Obviously it’s a good thing for the U.S. men’s national team any time one of the program’s emerging young stars finds himself in the sights of one of the world’s most prestigious clubs, as 23-year-old Columbus goalkeeper Zack Steffen has per reports on both sides of the Atlantic.

A big-money transfer to Manchester City (Paul Tenorio of The Athletic says Steffen could go for as high as $10 million) would no doubt be a dream come true for Steffen, should it happen. The former University of Maryland standout is a big admirer of City’s Brazilian backstop Ederson and he would improve as his understudy. There’s no question that Steffen’s stock is soaring following this week’s big news.

But such a move wouldn’t be without at least some short-term risk for Steffen and the USMNT heading into next summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, as playing time can be hard to come by with Europe’s best teams. That’s something U.S. headliner Christian Pulisic has found out recently at Borussia Dortmund.

With a new U.S. coach set to be announced as early as this week, here’s how Steffen, Pulisic and nine other national teamers are faring for their clubs:

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G Zack Steffen, Columbus Crew (MLS)

It seems the only major obstacle standing between Steffen and Man City is a British work permit. The Pennsylvania native doesn’t have enough international appearances to qualify for one automatically, but he could be granted one upon appeal.

Takeaway: According to the Sun (so take it with a grain of salt), City manager Pep Guardiola is eyeing Steffen as a replacement for usual No. 2 Claudio Bravo, who’s injured. If that’s accurate, Steffen would be limited to a handful of Cup games for the six months before the Americans’ pre-Gold Cup camp. It that happens, and he’s not loaned out to a smaller European club, the extended layoff could open the door for Brad Guzan or Ethan Horvath to take Steffen’s starting job with the U.S. That would be true even if Columbus boss Gregg Berhalter ends up at the USMNT helm as expected. It’s still a no-brainer for Steffen to move if he can, but he’d have to do so knowing that it might hurt him initially.

F Haji Wright, Schalke (German Bundesliga)

It was a surprise to see the former New York Cosmos striker and LA Galaxy academy product make Schalke’s match day squad for Saturday’s 5-2 win over Nurnberg. It was even more surprising to see him actually take the field, which he did for a five-minute cameo with the outcome already determined.

Takeaway: The rangy 20-year-old barely touched the ball in his brief appearance, but clearly he’s impressing behind the scenes for last season’s Bundesliga runners-up. The important thing for Wright will be to stay hungry and build toward more additional time as the season progresses.

F Bobby Wood, Hannover (German Bundesliga)

It took Wood just 20 seconds to score his third goal of the season in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach on a tidy finish following a perfectly timed run:

Takeaway: Wood cut a frustrated figure during the national team’s recent friendly losses to England and Italy, mainly because he was isolated alone up front. He stands to benefit greatly from Berhalter’s hire, if it happens, because Berhalter will have a clear plan to get the Hawaiian striker the service he requires to score consistently.

G Ethan Horvath, Club Brugge (Belgium First Division A)

Horvath was among the few bright spots for the U.S. in last week’s 1-0 stoppage time defeat against the Azzurri, and he should make his second Champions League appearance in four weeks on Wednesday against Dortmund and his USMNT roommate Pulisic.

Takeaway: Horvath took full advantage of his first international start in more than a year, keeping the Americans in the game until the bitter end. He won’t have to wait as long for his next cap if he continues to play regularly for Brugge.

F Duane Holmes, Derby (English Championship)

The speedy Georgia-born, English-raised winger recently emerged as a starter under manager Frank Lampard, who has included the 23-year-old in his lineup for each of promotion-chasing Derby’s last three matches.

Takeaway: The U.S. always needs depth on the flanks, so Holmes’ breakthrough is a welcome development. The only downside is that he’s virtually unknown on this side of the pond, having never represented his birth nation at any level. The only opportunity to see Holmes in camp prior to the Gold Cup will be in March. If he keeps playing over the next few months, an invite could follow.

D/M Erik Palmer-Brown, NAC Breda (Dutch Eredivisie)

The imposing 21-year-old seems to have put his slow start to the season behind him; Palmer-Brown has now started in Breda’s last three league games.

Takeaway: A lack of playing time during his first few months in the Netherlands kept the Manchester City loanee from adding to the two caps he won earlier this year. But with other center backs struggling for minutes (more on them below), Palmer-Brown can move up the depth chart quickly if he continues to see the field.

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M Christian Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga)

Pulisic has started just four of league-leading Dortmund’s first dozen games. He played 12 minutes off the bench, and wasn’t particularly effective, in Saturday’s win over Mainz. And he didn’t feature at all in BVB’s previous match, which happened to be their biggest so far this season: a 3-2 win over Bayern Munich on Nov. 11.

Takeaway: The 20-year-old also struggled during both recent U.S. matches, and his dip in from apparently isn’t related to the injuries that slowed him at the beginning of the season; health-wise, Pulisic claims to be 100-percent. Are the constant transfer rumors starting to weigh on him? Whatever the reason, it’s the first real adversity the young star has faced since bursting onto the scene almost three years ago. How he handles it will be telling as he attempts to take on more of a leadership role for his country.

M Weston McKennie, Schalke (German Bundesliga)

The hard-running Texan injured his hamstring in the loss to England, returned to Schalke before the Italy match and didn’t make the 18 versus Nurnberg.

Takeaway: The timing is terrible for McKennie, who had lost his place in coach Domenico Tedesco’s lineup before getting hurt. The 20-year-old came off the bench in each of Schalke’s four games before the international break, and his last start was almost a month ago.

D Matt Miazga, Nantes (French Ligue 1)

Miazga continues to not even make the bench under new Canaries manager Vahid Halilhodzic, and he has now missed Nantes’ last six games.

Takeaway: With the January transfer window fast approaching, it seems more likely than not that Miazga, who is on a season-long loan from Chelsea, will join another club rather than fight for his place in France. Sitting on the sidelines during the second half of the season would be a disaster for the 23-year-old, who has long been John Brooks’ presumed central defensive partner for next summer’s Gold Cup.

D Cameron Carter-Vickers, Swansea (English Championship)

A few hard tackles aside, Carter-Vickers appeared flummoxed against Italy. Perhaps rust was a factor; the 20-year-old center back has made just one start for Swansea since September.

Takeaway: Like Miazga, Carter-Vickers’ loan (from Tottenham) isn’t going as hoped. He needs playing time, and he isn’t getting it in Wales. A change of scenery could therefore be in the cards for January, probably to another second-tier English side; Carter-Vickers made 34 Championship appearances last season, split evenly between Sheffield United and Ipswich Town.

D Antonee Robinson, Wigan (English Championship)

A sprained ankle sustained two days before the England match ruled the left back out of both USMNT contests plus Wigan’s scoreless draw with Reading on Saturday.

Takeaway: Robinson’s long face told the story as he sat in the Wembley Stadium stands, right foot in a walking cast, watching his U.S. teammates prepare for the match against his birth nation. Not only did the 21-year-old miss out on valuable international experience against two former World Cup winning nations, the injury has stalled his progress with Wigan. Before getting hurt, Robinson had started 15 of the club’s 17 league matches.

Doug McIntyre covers soccer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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