No Christian Pulisic? Why USMNT stars missed out on ‘Top 100 Footballers of 2023’ list as Jesse Marsch explains elite snub

The Guardian has pieced together a run down of the best players on the planet. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland tops that chart, with Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham filling the No.2 spot and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe completing the top three.

Lionel Messi, who now plays his club football in the United States for MLS side Inter Miami, takes 10th spot and eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo sits 27th. No Americans make the cut – despite the likes of Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun playing at an elite level in Europe for the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco.

Former New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig and Leeds United boss Marsch has told the ‘Call It What You Want’ podcast from CBS Sports: “If we’re being honest and we were each to make a Top 100 list, we wouldn’t put an American on there right now.”

Pressed on whether Milan forward Pulisic should be getting a look in, Marsch added: “He’d be the player on the cusp, and if you went on Tyler’s performances at Leeds then maybe he would be as well. But in reality, just take the Top 10 clubs in the world and none of our players are playing there, and when they have been at the Top 10 clubs they’re usually on the bench…. One of the things about our players is that they’re built to fight and run and do whatever they can to establish themselves in training. Sometimes [American players] are overzealous and don’t manage themselves professionally to get the best performances in matches. Tyler Adams is a good example of that. When I was at Leipzig, Tyler was the hardest trainer. I’d tell him to calculate what was happening during the week to maximize what he could deliver on matchday.”

There is still plenty of potential in the USMNT ranks – with many of their brightest stars aged 25 or under – meaning that time is on their side when it comes to breaking into ‘Top 100’ lists and earning a place among the global elite.