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Arsenal → Marouane Chamakh
Let’s ignore his horrible hair. Chamakh marked his debut season in England with seven league goals but found the back of the net just once the following season. He subsequently joined West Ham for a short loan spell before a permanent transfer to Crystal Palace, where he lasted three years and scored seven more league goals in that time. Prolific. The Morocco international was released from Palace in 2016, and moved to Cardiff City where he made two appearances with the Welsh club before a swift release. The Bluebirds proved to be the last club for the target man as he spent two years as a free agent before a 2019 retirement.
Aston Villa → Stephen Ireland
Heavily hyped at Manchester City as a youngster, Ireland switched to Aston Villa with James Milner moving in the other direction to the Citizens. Ireland failed to recapture his form in the Midlands and later in an incendiary interview with a French publication, apparently called Birmingham a ‘crap city’. A loan spell at Newcastle brought more personal issues and Ireland eventually made 47 league appearances in three seasons for Aston Villa. He later joined former boss Mark Hughes at Stoke but the heights of Man City still continued to elude him with less than 60 Premier League games in five years hit with injuries. Released by the Potters after their 2018 demotion, Ireland would move to cash-strapped Bolton Wanders only to leave after two months and zero appearances. He’s still without a club after two years – oh, and apparently lives next to Bruno Fernandes. Fun.
Brighton → Matt Sparrow
Sparrow became a Gull when he joined the League 1 side after a remarkable 396 appearances for Scunthorpe. The midfielder would later find the grass isn't always greener and suffered a frustrating time in the south, later departing Gus Poyet's team for Crawley Town in 2013. Sparrow returned to Scunthorpe for two seasons but after a few more spells with Football League sides, now plies his trade in Australia with semi-professional club Bayswater City at the age of 38. It's his third Aussie team after time at Sorrento and Joondalup United. Australia, probably much sunnier than Lincolnshire.
Burnley → Dean Marney
A hard-working midfielder, Spurs academy graduate Marney found the perfect home at Burnley with eight seasons in Lancashire. Marney would win promotion to the Premier League twice with the Clarets and made 202 league appearances in his time there. Unfortunately he failed to make the pitch in his final season at the club due to a significant cruciate knee injury, and was released in 2018. Marney later joined Fleetwood Town, managed by Joey Barton, and was eventually axed by the club at the end of the 2019/20 season after two years there.
Chelsea → Yossi Benayoun
A creative runner in midfield, the Israel international moved to the Blues after three years with Liverpool. It proved to be a disastrous move as Benayoun suffered a ruptured achillies in September 2010 that saw him out for six months. Under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, the player was deemed surplus to requirements and so moved to Arsenal for a season-long loan. In all competitions, Benayoun returned a modest six goals in 25 appearances. He turned out to be quite the lover of London clubs with further spells at West Ham (a former club) and QPR (once Chelsea had released him). Israel’s most capped player returned to his country in 2014 with Maccabi Haifa and finished his career at Beitar Jerusalem, where he seems to be a Sporting Director behind the scenes.
Crystal Palace → David Wright
Joining Palace as a 30 year old, the defender featured 57 times for the Eagles while also spending time on loan to Gillingham. Wright dropped down to League 1 with a free transfer to Colchester, and played 52 games there in two full seasons (and a few months into the third). The ex-Wigan Athletic man additionally took on non-playing roles while at Colchester, and since retirement currently acts as the head coach for the Norwich City U23s. It’s a living.
Everton → Jermaine Beckford
A hitman of a striker at Leeds (including a famous Manchester United sinker in the FA Cup), Beckford moved to the Toffees on a free transfer. Beckford returned eight league goals in his debut Premier League season but after just 35 league appearances for Everton, the striker was sold to Leicester City in the Championship. Beckford would never return to the top division in his career that saw spells at Huddersfield and Bolton before returning his best form at Preston North End with 18 goals in his debut season, three of which came in the League 1 Play-Off Final. Born in London though capped by Jamaica, the striker spent two more seasons in Lancashire before his career ended at now-defunct Bury. Known for something of a part-swaggering, part-twat attitude in his playing career, Beckford seems to have calmed down with pundit work for Sky Sports.
Fulham → Philippe Senderos
The Swiss defender signed for the Cottagers on a free transfer and in four years, returned 57 league appearances. Somehow the centre-back even managed a loan switch to Valencia, and then later moved to Aston Villa in 2014, the same year he appeared in his third World Cup. Senderos mustered only eight appearances in the Midlands before moves to Grasshoppers and Glasgow Rangers, where he was sent-off in his debut – an Old Firm clash with Celtic. Big, bald and bad (in the classic hard-man centre-back style), the former Arsenal man secured a move to Houston Dynamo in 2017 and managed to score four times in ten appearances. Fair play. He announced his retirement in December 2019 after a short spell at Swiss club Chiasso.
Leicester → Tom Kennedy
Nephew of former Liverpool man Alan Kennedy, the defender joined the then-Championship side from Rochdale. Kennedy terminated his contract with the Foxes two years later after a handful of appearances before joining Barnsley and marking a later return to Rochdale. Like a Football League journeyman, Kennedy also appeared for ex-side Bury and Blackpool on loan then dropped into the non-league with AFC Fylde in 2016. He ended his career after a stint with Welsh club Bangor in 2018. Since hanging up his boots, Kennedy now acts as a financial planner for footballers and the general public. In an interview with the Professional Footballers’ Association, Kennedy has stressed the importance of a pension to all those who have laced up the boots.
Leeds → Kasper Schmeichel
Remember when Notts County were bankrolled by a consortium from the Middle East? Well, all that turned out to be incredibly dodgy and the Danish keeper fled the promoted League 2 team after not being paid much of his £15,000 a week salary. Leeds did not prove to be much of a sanctuary as Schemichel admitted he regretted his move to the club after a few weeks, blaming a negative reaction from the fans towards his family’s link to Manchester United. Following 37 appearances in a single season at Leeds, the Foxes followed and ‘tumultuous’ was the word to describe the keeper’s move to Leicester as apparently Leeds chairman Ken Bates approved the transfer without the knowledge of Schmeichel. Nonetheless it worked out as Kasper continues to be the starting Leicester keeper after ten seasons and even appeared in every league game as the Foxes won a historic Premier League title against the odds in 2016.
Liverpool → Jonjo Shelvey
A fiery (or, a bit of a twat) midfielder with an eye for a Hollywood pass, Shelvey was 18 years old when Rafa Benitez snapped him up from Charlton for an initial £1.7 million. The Spaniard soon departed from Anfield and subsequently Shelvey experienced Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers in three years. The England international (I know, right?) made 47 league appearances with the Reds but only 17 of those were starts. In 2013, Shelvey transferred to Europa League side Swansea and in three years, Shelvey made 79 league appearances and 10 goals. His most famous performance was perhaps contributing at both ends to all four goals in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool. Poor form ended his time in South Wales and two days after an angry confrontation with a Swansea fan, Shelvey joined Newcastle United in January 2016, where he remains today. Last season equalled his best return of league goals by scoring in the Premier League six times.
