Lionel Messi, Emma Hayes and seven reasons for American soccer fans to be thankful this Thanksgiving

Just about six months ago, things were dire for the U.S. men's national team's top stars in Europe. Christian Pulisic was stuck on Chelsea's bench; Tim Weah wasn't quite a regular at Lille; Weston McKennie was enduring a nightmare at Leeds that dragged him down alongside USMNT teammates Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.

At the time, it looked like the USMNT's big stars would have to take a step back in search of playing time. Instead, three of the team's most important players made the move to Italian mega-clubs and, thus far, they've thrived.

Pulisic, Weah and Yunus Musah have all found homes in Serie A and have all played key roles to start the season. Injuries have limited Weah a bit, although he remains a regular starter at wing-back for Juventus, while McKennie has featured both out wide and centrally for the Old Lady after re-establishing himself in Turin. Over at AC Milan, Pulisic has been among the Rossoneri's better players this season, while Musah has made a midfield role his own after earning Stefano Pioli's trust.

The Italian top-flight hasn't always been a go-to for Americans, but it's rapidly becoming one, as Serie A has given four key players a much-needed place to call home.

All eyes are on the 2026 World Cup, and rightfully so. It'll be a defining moment for American soccer, one that might just blow 1994 out of the water. Before that, though, there's something of a dress rehearsal. The Copa America is coming in 2024 as South America's best will head up north for a massive tournament.

The USMNT is already in the field, having exorcised their demons a bit by defeating Trinidad & Tobago to book their place. Mexico got in too by the skin of their teeth, needing every last second to beat Honduras. Jamaica and Panama have also booked their spot, but Canada will need to win a play-off to get in.

That feels like the undercard, though, as CONMEBOL's giants are no doubt the ones to watch. Argentina, the defending champions and World Cup winners, remain the favorite, for sure. Colombia and Uruguay are rising with young stars leading the way. And Brazil, despite their recent struggles, are Brazil... can your really write them off?

Some of the world's biggest stars will be playing big games in the U.S. next summer, including arguably the best this sport has ever seen. Speaking of him...

Who could have imagined? The dream move, somehow, became a reality. Lionel Messi is playing in the U.S.

All these months later, it's still a hard one to grasp for those that have followed the rise of MLS. One of the best players in history, if not the best, is playing in the U.S., and just a few months in, he's already put on quite a show.

His Leagues Cup run was unforgettable, as Messi stepped in and lifted Inter Miami to the club's first trophy. He came too late to guide the club to the playoffs, but even so, Messi has already made quite an impact, on and off the field.

Interest is through the roof, as are sales of that pink No.10 shirt. Fans all over the world are paying attention to MLS, and now it's on the league to capitalize on that fact. With Messi involved and the World Cup around the corner, it seems it's only up from here for MLS.

As for Messi, he'll be back in early 2024, and after joining midseason, it's fun to imagine what his first full campaign in MLS could be like. With a full preseason, a bit of rest, and perhaps some new superstar teammates, Messi looks set to dominate next season.

The U.S. women's national team's World Cup run was a failure, and it cost Vlatko Andonovski his job. That pushed the USWNT towards a turning point as they looked to define a new era with a big coaching hire.

Well, U.S. Soccer went out and got a big one. The federation flexed its muscles to lure one of the best in the women's game to the role, proving that the USWNT job is still one with considerable pull.

Emma Hayes is a superstar coach, one that built the Chelsea program from the ground up. She's a coach that knows how to build a winning culture, and the USWNT is currently a team that needs to rediscover that side of itself.

The hiring of Hayes is a massive deal, and it probably won't take long for USWNT fans to see why. Having coached in the U.S. earlier in her career, Hayes is the perfect mix of insider and outsider that this team needs as they look to build on the good parts of 2023. And about those good parts...

While the World Cup didn't live up to expectations, it will go down as a vital experience for a rising group of USWNT stars.

Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz are gone, while Becky Sauerbrunn and Alex Morgan will be on their way soon as well. It seems, though, that the USWNT is in good hands as a group of starlets looks more than ready to take on whatever's ahead of them.

Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson all have World Cup experience under their belt already. Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw look like they'll be in that forward mix soon, too. And then there's Naomi Girma, a player that, at just 23, is already among the best central defenders on the planet.

It's safe to say that Hayes has quite a group to work with, and the hope is that the soon-to-be-ex-Chelsea boss is the one that helps this group reach their ridiculous potential. Hayes will be spoiled for choices, and with this amount of talent at her disposal, it seems like she can't go wrong!

All eyes will be on the USWNT at the Olympics, but they won't be the only American soccer team there next summer. After missing the last three Olympic tournaments, the men's team is back as they'll join the women in Paris next summer. The two tournaments are entirely different, with the women's being a senior competition while the men's is one for the Under-23, but that doesn't mean the men's side won't be important.

The Olympics are quite a shop window for rising stars, as many of the game's top young players will be in the field next summer. Because of that, it's huge from a career standpoint, while also being a tournament that players dream of playing in. It is the Olympics, after all.

Yunus Musah says he's wants to be involved, and the U.S. may have some flexibility to include some senior-team regulars. Even if they don't, there's a talented pool of U23 talent to choose from. That tournament will be here before we know it, and it'll be nice to see the U.S. back in the field for the first time in too long.

It hasn't quite taken off just yet, but the recruitment of Folarin Balogun could very well be a defining moment for this USMNT program. After a lack of goals doomed them at the World Cup, the U.S. went out and recruited a star striker, one that has a ridiculous amount of potential. Balogun is a player that can score a lot of goals at a very big club someday, and he's already well on his way at Monaco.

A rising tide lifts all boats, though, and Balogun isn't the only one in this race. Ricardo Pepi has raised his game since Balogun's arrival, scoring a bunch of goals in a super-sub role. Josh Sargent and Daryl Dike will probably have something to say once healthy, and players like Jesus Ferreira, Haji Wright and Brandon Vazquez could score their way back into the picture.

Balogun is the focus, though. If he becomes the player that many believe he can, the U.S. could finally have a striker that allows them to compete with some of the best.