'It is a fresh start' - George Campbell bet on himself and became West Brom captain; now he's fighting for his USMNT future

There is no shortage of Philadelphia Union products in and around the USMNT. Brenden Aaronson, Matt Freese, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty were all members of the World Cup team. Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre are in camp now to lead the next generation. And, in another world, Campbell might have been counted among them, too.

Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, where the Union play their home games, Campbell and his family were embedded in Philadelphia soccer. His brothers played in the Union system, and Campbell did, too. When it came time to try out for the team's academy, though, Campbell didn't make it.

The Campbells were then pulled in different directions. 

His oldest brother, Will, was off to college. Middle brother Robert stayed with their mom in Philadelphia to finish high school. And youngest George was off to Atlanta with his father, whose work took the two south.

"When you're younger, you don't really recognize it as much, but now obviously, I look back and I'm just so grateful for them," he says of his parents. 

Campbell remembers the grind. He recalls how his parents would return from work to pick him from school and dart to training 45 minutes away. After watching him throughout, they’d drive it home and do it all over again next time. 

“They were troopers. I didn't think about it then, but they're a massive part of this,” he continues. 

In Georgia, Campbell had played for Georgia United under future Atlanta United academy director Tony Annan, who he credits as the first coach to really push him. A few years removed, Campbell can admit that a professional career was never a certainty.

“I grinded every year and tried to hope for the best,” he says, “There were a few years where I wasn't quite at the level, but I was just showing up, trying to work hard, and that was really where it started.”

He blossomed during his junior year of high school, though, completing a transition from midfield to center back. Campbell had committed to play at the University of Maryland but, after receiving a homegrown contract offer from Atlanta United, he decided to turn pro.

“I had to call them saying I'm not going because I was signing,” he recalls. “They were trying to convince me not to go, that I would get stuck in USL or whatever it was. They weren't happy with it, but at the end of the day, it was a decision I had to make.”

It worked out. Campbell broke out in Atlanta, playing 38 games for the first team before CF Montreal made the move to trade for him. After two-and-a-half seasons in Canada, though, Campbell found himself at another crossroads. He could have stayed in MLS and could have signed for a number of clubs within the league.

Or he could push himself and go elsewhere that would challenge him in ways he wasn’t fully sure of. That’s what would ultimately spark his move to England. 

When West Brom’s offer came in, Campbell talked to those close to him: his parents, his brothers, his now-wife. He also spoke to Auston Trusty, who had played alongside his older brothers and had begun forging his own path in Europe.

After a few days, Campbell had his conclusion.

“It really was taking a bet on myself or staying a little more comfortable in the U.S.,” he says. “I just decided I might regret it if I don't go to England, because that's a lot of people's dream. I felt like I didn’t want to be able to not live with myself if I didn't go to England.”

He arrived in July 2025 and made his debut in August. By the winter, the Baggies were in the thick of a relegation battle. Life in the Championship was hard, Campbell learned, in more ways than one.

“It took me a while to settle in, if I'm being honest,” he says, “just in terms of like the dressing room, in terms of just teammates, going about day-to-day life, driving, this and that. It took me a bit to settle in.”

There were challenges. Campbell and his wife were navigating long-distance. The results on the field were difficult to accept. And then there’s just the overall grind of the Championship, where games come quickly.

Things feel different now. Campbell’s wife has moved over full-time, which has proven life-changing. His family recently visited for a game and, as part of their trip, he took them to a Padel court for some friendly competition in a new hobby. Cooking, TV, late nights of playing "The Finals" with the boys back home - Campbell now has his routine, as difficult as it can be given the schedule West Brom plays.

“This year is about when it's starting to feel like actual home instead of just settling in,” he says. “It was tough, but, ultimately, in England, there are so many games in the Championship that your brain just goes, ‘Get on with it’.”

Campbell did, ultimately helping West Brom survive that relegation fight by four points. He made 41 appearances across his first Championship season while scoring four goals in the process.

The moment was quick, but Campbell has thought about it a lot. West Brom were on the way to Norwich for their Championship opener and, as the team was packing onto the bus, Morrison called his center back over. Previous captain Jed Wallace had been sold to Bristol City, and the Baggies needed a new skipper.

“He pulled me and just said that he thinks I'm best suited for it,” Campbell recalls. “He asked, ‘Am I up for it?’ I said yeah, and that was pretty much it. Then, literally five minutes later, I get on the bus to go to Norwich. 

“Things roll fast in the Championship, and I think that's actually probably the thing I love most about it. It’s so many games, but it just goes by so quickly.”

Campbell's achievement shouldn't be understated, though. By being named captain, Campbell became  only the third American to be named permanent captain of an English club, following Brian McBride and Eric Lichaj. Of that group, he's the youngest.

West Brom have started well. They've won four and drawn two of their first eight games, putting them fifth in the league early on. It's a far cry from last season. Much improved, it's fair to say.

Yet, after just one season in the league, Campbell is very aware that there are highs and lows and, again, teams and players flow between them quickly.

“If you have a bad game,” he says, “you could see it as ‘Look how bad the game was’...Or you can see it as like, ‘In three days I get a chance to put it right again’. 

“It is both sides of it, but I enjoy leaping from game to game rather than having so many trainings to think about your last game.”

There are big ones ahead now. Campbell is captaining his club and making a difference in the Championship, but can he make a difference for the USMNT, too?

The World Cup was complicated for Campbell. On one hand, he desperately wanted to be there representing his country. On the other, many of his friends were the ones on the field in USMNT colors.

The latter feeling greatly outweighed the former. When he watched this summer, he just wanted to see his friends do well.

“Most of the guys in the spot that I probably want to be playing are guys I'm super close with,” he says. “It's never hoping they do bad so I can get in. It's more that I want to do so good that I earn that spot over them. Good competition, friendly competition, is always healthy."

Campbell acknowledges that being away from the team for so long made his World Cup hopes a longshot, but he also thought his uptick in form for West Brom towards the end of the season could give him a fighter's chance. 

“Obviously, it was a year and a half of not being in camp, and I thought I was doing well, especially at the end of last season," he says. “I thought that was the biggest opportunity for me to get in, and I didn't, and that's disappointing, but I feel like it is a fresh start now."

Campbell’s right: everything is fresh. 

World Cup veterans Trusty and Richards have been named to the team, as has rising star Pierre. Tim Ream, 38, was the starter alongside Richards at this past summer’s World Cup, and now Campbell finds himself in a group fighting to take over at that spot. 

That fight starts this camp, one that includes eight teenagers and 13 uncapped players. It also includes Campbell, whose one cap came in a January camp meeting with Venezuela in 2025.

“I’m definitely more towards a vet than a younger player,” he says. “I’m 25, but I've played a decent amount of games now, and obviously there are a few of the national team vets that I'm pretty close with.”

In a few weeks, Campbell will have significantly more experience. There are four games this camp, all against quality opponents. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino will learn a lot about his newcomers in those games. Campbell may be the most experienced of those newcomers, but only in his second camp, he’s still new nonetheless.

Yet he enters this camp as a much different player than he did last time, and not just due to the captaincy or the challenges of the Championship. No, Campbell has grown in more ways than one, which is why now might be the right time for him to step forward.

“I'm going to try to use all of that,” he says, “to the best of my ability.”