Manchester City → Alex Henshall
Sought after by Liverpool and Manchester United, Swindon boy Alex Henshall signed for Man City aged 16. The winger played alongside Raheem Sterling in various English youth sides but their careers took completely different paths as Henshall subsequently bounced around the Football League on numerous loans before a free transfer to Ipswich in 2014. And uh, then came (deep breath): Blackpool, Kilmarnock, Margate, Braintree, Nuneaton (Town and then Borough), Darlington and then finally back in Wiltshire with amateurs Swindon Supermarine ten years on. That’s a depressing route, town-wise.
Manchester United → Javier Hernandez, Chris Smalling, Marnick Vermijl
The joys of three pre-arranged transfers.
Mexico’s ‘Little Pea’ enjoyed an impressive debut season under Sir Alex Ferguson with 13 league goals as the Red Devils won the Premier League and appeared unsuccessfully in the Champions League Final. Ferguson’s retirement led to his game time and goals dry up under David Moyes, and boss Louis Van Gaal hooked him to Real Madrid for a loan move abroad, having preferred the arriving Falcao. The poacher scored seven times with the Spanish giants but found his continental scoring touch with a later move to Bayer Leverkusen. Indeed, Hernandez returned 28 Bundesliga goals in just two seasons. He returned to England with West Ham United in 2017 yet never rekindled his old form in Britain and joined Sevilla after a transfer request two years later. Hernandez now features for LA Galaxy at the age of 32.
Despite nine years of service and two Premier League titles, Chris Smalling never earned huge amounts of praise at Old Trafford since his transfer from Fulham. Capped 31 times by England, Smalling appeared under the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho only to find himself out of favour with Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. The centre-back became one of the few modern-day Englishmen to play abroad last season with a loan move to AS Roma and a successful season in Italy saw his time in the capital made permanent just a few days ago for an initial £13.6 million fee. Smalling ultimately made 323 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United.
Belgian fullback Vermijl made his debut for Manchester United with a League Cup appearance in 2012 but failed to make a senior league appearance. The fullback found first team football at Dutch club NEC on loan, and signed permanently with Sheffield Wednesday in 2015 in search of more game time. He managed just 11 league appearances with the Owls, and the defender has told of his regret at leaving United so early. Vermijl made appearances at Preston North End, Scunthorpe and native side MVV Maastricht before ending up recently with K.V.V. Thes Sport Tessenderlo in the third-tier of Belgian football.
Newcastle United → James Perch
Having initially transferred from Nottingham Forest, the versatile defendemidfielder made 65 Premier League appearances for the Magpies in three years. Perch dropped down to the Championship with a 2013 move to FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic and became a fixture in the club’s line-up, earning the team’s Player of the Season award in back-to-back seasons with an impressive 81 appearances in that time. He would later ply his trade at QPR but was released as a 32 year old in 2018 after three years in London. Perch completed a move to third-tier Scunthorpe and 71 league appearances there was not enough to prevent his release due to Coronavirus-related cutbacks. He subsequently signed a one-year deal with home town team Mansfield in League 2.
Sheffield United → Daniel Bogdanovic
The Maltese striker (who was apparently born in either Libya or Serbia, depending on your source…) bagged 14 goals for Barnsley but moved across Yorkshire to the Blades on a free transfer. He notched five goals in a single season with then-Championship side Sheffield United and subsequently joined Blackpool, of which Malta cannot compare to. Loan spells at Rochdale and Notts County followed without much joy, and Bogdanovic returned to Malta to play for a selection of Maltese clubs. He finished at the wonderfully-named Xewkija Tigers a few years prior to becoming manager of Ghajniselem FC in the same country.
Southampton → Ryan Dickson
Impressive at Brentford, midfielder Dickson moved to third-tier opposition Southampton for an initial £125,000 fee. He endured a season of seemingly poor displays in spite of the Saints winning promotion back to the Championship and an injury-ridden time on the south coast saw him sent to Yeovil, Leyton Orient and Bradford City in search of game time and fitness. Dickson joined Colchester in 2013 after being released by Southampton and found more football than ever there, with the same experience at Crawley and Yeovil (permanently, this time). The former Plymouth talent would return to Devon with Torquay in 2018, although after a loan spell and a free transfer, now plays football for Truro City. Based in the only city Cornwall has to offer, the club feature in the seventh-tier of the English pyramid.
Tottenham → William Gallas
Despite a summer in which Gallas and the French national team dramatically crashed out of the World Cup, the centre-back was picked up by Harry Redknapp to become the first player to ever feature for London rivals Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs. He even made quite the stir as he captained Tottenham in a North London Derby! Gallas enjoyed a good first season with Spurs but knocks and a tense relationship with Harry’s successor Andre Villas-Boas marred the rest of his time at the club. Ultimately Gallas still made 61 league appearances in three seasons. The two-time Premier League winner ended his career with Perth Glory after a single season in Australia.
West Bromwich Albion → Gabriel Tamaș
The Romanian centre-back made a permanent move to the Hawthorns in May 2010 after a five-month loan spell. He made 45 appearances (starting from June 2010) in three years before returning to Romania with CFR Cluj, only to be released from his contract without playing for uh, alcohol-related incidents. Unfortunately, this would become a running theme for the defender. Following spells with Doncaster, Watford, a couple more Romanian clubs and an Israeli side, Tamas plays for second-division side Universitatea Cluj at the age of 36.
West Ham → Thomas Hitzlsperger
A German international, the midfielder nicknamed ‘Der Hammer’ by Villa fans made a fitting move to east London. Despite his transfer the former Lazio man did not feature until February 2011 due to injuries. Hitzlsperger mustered 13 appearances in all competitions as the side dropped down to the Championship, and his contract was terminated despite years remaining. He made a handful of games at Wolfsburg and Everton before hanging up his boots due to reoccurring knocks. In his post-career, the former Villa man made headlines as he became perhaps the most notable player to come out as gay. Currently, Hitzlsperger sits as a Sporting Director at VFB Stuttgart, the same side he won the Bundesliga with in 2007.
Wolves→ Jelle Van Damme
Capped 31 times by Belgium, the defender signed a three-year deal with the Black Country club only to force a move back to his country in the winter window with six appearances (and a goal!) to his name. Van Damme spent five years with Standard Liege, impressed with LA Galaxy for two seasons before wrapping up his career with Royal Antwerp and Lokeren, his fifth Belgian team, last season.

