Seattle Sounders youngsters Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan were instrumental during the club's march to the MLS Cup title, which they won last weekend in Toronto after beating TFC on penalty kicks. The two 21-year-old starters upped their stock considerably during the Sounders championship run, making them shoo-ins for January's extended U.S. camp -- the first roster new national team coach Bruce Arena will convene since taking over from Jurgen Klinsmann last month. With the domestic season now over, though, it's time to turn our attention to American prospects plying their trade overseas by checking in on their progress at the European season's midway point. Here are updates on 10 U.S. blue-chippers who are also hoping to impress Arena as the calendar flips into a pivotal 2017.
G Ethan Horvath, 21 Molde (Norway)
Horvath emerged as the leading goalkeeping prospect in the U.S. player pool in 2016, during which he started for the U-23s during their unsuccessful Olympic qualifying bid, won his first senior team cap and led his humble club side into the knockout stage of the Europa League. The Colorado native's progress didn't go unnoticed; Horvath is expected to move to Belgian champion Club Brugge when the transfer window opens next month. The only downside is that he now won't get the opportunity to impress Arena in person during the January/February camp.
F Julian Green, 21, Bayern Munich (Germany)
U.S. fans were cautiously optimistic that Green, in the final year of his contract, would get regular minutes off the bench for Bayern after a stellar preseason. But the Tampa-born, Munich-raised attacker has been limited to just one October appearance in the league cup -- in which he scored -- before suffering a muscle injury that will keep him out until the new year. That won't help Green (who was included on Klinsmann's final squad) earn minutes with Bayern or crack Arena's team for crucial March World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama.
D Matt Miazga, 21, Vitesse Arnhem (Netherlands)
The Chelsea loanee and former New York Red Bull center back has been in and out of his Dutch team's lineup since arriving in August, but he did manage to score his first goal since leaving MLS almost a year ago, striking early in a 4-0 win over lower league Jodan Boys in the Dutch Cup on Wednesday. If that helps Miazga earn a regular spot in the second half of the Eredivisie season, a summer call-up isn't out of the question.
F Rubio Rubin, 20, Utrecht (Netherlands)
Two years ago, Rubin was a regular starter for Utrecht who even earned a spot in Klinsmann's lineup for a late-2014 friendly against Colombia. He's regressed since then, in part because of an injury that limited his minutes in 2015-16. Rubin is healthy now but still hasn't been able to win his spot back, in part because of his production: The Portland-area native has just three goals in 38 Eredivisie matches and is scoreless in six games in all competitions this year. His lone league appearance came way back in August, so don't be surprised if he's on the move to another European club either next month or in the summer.
M Junior Flores, 20, Borussia Dortmund II (Germany)
We don't typically include reserve team players in this space, but Flores has been in the news lately. The diminutive Virginia-raised playmaker hasn't been able to move up the ranks at Dortmund, where he's been overtaken by other youngsters -- including fellow American Christian Pulisic --- since signing on four years ago. Now he appears destined for a January move, with Scottish champion Celtic and MLS side Columbus Crew reportedly among the potential landing spots.
D Cameron Carter-Vickers, 18, Tottenham Hotspur (England)
Carter-Vickers continues to make steady progress at Spurs, dressing regularly for Premier League games, making two starts in cup play and inking a new contract this fall -- not bad for a player who won't turn 19 until New Year's Eve. Still, what Carter-Vickers needs most is minutes, and lots of them. He won't get those with Tottenham's first team this season, and Arena made it clear he can't help the U.S. unless he's playing regularly. As such, a loan -- either next month or in the summer -- seems inevitable.
D Erik Palmer-Brown, 19, Porto B (Portugal)
The 6-foot-1 center back has been somewhat out of sight, out of mind since moving on loan from Sporting Kansas City in February. But Palmer-Brown progressed significantly during his year overseas despite dealing with foot and hamstring injuries, winning a starting job and helping Porto's reserve team win the country's second-division title. That could be enough for the club to exercise its option to buy from SKC when the loan expires at the end of December.
M Lynden Gooch, 21, Sunderland (England)
The Californian earned his first Premier League and national team minutes over the last four months before going down with an ankle injury. But Gooch showed enough skill, energy and fearlessness in limited action to show that he will be a valuable asset for club and country going forward, and he could be crucial to the Black Cats' relegation flight when he returns to full fitness next year.
M Emerson Hyndman, 20, Bournemouth (England)
The little (5-foot-6) playmaker took a significant risk jumping to the Premier League from second-tier Fulham over the summer, and so far it hasn't paid off. Hyndman suffered an injury during the preseason that he's never fully worked his way back from because of the terrible timing; Hyndman has been limited to just two non-league appearances so far. Here's hoping for a better 2017 for the technical, slick-passing Texan.
M Russell Canouse, 21, Bochum (Germany)
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania, product made his Bundesliga debut for Hoffenheim earlier this year before moving to second-tier Bochum on a two-year loan. The deal has worked out for the defensive midfielder; not only has Canouse become a lineup regular under veteran Dutch manager Gertjan Verbeek, the former U.S. U-20 national team captain even added a game-winning goal in last weekend's 1-0 victory over 1860 Munich.