Hit or Miss: USMNT stars in the Eredivisie as Ricardo Pepi completes $11m PSV transfer

U.S. Soccer's former sporting director and the man responsible for actually bringing Pepi to PSV. Stewart is currently PSV's director of football, but before his time as an executive, he was a standout star in the Eredivisie.

Born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and U.S. Air Force airman father, Stewart starred for VVV-Venlo, Willem II and NAC Breda while earning 101 caps for the USMNT. His best season came in 1990-91, when he finished third in the Golden Boot race with 17 goals for Willem II.

Result? Hit.

The striker certainly had his ups and downs in Europe, but AZ Alkmaar is truly where we saw the best version of Altidore. After several years of loans away from Villarreal, Altidore became a superstar with AZ, scoring 51 goals across two seasons in the Eredivisie. He also scored a game-winner against PSV in the Dutch Cup final, helping AZ lift the trophy for the first time in decades.

After his second season, he was sold to Sunderland in a move that ended up being a total disaster, but his time in the Netherlands is when Altidore truly became a star.

Result? Hit

Pepi's USMNT coach has a long history with the Netherlands. Berhalter played for Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam and Cambuur Leeuwarden, making over 100 appearances during his time in the country. And he credits the Netherlands as the country where he truly learned about soccer, having arrived fresh out of college in 1994.

“I learned so much in Holland,” said Berhalter. “That was a great experience being there. After every game, you talk with people about the game. People love to discuss soccer and you really learn a lot. If I wasn’t in Holland, I don’t think I would have had that building that really helped shape my ideas.”

Result? Hit

Few Americans have reached a level as high as Beasley did at PSV. Signed by Guus Hiddink to replace Chelsea-bound Arjen Robben, he played 75 games over two seasons, scoring 15 goals as a winger, but the most memorable of those games came on the continent.

He was the first American to play in the Champions League semi-finals in 2005, when he started both games against AC Milan. PSV were eliminated thanks to the away goals rule, but Beasley's achievement would go unmatched by any other American for years.

Result? Hit

Like Stewart, the current USMNT's starting right-back was born and raised in the Netherlands and, like Stewart, Dest became a star in the Eredivisie.

Dest's rise with Ajax was rapid as it took just one full season for him to catch the eye of Europe's giants. He made 35 appearances in that 2019-20 campaign, but those were enough to earn a massive move to Barcelona in 2020. That hasn't worked out for him, but there's no doubt that Ajax gave Dest the platform to become a star.

Result? Hit

The midfielder's European career was headlined by stops at Borussia Monchengladbach and Roma, but Bradley got his first taste of European soccer in the Netherlands.

Bradley became the youngest MLS player to ever be sold at the time when he joined Heerenveen in 2006 at age 19. In 2008, he broke Brian McBride's record for most goals scored by an American in Europe by netting 19 in all competitions for the Eredivisie side. It earned him a move to Gladbach, where he'd be a regular in the Bundesliga for three seasons.

Result? Hit

Now a prominent player agent with several USMNT stars in his stable, Gibbs played in the Netherlands from 2005-06 after initially signing with Feyenoord. However, a knee injury limited him to just 15 matches before he was loaned to ADO Den Haag, where he made just five appearances.

He moved to Charlton Athletic on a free in 2006, but never played in England due to further fitness problems before returning to MLS.

Result? Miss.

A 2014 World Cup veteran, Johannsson's career took off at AZ, much like Altidore's. After shining with Aarhaus in Denmark, Johannsson arrived at AZ in January 2013 and went on to score 39 goals across his two-and-a-half seasons there.

His best season, undoubtedly, came in 2013-14, when he found the back of the net 26 times while also earning his first caps for the USMNT. His subsequent move to Werder Bremen proved a disaster, but Johannsson surely was a force at AZ.

Result? Hit

Like most of Chelsea's loan army, Miazga spent significant time at Vitesse during his time on the books at Stamford Bridge. The defender spent two years with the Dutch side, racking up 72 appearances and five goals from the center-back position. It was, overall, a solid loan spell, leading to another loan at Nantes after it was all over.

Unfortunately for Miazga, he remained stuck in Chelsea's loan system for several more years before finally arriving in Cincinnati in 2022.

Result? Hit

A short, but successful, stay in the Netherlands for the former USMNT center-back. Unable to break into the team at AC Milan, Onyewu was loaned to Twente, where he made 14 appearances across a half-season.

That half-season did culminate in a trophy, though, as Twente won the Dutch Cup with a 3-2 win over Ajax.

Result: Hit

After turning 18, Rubin signed with Utrecht in March 2014, making his professional debut by providing an assist in a win over Willem II in August of that year.

He spent three seasons with the club, mustering 41 Eredivisie appearances, but registered just three goals before being released.

Result? Miss

Now a USMNT regular and a World Cup veteran, De la Torre was a player in need of a home when he arrived at Heracles. At the time, he'd struggled to break through at Fulham, prompting a move to the Eredivisie.

It proved to be the perfect landing spot, as De la Torre instantly became a starter while being a semi-frequent fixture in the Eredivisie Team of the Month. In summer 2022, he earned a big move to Celta Vigo, where he's also gone on to become a regular.

Result? Hit

Now known as the architect of Sporting KC's success, Vermes was once a USMNT international looking for playing time ahead of the 1990 World Cup. He ended up at Volendam, where he played 28 times during his one-season stint before featuring for the USMNT at the world's biggest tournament.

Result? Hit

Another World Cup veteran, Wright's time in the Netherlands was arguably the low point of his career. After struggling at Schalke and on loan with SV Sandhausen, Wright arrived at VVV-Venlo in 2019 in search of a regular role. He found it, featuring 23 times, but the striker scored just once during his one-year spell.

He ended up in Denmark and, ultimately, Turkey, where he's become a double-digit goalscorer, but his time in the Netherlands was definitely rough.

Result? Miss