Guess who's been Ultra-Instinct levels of bored? Me. Guess who skimmed every club's Wikipedia article, cross-referenced with Transfermarkt, and curated a spreadsheet of player nationalities by club? Also me.
Disclaimer: This post is really, really long. If you don't want to appreciate my hours upon hours of research, spread over a week as I slaved away over a hot keyboard, turn back now.
Methodology: Basically I used the Wiki entries for nationality, which uses FIFA international allegiance, or place of birth for those without a call-up. Derived statistics include the total number of players across the 35 clubs, the total number of clubs that employ players of that nationality, and the total number of different nationalities at each club. I did not include players at 2-teams who are under contract with the MLS parent organization. I did, however, include academy signings. (Correct as of 7/24)

• The club with the most distinct nationalities is El Paso Locomotive, with 15. They also have the fewest American players, at 5. Their roster includes 5 Americans, 3 Englishmen, 2 Mexicans, and 1 each: Canadian, Jamaican, Brazilian, Irish, Scottish, Cameroonian, Colombian, Spaniard, DR-Congolese, Haitian, Dutch, and Belgian.
  
• In the reverse, the least-diverse (in terms of nationality) is LA Galaxy Jr. with just 5 nations represented. 20 Americans, 2 Mexicans, and 1 each Ghanaian, Liberian, and Sierra-Leonean.
  
• El Paso, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay each have 12 nations represented by just 1 player in their squad, more than any other teams. These aren't necessarily the only players of their nation in the league, but speaking of which...
  
• No less than 37 nations have just one player across all 35 USLC clubs. That means that ~44%, or almost half the nations represented, have just 1 player. The next 37 nations, which range from 2 to 8 players, represent 154 individuals.
  

The remainder of the post will highlight these 37 players who are either the only players in the USLC from their respective countries, or the only ones who play for that country, due to FIFA eligibility rules. A player could theoretically be eligible to play for 8 different national teams, if: all 4 grandparents, both parents, and the player were all born in different countries, and the player has held residency for 5 years after turning 18 in yet another country. But anyway...
Afghanistan: David Najem (New Mexico Utd.)

