Christian Pulisic's debut AC Milan campaign and the best-ever seasons for USMNT stars in Europe

Having earned promotion the season prior, Harkes and Sheffield Wednesday marched into the final campaign of England's First Division and exceeded every expectation.

Harkes was a regular throughout, featuring 29 times for the club and scoring three goals. By the end of it all, Sheffield Wednesday finished third in the top flight, just three points behind second-place Manchester United and three points ahead of fourth-place Arsenal.

This is one that younger fans won't know much about, but Dooley certainly earned his place on the list. The defender was a regular for the U.S. throughout the 90s but, before that, he was starring for FC Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga.

After helping the club lift the DFB-Pokal one season prior, Dooley helped guide Kaiserslautern to a Bundesliga title as they edged out Bayern Munich to win the league. The USMNT came calling two years later, and the rest is history.

Oh, what could have been. If not for the injuries, Holden could have racked up a few more spots on this list. His 2010-11 run with Bolton was far and away his best, and it was a season that made him a cult hero for the club. He featured 26 times for the Trotters in the Premier League that campaign, helping them surge up the Premier League table.

A tackle from Johnny Evans knocked him out for the final two months of the season, and sent Bolton into chaos as the club fell all the way down to 14th. Still, Holden was so good that he won the 2011 Bolton Player of the Year award. By the time it was all over, injuries limited Holden to just 30 league games in a Bolton shirt. That short sting was so good that he was named in Bolton's Team of the Decade for the 2010s.

The first Dempsey appearance on the list, and, spoiler alert, it isn't the last. The attacking midfielder was strong in the Premier League scoring 12 goals while providing three assists to help Fulham overachieve in the form of an eight-placed finish.

That run helped solidify Dempsey's place as a legitimate difference-maker in England. Just one season prior, his wondergoal against Juventus sent Fulham to the Europa League final, where they lost to Atletico Madrid. It was no fluke as Dempsey, by that time, had emerged as one of the Premier League's top dangermen.

Take your pick when it comes to Ream's seasons. He's been rock solid for years. For the purpose of these rankings, though, we'll go with 2017-18.

Ream was Fulham's ironman that season playing 48 matches in all competitions for the Cottagers. Most importantly, he was key to ensuring that Fulham earned promotion back to the Premier League at the end of those 48 matches, with Ream clinching Fulham Player of the Year honors for his efforts.

You could point to his Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15 or his Championship Team of the Year campaign in 2021-22, but Ream's 2017-18 run was a perfect example of what makes him so good: remarkable consistency.

There's no shortage of good Premier League seasons for Friedel. His 2002-03 campaign, though, was clearly his best. The legendary goalkeeper was the Premier League's clean-sheet leader as Blackburn finished sixth in the top flight.

He was deservedly was named the club's Player of the Season by the time all was said and done. Friedel was subsequently named to the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, also earning the 2002 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award midway through the campaign.

Howard is best known for his time at Everton, but his top season came during those initial few years at Manchester United. In 2003-04, his first at Old Trafford,

Howard was named to the PFA Team of the Year, solidifying his place among the Premier League's elite. He conceded just 31 goals in 32 games that season, beating out Jens Lehmann to that Best XI spot. Arsenal, of course, were invincible that campaign, but Howard's record spoke for itself.

He had some rough moments, including a bad error in the Champions League, but that doesn't detract from the fact that Howard was one of the best in the world at this time.

Part of Beasley's legacy is defined by his longevity, but there are few Americans that have reached the highs he did during his time in Europe.

Brought in to replace the legendary Arjen Robben, Beasley was an instant hit at PSV. In that season's Champions League, he led the club in goals with four, helping guide the Dutch side all the way to the semifinal. Once there, he became the first American to play in that round of the competition as PSV went blow-for-blow with a legendary AC Milan team. PSV cruelly went out on away goals after a 3-3 draw over two legs, but Beasley's incredible displays were unforgettable.

If you win the damn Champions League, you're going to be on this list. That's obvious, right?

Statistically, Pulisic actually put up better numbers the year prior as his goal tally dipped from 11 down to six, but we're talking quality over quantity here. His Champions League semifinal goal against Real Madrid pushed Chelsea through to the final, which they ultimately won.

As a result, Pulisic became the first American to play in and win the European Cup, solidifying his place in U.S. soccer history at just age 22.

Pulisic couldn't have asked for a better debut season. After finally breaking away from the Chelsea chaos, Pulisic was a legitimate superstar all season long for Milan, emerging as one of the best in Serie A.

With 15 goals and nine assists in all competitions, he was the club's second-leading goal contributor, behind only Olivier Giroud. Playing for one of the game's legendary clubs, Pulisic earned his status as an immediate fan favorite.

It's fun to imagine what comes next now that Pulisic is comfortable in his new surroundings. The hope is that its only up for here and, if that proves true, he may have several more seasons added to this list in a few years.

For those that didn't see it, it's hard to understand how good Altidore was during his two seasons with AZ.

Thrown into an attacking league, Altidore netted goal after goal after goal in the Eredivisie. After dropping 20 in his first season, Altidore went nuclear in his second, registering 31 goals in all competitions. That's still the single-season record for an American, and it's one that will be tough to break any time soon.

His subsequent move to the Premier League didn't work out, but that doesn't erase what came before it. During his time at AZ, Altidore was a force unlike any American soccer has seen.

The best individual season by an American, and it isn't particularly close. Playing in the Premier League for a non-Big Six club, Dempsey lit the top flight up, scoring 17 goals in 37 appearances. He added six more across other competitions, too, but it's his Premier League run that has him here.

Only Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero netted more times that season than Dempsey, who also was tied for second on Fulham with six assists. That season, he broke the Cottagers' record for total Premier League goals, was named the club's Player of the Season, as well as finishing in the top five in voting for the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.

Dempsey wasn't just great for an American; he was simply great. And, at least so far, no other USMNT star has quite captured that level of individual brilliance in one specific campaign.