but ultimately, the club never really figured out how to use him. There were flashes, earning him the nickname El Vaquero, but those flashes were generally few and far between as Cowell never really fit. This is a short-term solution, but it is a solution that could end up with Chivas getting some money back for a player who still has plenty of potential. Grade: B