• Originally from New Jersey, Najem only recently debuted for Afghanistan, so far making 3 appearances. He and his brother Adam are eligible through their father. Both David and Adam played in the USLC last season, but with the latter's move to the Polish league, David is the only Afghan international in the league.

Albania: Vangjel Zguro (FC Tulsa)

• Hailing from the city of Pogradec, Tulsa's left wing-back (?) started at his hometown club, followed by several short stints at other domestic teams. He first moved abroad in 2019 with USL1's Chattanooga Red Wolves; he has yet to debut for his current side, or his national team.

Andorra: Joan Cervós (Colorado Springs Switchbacks)

• Though I haven't checked exhaustively, I suspect that Colorado Springs' left-back is the first Andorran player for a professional U.S. team. Even if he's not, he's almost certainly the first Andorran goalscorer in professional American soccer. He received his first international call-up in 2018, becoming first-choice and taking part in 16 of 19 games since then for the small Iberian nation.

Austria: Daniel Fischer (Saint Louis FC)

• The young left-back came up through the youth system of Austrian side SKN St. Polten, he played college ball for Young Harris in Georgia, spending a summer with Cincinnati Dutch Lions in the PDL. At 23 years of age, he's yet to appear for his current club.

Azerbaijan: Rufat Dadaşov (Phoenix Rising)

• The only current player from the countries in the Caucusus, Dadaşov spent his entire career around the German lower leagues, before moving to Phoenix before this season. He made an impact immediately, netting a hat trick in their first game of the season and assisting one against OCSC. He's also played 24 matches for his country, netting 5 goals (all against red-and-white flags: Qatar, 2 vs Malta, Northern Ireland, and Bahrain).

Belgium: Chiró N'Toko (El Paso Locomotive)

• Though born in Kinshasa, Zaire, N'Toko holds Belgian citizenship, the only such individual in the USLC. The 32-year-old moved to El Paso for the 2019 season, and has become club captain. Most of his career has been in the Netherlands, with short stints in his home Belgium, England, and Slovenia.

Bermuda: Zeiko Lewis (Charleston Battery)

• Though not technically an independent country, Bermuda is a full member of FIFA, and Battery forward Zeiko Lewis is the only of that island currently in the USLC. A USL veteran, Lewis played for the Bermuda Hogges, Real Boston Rams, and Energy Drink Jr. before spending the 2018 season in Iceland, returning to the league with Charleston in 2019. A senior international, he has 26 caps and 9 goals to date, including a hat trick against Dutch possession Sint Maarten.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Robert Kristo (North Carolina)

• Born in Bosnia but raised in St. Louis, Robert Kristo translated a successful collegiate career into spells in the Italian Serie C and the 3. Bundesliga. Joining the artist formerly known as the RailHawks, he's scored 12 in 30 since the start of 2019. He hasn't been called up to the national team to date.

Bulgaria: Vilyan Bijev (Sacramento Republic)

• The Bulgarian midfielder, raised in California, has had something of a journeyman career. With youth spells at California Odyssey and Liverpool, he spent time on loan in Germany and Norway. He spent time back in Bulgaria, moving to Portland Timbers Jr., but he's spent more time at Republic than any previous team. Eligible through his residence, he's capped at youth levels for both the United States and Bulgaria, but is yet to make a senior appearance for either.

Burundi: Chancel Ndaye (Las Vegas Lights)

• Born in Bujumbura, the 21-year-old right-sided defender moved to Las Vegas before the start of the season from the Czech Republic. Despite his age, he debuted for his nation at the Under-20 level at 17, and the senior level aged 19. His caps are in the U-20 AFCON, senior CECAFA Cup, and a friendly against Djibouti.

Cabo Verde: Steevan Dos Santos (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)

• The Cape Verdean striker joined Pittsburgh ahead of the previous season, where he played nearly every game, scoring 10 and assisting 6 as they won their conference. The 30-year-old had a diverse career before coming stateside. Starting off at hometown club CS Mindelese, he spent a spell in Norway with Ull/Kisa before 2 seasons with Angolan side Progresso. He played briefly for Rochester Rhinos and Ottawa Fury, before becoming a key player at his current club.

Congo: Brunallergene Etou (Charlotte Independence)

• Though born in Brazzaville, defensive midfielder Etou began his career in France, playing for lower-league sides Drancy, Le Havre Reserves, and Mont d'Or before "going pro" with Ligue 2 side Béziers. He joined Charlotte ahead of this season, and made his debut in their opening win against Sporting Kansas City Jr. Aged 26, he has yet to break into his national team.

Côte d'Ivoire: Jean-Christophe Koffi (Memphis 901)

• The young midfielder hails from Côte d'Ivoire's capital city, Abidjan. After moving to the U.S. in childhood, he spent time in D.C. United's youth setup, before a collegiate career at University of Virginia. He joined Energy Drink Jr. for last season, starting 26 of his 27 appearances, before joining Memphis ahead of this season. He is not capped internationally at any level, but could potentially play for either his birth nation or the U.S.

Curaçao: Ayrton Statie (Reno 1868)

• Born in the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, the left-back plays internationally for Curaçao. I couldn't specifically find information regarding his eligibility; Bonaire is a municipality of the Netherlands, which is a constituent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands along with Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. Bonaire has a team, but it isn't a FIFA member. It's confusing. Nonetheless, after playing in the Dutch second division and briefly in Azerbaijan, Reno brought him in for the 2020 season. He has yet to appear for the Nevadan team.

