USMNT: Ulysses Llanez heads to the Eredivisie on loan
By Daniel Garza
USMNT forward Ulysses Llanez is headed to the Eredivisie for a season on loan
Ulysses Llanez will be headed to the Netherlands for a season on loan with Eredivisie club Heerenveen. The 19-year-old USMNT forward is set to begin his first loan spell during his time with Wolfsburg. After joining the Bundesliga club in 2019, he has yet to feature regularly for Wolfsburg’s first team. As a result, his time with Heerenveen will offer much-needed first-team playing time in his development.
A bright future at Eredivisie
Llanez is one of the most talented forwards the USMNT have in the U-20 ranks. He scored on his senior team debut in February against Costa Rica and is set to be a member of the U-23 Olympic Qualifying team. During his time with the U-20 team, he recorded an impressive seven goals in 13 appearances.
The upcoming season for Llanez is going to offer the opportunity to further develop his talent. Playing in the Eredivisie will be the first time in his career he will feature in the senior European league. For this reason, it will be the first real test of his career in Europe and it could promise to be a very good loan spell for the young forward.
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His time in the U-19 Bundesliga Nord/Nordost last season was very successful as he registered 11 goals in 16 appearances for Wolfsburg’s youth team. Llanez displayed he is ready to make the jump to playing at a higher level and the Eredivise will provide that opportunity.
Another USMNT player in the Eredivisie
The Eredivise already has multiple USMNT eligible players featuring for different clubs. Luca de la Torre and Sergino Dest are two players who have already made appearances this season. Llanez will be joining the two USMNT players in the Dutch top-flight along with Sebastian Soto who is also on loan at Telstar from Norwich City.
Llanez could prove to be the next USMNT player to find success after moving to Europe from a Major League Soccer club. As a Los Angeles Galaxy academy product, he is following in the footsteps of other former MLS academy players like Weston McKennie who joined Bundesliga clubs at a young age.
How does he fit into Heerenveen’s team?
Heerenveen have a very young squad this season. According to the Transfermarkt, the average age on the team is 22. As a result, Llanez will find himself among lots of up and coming talent. One of his teammates will be 19-year-old Oliver Batista-Meier who is on loan from Bayern Munich.
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After winning their first match, 2-0, Heerenveen are looking like a side that could be very exciting to watch. Llanez should fit right in with a club that has young attacking talent. If he can deliver a consistent goal-scoring and assist record it could result in appearances for Wolfsburg in the future.