'I can be the one that makes the difference' - Lyon midfielder Tanner Tessmann is the USMNT's most in-form star, no longer a passenger but now in the driver's seat

If you were to boil Tessmann's recent run into one moment, it's probably the goal against Utrecht. 

It came just days after another goal, a game-winner in a 1-0 triumph over Angers. With time ticking away at Utrecht in the Europa League, Lyon turned to Tessmann off the bench. He answered the call. The American midfielder hit as clean a shot as you'll ever see, smashing the ball into the back of the net to lead his team to a second-straight 1-0 win.

"I caught it sweet," he says with a laugh. "Going into that match, I was on the  bench, but I was going to be ready. I was going to help the team any way I could."

It could be argued that no American player this season, save for Christian Pulisic, has helped his club as much as Tessmann, who has been elite in just about every metric.

Among midfielders in Ligue 1, he's in the 91st percentile in passes completed and 92nd for long balls. He's in the 93rd percentile for touches and 87th in fouls drawn. On the defensive side - always seen as an area of weakness - he's been fantastic, as well. He leads Ligue 1 in blocks and is in the 86th percentile in interceptions and recoveries. He stands out in duels, having won 31 in his 629 league minutes.

"Ball is ball. I just go out there and play," he says. "Obviously, each game, you have tactics and what the coach wants you to do. But at the end of the day, it comes down to duels. So often, it comes down to who wants it more. Soccer is a simple sport made complicated. For me, the club is giving me more responsibility and trust and asking me to step up in these moments.

"We know how important it is for Lyon to be at the top and us players understand that Lyon is a Champions League club. We have to reach that."

This season, Tessmann is taking an active role in chasing that goal. He's no longer a passenger, but rather a player that now believes he can drive things forward himself.

In January, Tessmann was honored as U.S. Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year. It came on the heels of his run at the 2024 Olympics, in which Tessmann captained the USMNT in France and emerged as a leader of the U23 squad. That, combined with his progress at Venezia and Lyon, who he joined last fall, got him an award that, in some ways, ended an era.

"It was a huge honor, and I don't want to downplay it because it was a massive thing," he says. "The Olympics are a youth tournament, at least its classified as one, so that's the reason I got it. It felt like a graduation, though. I'm definitely not a young player anymore, not by any means. You look at the names on the list and what they went on to do, it's an honor to have received it, and I do take great pride in it."

He showed signs during the 2024-25 season. A semi-steady presence for Lyon, he appeared in 25 matches for the club in the league as well as nine more in Europe. Lyon's midfield, though, was dominated by veterans. Nemanja Matic arrived with a reputation from Manchester United and Chelsea. Jordan Veretout and Corentin Tolisso were French internationals, with the latter being a World Cup winner. 

Of the three, only Tolisso remains. The club signed Tyler Morton from Liverpool, adding some youth to the mix. Manager Paulo Fonseca also handed the keys to Tessmann. He's been rewarded.

"His characteristics correspond to our game," Fonseca said recently. "Since I arrived, he started playing and he did it very well. This year, he has confirmed and progressed a lot. It's not just because he scores, he does very important things for our game and has progressed defensively. He is an important player for us."

That defensive side was key. Tessmann has always had elite physical attributes, but the knock on him was defensive instinct. Prior to this season, he hadn't consistently put them on display. While his ability to hold and move the ball was never in question, if he wanted to succeed at a Champions League level, he would have to get much better at doing little things defensively.

Preseason, Tessmann says, was difficult in that regard. Lyon focused heavily on the defensive side of the ball, individually and as a collective. It was a lot of battling from the start of the season. So far, it's paid off. Tessmann appears to be a whole new player on that side of the ball, one that might just have the chops to play as a No. 6 or a No. 8 at a high level.

"I think it's something I've always been working on: defensively being in the right place," he says. "On the ball, that's always been the joy in my game. I love being on the ball and being creative and dictating the game. Obviously, being a professional, you need to be a complete player. I think this year, as a team, we've taken that defensive step up.

"We're one of the teams that's conceded the fewest goals in all of Europe, and we all take pride in that because it isn't easy. I'm not saying that we should never concede, but I'm saying that it isn't luck. We've earned it."

It's earned Tessmann a USMNT return, too, one that he had to claw for after being left out multiple times.

If there was a word to describe Tessmann's 2025 USMNT experience, it would be disappointing.