Dominican Republic: Rafael Díaz (Sacramento Republic)

• Backup goalkeeper for Sacramento Republic, Rafael Díaz has spent his entire career in the lower leagues of American soccer. From the PDL and NPSA, he moved to Energy Drink Jr., playing 21 times in the league across 3 seasons. Since joining Sacramento in 2018, he's played 8 times across all competitions. Uncapped internationally, he's nearly a decade younger than his nation's first two choices, so there's still hope!

French Guiana: Thomas Vancaeyezeele (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)

• Born in Caen in France, Vancaeyezeele spent his youth career with his hometown club, having short spells at lower-league French and Spanish sides before attending the University of Charleston. He played for the now-defunct Florida Adrenaline, and Mississippi Brilla, before joining Pittsburgh following a trial spell. Internationally, he represents French Guiana, eligible through his grandparents. Though they aren't a FIFA member as a department of France, they participate in CONCACAF competitions, and he's played in the Nations League.

Grenada: Arthur Paterson (Charleston Battery)

• A Florida native, Paterson played for Wright State in Ohio, he was passed up by NYCFC and landed at Bethlehem Steel, where he played a single match in 2018. At Charleston ever since, he was an important part of their 2019 playoff push at left-back, scoring 4 and assisting 2 in 23 matches across all competitions. Eligible through his father, Paterson has 9 caps for Grenada, with 4 goals in Nations League play. In his last match against Belize, he ran out as captain.

Italy: Daniele Proch (North Carolina)

• Somehow, Daniele Proch is the only USLC representative from the great footballing nation of Italy. Coming up through academy systems in the north of his home country, he spent time at Serie D side Dro before playing at Catawba and Duke in the U.S. Signing with NCFC ahead of this season, it's his first fully professional contract. The forward debuted in the season opener, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute.

Lesotho: Napo Matsoso (Louisville City)

• Originally from Maseru, capital of the small southern African enclaved nation, the 26-year-old midfielder attended and played for University of Kentucky in Lexington. Spending a few summers on loan at Derby City Rovers and Reading United, he was a draft pick for New England Revolution, though he never appeared for the senior team. Joining Lou City from Mississippi Brilla in 2018, he's since appeared 29 times in all competitions, scoring 5 in the USLC. For his nation he's played twice, though not since 2017; Lesotho mainly draws from their domestic league and their neighbor, South Africa.

Malawi: Yamikani Chester (Las Vegas Lights)

• 25-year-old striker Yamikani Chester played for domestic clubs Tigers and Mighty Wanderers, he signed with Czech side Vyskov, immediately taking a loan spell at North Carolina FC for 2019. At the end of that campaign he signed for LV Lights. To date, he's only made one appearance for the Vegas side, an 86th minute sub in a 2-1 loss to San Diego. He has 10 caps for his national side, but he's been limited to qualification tournaments, as Malawi rarely competes outside regional cups.

Mauritius: Ashley Nazira (San Diego Loyal)

• Starting out at domestic club Boulet Rouge, he led the league in scoring four of his five seasons. He signed with San Diego ahead of their inaugural season, uniquely becoming the first Mauritian professional in American soccer. However, he has yet to appear for Donovan's side, making the squad just once as an unused substitute. He debuted for the island nation in 2015 aged 20, and has appeared in 16 matches with 7 goals since.

Montenegro: Emrah Klimenta (San Diego Loyal)

• Montenegrin utility defender Emrah Klimenta was born in Yugoslavia, but is eligible for the modern nation as the successor of the former federal state. Having grown up in the United States, he came through the youth systems of Slovakian side Zilina and FC Ingolstadt of Germany. His entire senior career has been in California, except a brief stint at Reno. From the now-defunct NPSL Bay Area Ambassadors, he found success at Sacramento Republic from 2014 to 2017. After a brief spell at LA Galaxy, he moved back to Sac for the rest of 2018, before helping Reno in their playoff push in 2019. After debuting in 2016, he's racked up 7 caps for his nation.

Morocco: Younes Boudadi (Reno 1868)

• Born in Ypres, Belgium, Boudadi came up through the youth teams of Bruges before moving stateside for the college game. Spending 2 years each at Boston College and Creighton, he spent summers playing with PDL side Boston Bolts, and NPSL team Laredo Heat. Eligible through heritage (I couldn't find a good source), he's represented Morocco at Under-17 and Under-20 youth levels, most prominently in their appearance at the 2013 U-17 World Cup, helping them win their group before exiting in the round of 16.

Niger: Abdoul Kairou Amoustapha (Loudoun United)

• Aged just 19, the Nigerien forward joined the DC United reserves earlier this year from Niamey club ASN Nigelec. I can barely find any information on this player, but he hasn't made the matchday squad in either of their games this season. He has, however, made appearances for Niger at Under-17, -20, and -23 levels. He was in the squad for their appearance at the 2017 U-17 World Cup in India. He featured as a substitute in a 4-0 group loss to Spain and started a 2-0 loss to Brazil. Advancing on third-place ranking, he was an unused sub in a round of 16 loss to Ghana.

