At Chelsea, Christian Pulisic will aim to surpass the achievements of some legendary figures in the Premier League
Getty ImagesJohn Harkes: Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest – 1992–93, 1995–96, 1998–99
John Harkes was the first American to play in the Premier League, making his first appearance in the competition on the second day of the 1992-93 season while playing with Sheffield Wednesday.
He went on to make 43 appearances in the rebranded competition, scoring two goals, yet it is in the League Cup that he is most remembered. Harkes scored for Wednesday in a 2-1 final defeat to Arsenal in 1993 and became just the second American to net at Wembley.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRoy Wegerle: Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City – 1992–95
Roy Wegerle ended his career with 76 Premier League appearances but was a long-time stalwart of England’s top division, having plied his trade in the country since 1986, when he signed for Chelsea having played indoor soccer in the U.S. for the Tacoma Stars.
He was perhaps past his peak by the time the Premier League formed, but the attacker still managed 13 goals, becoming the first player from the USA to net in the competition when he scored a double against Norwich in a 7-1 victory. Wegerle helped his Blackburn side to second in the table before he was later sold to Coventry.
Getty ImagesKasey Keller: Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Fulham – 1996–99, 2001–05, 2007–08
Kasey Keller first moved to England from the Portland Timbers in 1996 but spent his time outside of the top flight with Millwall. Four years later, he moved to Leicester, where he made the first of 201 Premier League appearances.
Playing for four different clubs, he amassed more than 18,000 minutes of game time and would go on to keep 57 clean sheets in the competition.
During his career, he also turned out for Rayo Vallecano in La Liga and Borussia Monchegladbach in the Bundesliga.
unknownBrad Friedel: Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur – 1997–2000, 2001–14
Brad Friedel should go down as one of the great goalkeepers in Premier League history simply for the fact that between May 15, 2004 and October 7, 2012, he did not miss a single match in the competition.
That incredible run, which spanned 310 fixtures for three different clubs – Blackburn, Aston Villa and Tottenham – is unsurprisingly the longest such run in the league’s history.