The following is a ranking of Americans who were a part of the U.S. national team pool during the last year and who play for clubs at the top two levels of a foreign league. Their ranking takes into account their club play during the 2001-02 season and the performance of their club. In parentheses are their games and goals in league play.
1. John O'Brien (Ajax/NED, 26 games, 2 goals). A fixture in the starting lineup in his healthiest season yet, O'Brien shifted from midfield to left back in the latter stages. Ajax won its first league title in four years and punctuated the campaign with a victory in the Dutch Cup final, completing the ''double.''
2. Brad Friedel (Blackburn/ENG, 36 games). Friedel helped his team to the League (Worthington) Cup title, earning Man-of-the-Match honors in the final. More important, he helped Rovers stake a spot above the relegation zone. Friedel posted a 1.31 goals-against average in the league, 0.67 in cup play. Blackburn will compete in next year's UEFA Cup.
3. Steve Cherundolo (Hannover/GER, 30 games, 1 goal). Kicker magazine named Cherundolo the top right back in the German Second Division during the first half of the season. Hannover earned promotion into the Bundesliga by holding first place from wire to wire.
4. Earnie Stewart (NAC/NED, 30 games, 10 goals). NAC Breda vied for a UEFA Cup berth until the last few weeks of the season. Stewart now has amassed 112 goals in 14 seasons of Dutch professional soccer.
5. Claudio Reyna (Rangers/SCO, 10 games, 2 goals; Sunderland/ENG, 17 games, 3 goals). A goal in his first home match sparked an almost seamless transition from Scotland to the English Premier League for Reyna, whose transfer fee was the largest yet for an American player, $6.8 million. His new club, however, narrowly evaded relegation.
6. Tony Sanneh (Nuremberg/GER, 30 games, 2 goals). A true utility player for his new club, Sanneh played outside back, defensive midfield, sweeper and forward at various times. Nuremberg dodged relegation late in the season.
7. Conor Casey (Hannover/GER, 17 games, 7 goals). Hannover so liked Casey's output that it tried to pry him from Borussia Dortmund, but the league champs agreed only to a one-year loan extension. So with Hannover's promotion, Casey will get the chance to play against the team that owns his contract.
8. Greg Vanney (Bastia/FRA, 11 games). A run to the French Cup final highlighted a January transfer from MLS for Vanney, who stepped into the starting left back spot upon his arrival.
9. Jovan Kirovski (Crystal Palace/ENG, 36 games, 5 goals). A major improvement from his situation at Sporting Lisbon in recent years, Kirovski settled into a playmaking role. Rumors have Birmingham interested in his services.
10. Cory Gibbs (St. Pauli/GER, 25 games, 1 goal). Won a starting spot in the defense in the sixth game of the season – at age 21 – for the Hamburg club, which was relegated to Germany's Second Division. His lone national team call-up was halted by injury.
11. David Regis (Metz/FRA, 23 games). Metz's 35-year stay in France's top division, the country's longest, ended in relegation on the last day of the season. Regis may be moved as the club cuts costs for the drop.
12. Kasey Keller (Tottenham/ENG, 9 games). Keller sat the bench for much of the season, but he overtook Neil Sullivan as the starter for the last seven games and performed well.
13. Joe-Max Moore (Everton/ENG, 16 games, 2 goals). Used largely as a reserve, Moore could not find his scoring touch.
14. Gregg Berhalter (Crystal Palace/ENG, 14 games, 1 goal). Fell out of favor with Coach Trevor Francis and did not play much after February, but Francis may be replaced before next season.
15. Eddie Lewis (Fulham/ENG, 1 game). Played only in the meaningless season finale – thereby causing friction between Coach Jean Tigana and U.S. Coach Bruce Arena.
16. Frankie Hejduk (Bayer Leverkusen/GER, 0 games). A spectator in his team's remarkable runner-up finish in Champions League and disheartening second-place finish in the Bundesliga.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Will Kuhns