North Macedonia: Xhelil Asani (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)

• Though just 24 years of age, left-wingback Asani has built a diverse CV of clubs. Brief stints in lower-league Macedonian teams Napredok, Vellazerimi 77, Bylis Barish, and Metalurg Skopje preceded his first move abroad to Maltese top-flight Pembroke Athleta in 2016, and again to Torpedo Bel-AZ Zhodino in Belarus before returning to his home country with Shkendija. As if that weren't enough, he played briefly at Mash'al Mubarak in Uzbekistan, Mladost Doboj Kakanj in Bosnia, and SKA Khabarovsk in the ass-end of Russia before finally joining the Pittsburgh team before this season. He's made the bench 4 times, but has yet to debut. I'm exhausted after writing that.

Palestine: Nazmi Albadawi (North Carolina)

• Born in Raleigh, he played for North Carolina schools Wake Tech and NC State, spending summers with the RailHawks' U-23 side. He moved up to the senior team in 2014, appearing over 100 times in all competitions before a move to FC Cincinnati ahead of their final USL season. Scoring 11 in 31 from attacking midfield, he stayed with the Ohioans in their MLS expansion, though he was loaned back to NCFC after one MLS appearance. He made his return permanent before this season, and has captained one of his two appearances this season. Eligible for Palestine through his parents, he's played for the west Asian team 9 times, scoring the winner against Pakistan on his debut.

Paraguay: Erik Lopez (Atlanta United Jr.)

• On loan from his hometown Club Olimpia, the 18-year-old striker joined the Atlanta reserves on loan just earlier this month, and is set for a permanent move in 2021. He has yet to appear for the club, though in 2019 he appeared 16 times for Olimpia, scoring 4 in the league. He's already played for Paraguay at the Under-23 level, featuring in 2 losses during CONMEBOL Olympic qualification.

Philippines: Niko de Vera (Portland Timbers Jr.)

• Born in Washington state, young left-back Niko de Vera spent time in the Portland Timbers youth setup before playing 60 games over 3 years at University of Akron. Playing with the Timbers' U-23 team in the PDL, after college New York Energy Drink drafted him, and he played for their USL reserve team in 2018. He returned to the Timbers organization ahead of the 2019 season, playing for the 2-team ever since. Eligible through his father, he was called up for World Cup qualification in 2019. However, he has yet to debut, making the bench just once, against China.

Poland: Dariusz Formella (Sacramento Republic)

• Hailing from Gdynia on Poland's Baltic coast, left-winger Formella made his professional start at his hometown club, Arka Gdynia in the Ekstraklasa, in the 2012/13 season. He was then employed by Polish giants Lech Poznan from 2013-2018, but with several short loan spells back to Arka, Pogon Szczecin, and Rakow Czestochowa, where he earned valuable playing time. The last of these signed him permanently for 2018/19, but he came stateside and joined Sacramento ahead of 2019. He's played 15 times for them so far, including 2 goals against Tacoma the other week. He's progressed through the Polish national youth levels, appearing for the U-16, -17, -18, -19, -20, and -21 teams. He has yet to make his senior debut.

Russia: Valeri Saramutin (Austin Bold)

• Born in Camden, New Jersey, he's eligible for Russia through his parents. Aged 25, he graduated Dynamo Moscow's youth academy to debut for the senior team, also playing for the reserve team. On Dynamo's books from 2012-2017, he moved to Dynamo St. Petersburg, playing in the Russian second division in 2017/18 before a brief stint with Veles Moscow in the tier below. He's been with the Texan club since their inaugural campaign, playing 30 games in midfield in their playoff push and their Cup run. For Russia, he's appeared at Under-16, -17, -18, and -19 levels.

Rwanda: Abdul Rwatubyaye (Colorado Springs Switchbacks)

• Sandwiched between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of he Congo, the small nation Rwanda only has one player in the USLC. Abdul Rwatubyaye, aged 23, started out in the youth system of Armee Patriotique Rwandaise, one of several major clubs in the capital, Kigali. He made his professional debut at crosstown club Isonga, before moving back to A.P.R., and eventually to Rayon Sports for a season. An MLS prospect, he joined Sporting KC early in 2018, making 2 appearances for the senior team and 1 for the reserves before moving to Colorado mid-season. Since joining the Switchbacks, he's played 25 games at center-back, scoring 4 along the way. Internationally, he's played 25 times, becoming a regular since his debut in 2015.

Serbia: Ilija Ilić (Indy Eleven)

• Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in what's now Serbia, Ilić progressed through the youth teams in his hometown, including a brief loan to third-division side FK Sopot. After a collegiate career at Young Harris, with summer spells at PDL side Ocala Stampede, he joined Louisville City in 2015. He quickly became a regular in attack, with 91 appearances in all competitions from 2015-2018, helping them to two consecutive postseason titles. Joining Indiana's capital team ahead of 2019, he hasn't found the same success, playing just 22 times since. He has not yet been capped by Serbia.

