Bundesliga welcomes USMNT stars Pepi, Che, Bello and Paredes with newspaper ads
The Bundesliga has welcomed the latest crop of American stars to the league with newspaper ads as four more players make the leap to Germany from MLS.
Ricardo Pepi, Justin Che, George Bello and Kevin Paredes all moved to Germany in January, making them the latest in the long line of American players to call the Bundesliga home.
In total, 63 players from the U.S. have played in the Bundesliga after the latest four made their moves and, to celebrate the continuing relationship between American and German soccer, the Bundesliga commissioned welcome messages in each of the new signings' hometown newspapers.
A closer look
There's no better place for the USA's brightest stars to shine than in the Bundesliga! 🇺🇸🇩🇪@Ricardo_Pepi9 🌳@KParedes_7 🐺@JustinChe6 🔷@_GeorgeBello 🔵⚪
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) February 8, 2022
Welcome lads! #OneOfOurOwn | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/H5UYSCy8no
Pepi's move to Augsburg was one of the winter window's biggest signings, with the young U.S. men's national team star (USMNT) heading to Germany for a €18 million (£15m/$20m) fee.
That makes him one of the most expensive exports in American soccer history, with Pepi in pole position to be the USMNT's starting No 9 in Qatar should they qualify.
He's joined by former FC Dallas teammate Justin Che, who returns to the Bundesliga after previously joining Bayern Munich on loan
Che has joined Hoffenheim, where he joins up with another FC Dallas product, Chris Richards, who is with the club on loan from Bayern.
Bello, who has earned six USMNT caps, recently made his debut for Arminia Bielefeld after making the move from Atlanta United on deadline day.
Paredes joined Wolfsburg on January 28 for a reported fee of around $7,350,000.
Americans in the Bundesliga
There is a long tradition of Americna players in the Bundesliga, with Eric Wynalda, Steve Cherundolo, Thomas Dooley and Landon Donovan all playing in Germany's top flight.
In recent years, young stars like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna have all called the league home, while up-and-comers like Richards and Joe Scally are making up the next generation.