Five Americans who will likely find new homes this summer

This summer’s transfer window will have a slightly different flavor than those in previous years.

With the 2022 World Cup looming in November, players on the fringes of their clubs will be in search of a new home with the promise of greater opportunity. The flip side to that motivation, however, is the uncertainty in the unknown: Will the player find the culture of a new club the right fit? If a player’s current situation is less than desirable, is that known quantity preferred to the risk of moving to a new team only to discover that things can get even worse?

It’s a strange dichotomy for the transfer market: Players will be more motivated than ever to secure a move if it means bettering their chances of making their country’s World Cup squad, while at the same time being extremely cautious as to avoid any chance of putting their place at Qatar 2022 at risk.

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It’s a conundrum that’s being felt throughout the United States men’s national team player pool. Should Christian Pulisic leave Chelsea for a club that will guarantee him first-choice status? Should Tyler Adams depart RB Leipzig for the same reasons?

And as American players become more prevalent throughout the Old World, will clubs — especially in Europe’s Big Five leagues — continue importing promising talents from Major League Soccer? Or poaching USMNT prospects languishing in second divisions and some of the continent’s lesser leagues?

To get a sense of how this transfer window could unfold for U.S. men’s national team, and those with hopes of representing their country at senior level in the near future, ESPN asked Jeff Carlisle and Kyle Bonagura to detail the situations surrounding five of the most…