St. Kitts and Nevis: Atiba Harris (Oklahoma City Energy)

• The oldest player on this list, the 35-year-old defender is a veteran of MLS. After brief employment in Spain at the start of his career, he joined Real Salt Lake for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Staying in MLS, he was an important player for several teams in one or two-year spells. After a second spell with FC Dallas, playing 84 league games between 2015-2017, he spent the first half of 2018 at Mexican third-tier side Murcielagos, before joining OKC midway through the season. He's become a key player ever since, becoming club captain in 2019 and appearing in nearly every game for them since. He also captains his national team, appearing dozens (I keep seeing conflicting figures, but at least 41) times since 2003. Notably, he scored a hat-trick in the nation's joint-best-ever result, 10-0 over Saint Martin in the Nations League.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Kyle Edwards (Rio Grande Valley Toros)

• At just 23 years old, the right-sided midfielder has already had a diverse playing career. Starting out at domestic club System 3 aged 16, he moved abroad to Antigua & Barbudan club Grenades from 2015-2017. Concurrent with his college career at Ranger College and UT-RGV in Texas, he played for PDL teams Houston Dutch Lions and Brazos Valley, before signing with RGV Toros ahead of the 2020 season. He's had just 3 of their 5 games this season, but he is a senior international, debuting in 2014, aged 17. He's earned 15 caps, mostly in friendlies, and has yet to score for his nation.

Tanzania: Ally Hamis Ng'anzi (Loudoun Utd.)

• Born in Mwanza and raised in Dar es Salaam, the 19-year-old midfielder signed for DC United's reserves ahead of the current season. He began his career at domestic club Singida United, he signed for Czech third-tier Vyskov in 2018. His first move to American soccer was a loan spell at Minnesota United, who in turn loaned him to USL1's Forward Madison for 2019, where he played a handful of matches. He has yet to play for his current club. He's represented his nation at Under-17 and U-20 levels. He's also trained with the U-23 team, though hasn't appeared at that level yet.

Togo: Shalom Dutey (Charlotte Independence)

• The young left-back is in his first professional contract, after playing college ball with nearby Liberty University. Born to Togolese parents and raised in Charlotte, he spent a spell with USL2 side Charlotte Eagles in the 2019 season. At just 22 years of age, I haven't found much information about him. While he hasn't yet played for his USL team, he's earned several honors in his youth career, including high school All-American, and USL2 Southern Conference Team of the Season.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Billy Forbes (Austin Bold)

• The 29-year-old Turks and Caicos Islander has spent his entire career in the American lower leagues. Coming through Western Texas College and Lubbock Christian University, he played for PDL Mississippi Brilla for a summer after graduation, before moving to now-defunct WV King's Warriors in West Virginia, also of the PDL. He moved to NASL team San Antonio Scorpions for 2014 and 2015, their last two seasons of existence, before moving to Rayo OKC in 2016. He first came to the USL with San Antonio FC in 2017 and 2019, with a season at Phoenix in between. He signed for Austin ahead of this season, making two substitute appearances so far. He debuted for his nation in 2008, appearing 13 times, 8 as captain.

Phew. I started writing this post a week ago today, and a couple players have joined USL clubs since then, but none with unique nationalities. If there's anything to be learned here, it's that A) a lot of these players are defenders, and specifically left-backs for some reason, and B) I should have broken this up into smaller, more manageable pieces. For my next project I'm doing an overview of football in EU overseas territories. Because why not.

