USMNT stars out for Champions League glory - but will there be an American winner in 2023-24?

Pulisic has already gotten his hands on a Champions League trophy, playing a key role in Chelsea's run to the European summit during his time at Stamford Bridge. Can he replicate the feat at Milan? After last season, you'd have to say that anything is possible.

Milan made it all the way to the semi-finals in 2022-23 before painfully losing to rivals Inter. Their eternal foes emphatically got the best of them over the weekend, too, leaving the red side of Milan in a sour mood as they enter a group of death that includes Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund.

Looking at this group, Pulisic , of course, will be looking forward to that clash with former club Dortmund, but the campaign will begin with a match against Newcastle in Italy. He won't be alone, though, as far as Americans go. Musah will be joining him for his first European campaign, having never reached continental competition at Valencia. The midfielder, though, is still working to break through at Milan, having only joined this summer.

A huge, huge accomplishment for teenage starlet Diego Kochen, who was named to Barcelona's Champions League squad for the group stages.

Born in Miami, Kochen has progressed through the academy at La Masia, signing his first professional contract in March 2022. He's made the bench several times for Barca since, and Xavi went as far as to include the 17-year-old goalkeeper in the club's squad for Europe.

Barcelona are facing a fairly manageable group featuring Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp. If they cruise as expected, could Kochen be handed an appearance in a dead-rubber late game? It's something to watch for fans of American soccer.

Injuries have kept Gio Reyna out for the start of the season, but he was on the plane to Paris for Dortmund's opening match against PSG. Reyna hasn't played a competitive game since the Nations League finals in June, but seems on his way to recovery. That's great news for Dortmund, who really benefitted from Reyna's goal contributions as a substitute last season.

What will Reyna's role be when healthy? It's one of the big questions in American soccer as the USMNT looks for him to make a major leap on the road to the 2026 World Cup. Maybe that jump will come via a Champions League breakout, as Reyna will look to lead Dortmund out of the Group of Death.

He'll miss the start of the group stage, at least, due to injury, so let's see where Celtic stand by the time Cameron Carter-Vickers gets back. The defender is vital for the Scottish giants, and could very well be vital for the USMNT this cycle. However, a hamstring injury will keep him out for at least another month or so.

Looking at the group, Celtic will feel they have a chance, with Atletico Madrid the clear front-runner alongside Feyenoord and Lazio. This week's clash with Feyenoord could very well be a decider for the Scottish side as they look for a run to the knockouts.

Zack Steffen hasn't been named to Manchester City's Champions League squad and he almost certainly won't be with the club by the time this competition ends. Injury issues prevented Steffen from getting a move away from City during the summer, having spent last season on loan with Middlesbrough. Because of that, we likely won't be seeing much of him until he moves somewhere in the January window.

As for Manchester City, they'll be looking to defend their first European title, and first they'll need to escape a group featuring RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade, which shouldn't be much of a problem for Pep Guardiola's juggernaut.

The newest All-American trio will have a big opportunity in the Champions League. Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman are players on the rise, but both players have been eased into life in the Eredivisie. The two are coming off of a solid USMNT camp, and both will now hope to turn that into a consistent starting role with PSV.

Sergino Dest, meanwhile, is in the process of rebuilding his reputation back in the Netherlands. He's walked right into the PSV XI and should be a key starter throughout his loan spell from Barcelona.

They face a tough group, though, beginning with Wednesday's clash with Arsenal. After that, they'll also have to face Sevilla and Lens, giving them a tough road to the knockout rounds.

An absolute disaster, both for Antwerp and Sam Vines. The Belgian champions made an absolutely inexcusable administrative error by leaving Vines out of their Champions League squad, with head coach Mark Van Bommel calling it a "mistake".

It'll be a real heartbreaker for Vines, who will now miss out on the chance to play at the highest level of the club game. The Champions League has always been a springboard for players looking to move up the European ladder, but Vines now won't get the chance to prove himself against the likes of Barcelona, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.

He also won't get the chance to use this competition to play his way back into USMNT contention, having been out of the picture for some time. In theory, he'll return for the knockouts if Antwerp make it there, but it seems unlikely they'll get that far.

This is a big moment for Brenden Aaronson, who will get his chance to really put the Leeds mess behind him in the Champions League. He's on loan with Union Berlin, a club that has completed an unprecedented rise to get this far. From the lower levels of German football to the Champions League in just a few years, it's been quite a story for the club.

Because of that, just getting this far will feel like a victory to some, but that doesn't mean that Union are here just to take part. Real Madrid are clear group favorites while Braga are clear favorites to finish fourth. The question then becomes whether Berlin can find a way to edge out Napoli for that second-place spot.

As for Aaronson, this is a huge chance to get some positive momentum going and determine his own future before a return to Leeds at the end of the season.