Rokas Pukstas is one of the most hyped and watched Americans has not yet played for the senior USMNT or worn the Stars and Stripes for the youth set up in a year. That hype will surely grow as it’s being reported that the midfielder is on the move from Hajduk Split to the ever increasingly American looking Championship side Middlesborough. According to the Athletic, the midfielder is set to join the team after Split takes on Rakow Czestochowa (Poland) in European competition for a fee of £4million.
The 22 year-old will join 1/13 of the USMNT World Cup side and Aidan Morris in what is becoming a crowded American midfield for the English team. Pukstas has brought high expectations as an aggressive box-to-box midfielder with an apt ability to score goals, make smart runs into the box, and generally read the game well. He’s done that for the second most successful club in the Croatian Football League Hajduk Split where he’s risen to be a key starter.
While his performances for the club have brought calls for him to be brought into the senior national team, he wasn’t in the picture for Mauricio Pochettino in the lead up to the World Cup. With the tournament in the rear view mirror, he will be moving into a more competitive league where he can build his resume as the USMNT builds towards the next cycle.