He was involved in the Nations League, starting in the loss to Panama before coming off the bench in the loss to Canada. He was then left out of the Gold Cup squad entirely as Mauricio Pochettino opted to go in a different direction. He was also left out of September camp. It left many wondering what was next for Tessmann, including former U.S. start Landon Donovan, who asked last month if the "ship has sailed" for the 24-year-old midfielder in this World Cup cycle.

"Those disappointments are tough," Tessmann says. "Losing those games and then not being selected but, at the end of the day, I support the team 100 percent. I watched the games. I want the guys to do good. I want them to compete and win those games."

While Tessmann would not have designed an ideal summer around watching a Gold Cup and not playing in it, another door did open once the USMNT one temporarily closed. His son was born in April in Dallas. Immediately after, he flew back to Lyon to finish the season, leaving his wife, Chanelle, to do the heavy-lifting back in Texas for those first few weeks.

With no USMNT duty, Tessmann was able to be there for some early moments he genuinely thought he'd miss. He made the most of them, and those moments, ultimately, changed him for the better.

"I think it's brought me closer to my faith," he says. "You start to realize that, when you have a little one, that you have to teach them things and you draw closer to what you really believe in. It's done the same with my wife with both of us together. In terms of football, it allows you to disengage. After a win, when you're on top of the world, or after a loss, when you aren't, you come home and you see a little baby there and it all goes out the window.

"You realize that its not so important. Obviously, it's massive for fans. And I get to live this incredible life and the position I'm in is such a blessing. But when you come home and you get to see and hold your little boy, that's a different feeling, for sure."

Overall, Tessmann had four weeks off this summer. He spent most of them bringing his son on tour. Dallas was home, of course, but his parents in Clemson, South Carolina needed to meet their grandson. So did brother-in-law Chandler O'Dwyer, who plays for the Richmond Kickers in Virginia.

In between, there was a family trip to the Caribbean that did allow some time to disconnect entirely for what, ultimately, turned into a busy summer.

"It was tough not to be selected for the Gold Cup," he says. "Obviously, that was the goal: to be a part of that group. It's always hard when you aren't. The silver lining, though, was that I got to spend time with family and have time off. My son got to meet everyone, for the most part. It was a blessing to have that time. I was able to take a step back and be away from football for a few weeks. 

"I think it was really important because it's a long year ahead. With Lyon, we have a lot of matches and then, if all goes well, next summer will be very busy, too."

Tessmann's right. If all goes well, next summer will be the craziest of his life. His Olympic run in France was something, of course. A World Cup on home soil? It's what players dream of.

To get there, the 24-year-old midfielder knows he has to impress Pochettino. His work at Lyon got his foot back in the door. In this camp, with the USMNT taking on Ecuador and Australia, he has to ensure it stays open. He'll have to compete. 

This camp, he's joined by Weston McKennie, Aidan Morris, James Sands and Cristian Roldan as deeper-lying midfielders. Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre are among those in the mix, too. It all comes down to performing, both at home and during these final few USMNT opportunities before the big one next summer.

"Tessmann and Morris are playing in a regular way every single week," Pochettino said after calling in both after extended absences. "They are players that they need to have the continuity, and with continuity, they can help us to arrive and to perform."

Added Tessmann: "I love the competition. There are players here I've never been in camp with. James Sands, I've never been in camp with him, so it's been nice to meet him and see how he plays and learn from him and everyone else."

Tessmann still has a lot to learn, and much to prove. Getting left off of a few key rosters will remind you of that. The big takeaway is that all he can do is put himself in position and hope. If hope pays off, great. If not, Tessmann says he will understand, and that it won't make him care any less.

"The goal is for the U.S. to win the World Cup," he says. "It's not about me winning the World Cup. When you win, your country wins the World Cup. Whatever I can do to make that happen, I'm going to do it. That's my No. 1. So, even when I'm left off, it's personally disappointing, but when I see the guys go out there and play well, I love seeing that. I just want to be available, be healthy and be there controlling what I can control.

"At the end of the day, the decision is up to other people. They select the team, and I trust their decision. At the end of the day, it's about America winning the World Cup, not me winning the World Cup."

That, of course, is months away. And Tessmann himself is proof of how much things can change in a few months, personally and professionally. No one knows how long this form will continue, or even whether it's form or something more. Maybe Tessmann is a new player. Maybe he is someone that will make the difference for the USMNT, just as he has with Lyon.

Either way, he's now more capable than ever of taking all of that, putting it to the side and remembering the important part of all of this. Success, ultimately, starts at home. He believes that, and it could mean more success is on the way.

"At the end of the day, what makes me me is my faith, my family and the fact that I love my country," he says. "Those are the main things that I'm representing."