See part 1 and part 2 for updates on Jimmer, Jeremy Lin, Psycho T, Greg Monroe, and more.
After graduating from Florida in 2009, Nick Calathes made headlines for skipping out on the NBA entirely in lieu of Euro ball. From 2009 to '13 he spent time with Panathinaikos of the Greek league and Lokomotiv Kuban of the Russian VTB league, before signing with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2014 and earning Rookie of the Month honors filling in for an injured Mike Conley.
However, shortly after he was suspended for 20 games for violating the league's anti-doping program. The substance? Tamoxifen. Calathes appealed, stating that there was no evidence that the Tamoxifen had masked anything, but of course that's the whole point of masking agents. Anyway, he returned to Greece and has spent the last 5 years with Panathinaikos, where he's been really, really solid on both ends, and earned all-EuroLeague selections in both '18 and '19. This past season he averaged a stellar 13p/9a/5r. His notable teammates included Jimmer and Wesley Johnson, and of the three, IMO only Calathes looked like he belonged there during EuroLeague play.
Just days ago Calathes made news for signing with FC Barcelona, which is surprising given what he's walking away from- Panthinaikos had given him a 6.5 million euro extension through 2021. Regardless, he's had a great career and has had possibly the most success outside of any former NBA player in Europe as of late.
After an impressive combine showing that had him being described as a 'smaller Derrick Rose' (44 inch vertical, fastest sprint) Louisville PG Shane Larkin underwhelmed in brief stints with the Mavs, Knicks, and Nets (although it could be argued these teams were not a great fit, and he seemed to be finding his groove while with the Nets) before signing with Baskonia of the Euro League and Liga ACB. Despite a 6 million euro offer in 2017, Larkin left again for the NBA. With the Celtics he averaged 14 minutes and 4.3 ppg on rather subpar shooting splits before returning to Europe, where he has been absolutely killing it with Anadola Efes of the Turkish League/EuroLeague. The reason for this resurgance? He's finally in a pick-n-roll heavy offense (a role he was historically great in while in college). His highlights include BSL league MVP, several single game multiple scoring records, most points in a EuroLeague game (49, against Greg Monroe's FC Bayerne- which isn't terribly surprising, given Bayerne made the choice to run a scrambling zone WITH Monroe on the court) and highest EuroLeague PIR (43) against Fenerbace (whose notable 2020 signing include journeymen Lorenzo Brown and Johnny Hamilton). Larkin is the reigning Turkish league champ and Euro runner-up.
Larkin has previously stated that he prefers Turkey over the US, and this winter he became a Turkish citizen. I doubt we'll see him back in the NBA, athough he certainly belongs.
UT Martin's Lester Hudson has moved around quite a bit the last 12 years, but he's probably still best known for being the first division 1 player to drop a quadruple double (a massive 25p/1210a/10s statline) back in 2008. From 2009 to 2015 Hudson spent time with The Celtics, Maine Red Claws, Memphis Grizzlies, Dakota Wizards, Washington Wizards, Guangdong Southern Tigers, Qingdao DoubleStar, Austin Toros, Cleveland Cavaliers (here he is dropping 26 on the nets), Memphis Grizzlies, Dongguan Leopards, Austin Toros, Xinjiang Flying Tigers, Liaoning Flying Leopards (Here 's a 41 pt game) and Los Angeles Clippers.
In 2015 he re-signed with Liaoning and has been with them since. Don't let the short stints fool you- Hudson has balled out on every (non-nba) team he's played for. Over the last 10 years he's averaged 29/7/5 overseas on ridiculous 46/40/90 shooting splits. Why isn't he in the league? Well, China being China, I should note that even his teammate Brandon Bass has been putting up 23 a game, and Bass is a career 8.7 ppg scorer in the NBA. Nevertheless, I do wonder why Hudson didn't carve out a longer NBA career.
In 2010, after 6 years in the NBA, Travis Diener (Marquette) left the NBA for the Euroleague. He has played on and off since, most recently with Vanola Cremila of the Italian league (2019/2020). If you've been following basketball you probably caught the 38-year-old's million-dollar game winner in last night's 'The Tournament 2020' -it was the only shot he put up the whole game and here's a streamable of it. Speaking of Diener, let's pour one out for that incredible 2003 Marquette team of Dwayne Wade, Steve Novak, and Diener.
While this started out as a comprehensive list, it quickly spiraled into a look at former University of Wisconsin players. Wisconsin is known for turning out role players that excel together but struggle at the next level, but interestingly enough, they've essentially become to overseas bball what Kansas and Kentucky are the NBA: a pipeline. Almost every player who saw any court time in the last 10 years is currently playing overseas. Here's a short list of some of those players:
Nigel Hayes plays for Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, alongside fellow American Zach LeDay (here's LeDay dunking on Greg Monroe). Unlike Leday (20 ppg on 40/50/84) Nigel has struggled a bit, averaging just 6 ppg on so-so splits during the most recent season.
Bronson Koenig spent 3 months with Mornar Bar in Montenegro before being released, then 2 months with Basket Brescia (Italy) before injuries forced him to return to the US. Currently with the Erie Bayhawks.
After being cut from the Bucks, Ben Brust signed with Peino of the Lithuanian league. He, along with teammates Michael Dixon Jr (Missouri) and Alex Oriakhi (Uconn) evidently hated everything about the experience and left after one season. Brust retired after this experience, but Dixon and Oriakhi have both had long Euro careers and through 2019 were both still playing in Europe.
36-year-old Marcus Landry has spent the last 12 years in transition, shuffling between back and forth between 15 teams spread throughout the NBA, D-League, and Europe. He's been a solid contributor throughout his career, with Euro averages of 14/4 on 45/38/75 splits. He is currently with South Korea's Goyan Orions.
Mike Bruesewitz- Very little out there on him, but it looks like he's spent time in Israel, Malta, Slovenia, and Norway.
Jordan Taylor- Italy, Israel, Germany, Turkey, France, and now with Levanga Hoikodo of the Japanese league.
Brian Butch's career has been similar to Landry's, and from 2008-2017 he played for 9 teams, including stints in the Japanese, Filipino, and Puerto Rico leagues.
Kamron Taylor played in Germany, Venezuela, Canada, Turkey, France, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Colombia. Not sure if he's with a team for 2019/2020.
Since being waived from the Bucks in 2012, Alando Tucker has spent time in Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, Slovakia, France, and Israel. He last played in 2018, and once again I'm unsure if he is currently signed anywhere.
After leaving the Rockets in 2010, Trevon Hughes has since played in the Baltic League, Lithuania, Germany and Turkey. Currently he's in Israel, where he dropped 39/7 in his debut. Recently you probably caught him playing for Big X in 'The Tournament.'
Some guys quit ball after their NBA dreams flare out. Others grind it out for years overseas. The difference (and of course this is mostly conjecture): Some players seem to love the NBA, while others simply love playing basketball. It's this latter group that seems to have the successful overseas careers. Granted, it's certainly not easy- I've heard of some of the Russian teams taking 20 hour bus-rides to games, and there are countless example of teams who refuse to pay players their salary or straight up abandon them (see the Marshall Henderson sage), while some black players have faced insane amounts of racism. Then again, play in a place like Barcelona and life is pretty sweet. In my experience, the key comes down to knowing the right agent with the right connections.