AC Milan have a pair of CONCACAF stars, but there's a long list of U.S.-Mexico tandems who have starred at the club level
The moment Santi Gimenez's goal hit the back of the net, social media went into a frenzy. Not only had he just scored his first Milan goal, but the assist came from none other than Christian Pulisic. North America's fiercest rivalry had made its way to one of the biggest clubs in the world, and the U.S. men's national team and Mexico's most discussed players were thriving alongside one another.
The social fun started immediately. Was this an olive branch between the two teams? How would this impact March's CONCACAF Nations League? Could these two unite the American and Mexican fanbases behind one Milan banner?
Jokes aside, it was a cool moment, one that had both American and Mexican fans excited about the futures of their stars. Pulisic has been thriving with Milan, playing the best soccer of his career. Mexico fans will hope Gimenez can get there, too, after seeing him dominate the Eredivisie. Maybe the two can work together to reach a new level. Maybe this is the start of a wonderful partnership.
That said, it's not the first time American and Mexican stars have played together on the club level in Europe. It hasn't been common, but there have been plenty of cases of the two countries uniting through players in top leagues.
GOAL takes a look at some of the most notable U.S.-Mexico tandems in Europe.
Getty ImagesPSV: Ricardo Pepi, Sergio Dest, Richy Ledezma, Malik Tillman and Hirving Lozano
You can take your pick of combinations here, as PSV has established itself as a home for both USMNT and Mexican stars.
Most recently, Hirving Lozano played alongside Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest and Malik Tillman for an extended period of time before making his move to San Diego FC ahead of the 2025 MLS season. The partnership was good, although it is often defined by one negative moment in which Lozano went go toe-to-toe with Pepi for the right to take a penalty. Even so, you can't boil their time as teammates down to that one moment, as PSV ran rampant through the Eredivisie during the season-and-a-half that group was together, winning the league in 2023-24.
Of the Americans at PSV, Ledezma was the first to arrive, and he's been there long enough to play with another American. PSV was also home to midfielder Erick Gutierrez from 2018-2023, so he overlapped with Ledezma's arrival back in 2019. The young midfielder-turned-right-back was largely with Jong PSV during the Mexican midfielder's stint, although he did make several appearances for the first team before Gutierrez headed back to Liga MX.
AdvertisementAFPAjax: Sergino Dest and Edson Alvarez
Dest also had a breakout 2019-20 season with Ajax. The run lifted him to prominence with the U.S. as well as on the club level, earning his move to Barcelona. He often lined up alongside one of Mexico's biggest stars in both the Eredivisie and Champions League.
Dest made 35 appearances in all competitions for Ajax that season, and Mexico star Edson Alvarez made 23 in what was his first season in Europe. He went on to become an Ajax regular over the next few seasons before making a big-money move to the Premier League in 2023.
Ajax were on atop the Eredivisie that season, fighting with AZ for a league title, but their hopes of claiming that trophy were dashed after the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dest was off to Barcelona that October, ending any chance of him and Alvarez achieving glory together in Amsterdam.
Dest and Alvarez have faced off on big stages at the international level, but their true rise began together in the Netherlands while playing for one of the world's best talent developers.
Getty Images SportFulham: Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream and Raul Jimenez
This one is still going strong, with Robinson and Jimenez arguably Fulham's two best players right now in the Premier League. Robinson is second in the league in assists, trailing only Mohammed Salah of Liverpool, while Jimenez is cruising as the club's leading scorer with 11 goals in all competitions, including nine in the Premier League.
Fulham are eighth in the Premier League and pushing for a European berth; if they get there, it will be Robinson and Jimenez who they can thank. Those two weren't alone, though, as they said goodbye to another longtime Fulham star, Tim Ream, last summer. Jimenez arrived in 2023, catching the tail end of Ream's extended stay with Fulham. The American defender played at Craven Cottage from 2015-2024, seemingly getting better every year before making the call to head home and join Charlotte FC.
For years, Fulham has been referred to as "Fulhamerica" due to the club's willingness to welcome U.S. internationals with open arms. That welcome extends to players from Mexico, too, with Jimenez just the latest example.
Getty Images SportFulham: Clint Dempsey and Carlos Salcido
Dempsey is as competitive as it gets. He always meant business on the field, particularly against Mexico. However, when going toe-to-toe with Carlos Salcido, Dempsey always had a little bit of a smile on his face.
The two were teammates at Fulham were teammates at Fulham for one full season, with Salcido even assisting Dempsey for several goals during their time at Craven Cottage. Their time together coincided with the best version we saw of Dempsey in Europe, as the American star scoring 36 of his 60 Fulham goals over his final two seasons with the club before heading to Tottenham.
Salcido, who coincidentally also played for PSV, made 23 appearances in his debut season before heading to Tigres on loan, ultimately heading back to Liga MX permanently shortly after.
Even when the USMNT-Mexico rivalry was at its fiercest, the two remained friends while starring on either side of North America's biggest battles.
