The UEFA Champions League group stage draw took place Thursday and there are a total of 11 American players—and one coach—in this year’s competition, as well as Canadian national team superstar Alphonso Davies.
Group A
Teams: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moskva
Jesse Marsch is no stranger to Davies, game-planning on how to limit the Canadian international’s effectiveness when coaching the then-New York Red Bulls coach prepared to meet the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Now, he’ll look to do the same as his Salzburg meet Davies and reigning champions Bayern Munich, who also feature former FC Dallas academy standout Chris Richards, in Group A, which also features Atletico Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk. Might be too soon for Philadelphia Union Homegrown Brenden Aaronson to be part of Marsch’s squad by then.
Group C
Teams: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Marseille
USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen, formerly of the Columbus Crew, and Manchester City are in Group C with FC Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille.
Group E
Teams: Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
Christian Pulisic’s Chelsea have been drawn into Group E with Sevilla FC, Krasnodar and Rennes.
Group G
Teams: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvaros
US men’s national team teammates Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest will go head-to-head with their new club teams when Juventus and Barcelona, which also features Konrad de la Fuente.
Of course, that also means a showdown of global icons with Cristiano Ronaldo squaring off against Lionel Messi in Group G, which also features Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvaros.
Group F
Teams: Zenit, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
Pulisic's USMNT teammate Gio Reyna, formerly of the NYCFC academy, and Borussia Dortmund are in Group F with Zenit St Petersburg, Lazio and Club Brugge, which features Ethan Horvath.
Group H
Teams: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
Can Tyler Adams continue to make Champions League history? After becoming the first American to score in a Champions League quarterfinal, a goal that sent RB Leipzig into the semifinals, the former Red Bulls standout and USMNT regular and his Bundesliga side are in a tough Group H with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir.
