While no US players in LaLiga have yet made it to the 100 appearance mark, a number have crossed the Atlantic in recent years to ply their trade in the Spanish top flight.
Officially there have only been 10 players from the United States to have featured in LaLiga. However, that doesn’t include the likes of Julian Araujo who chose to play his international football for Mexico, nor New Jersey born Giuseppe Rossi, who made 171 appearances in the Primera Division for Villarreal, Celta Vigo and Levante, but represented Italy.
Former Espanyol player Luca Koleosho could also be added to this list, should he elect to play for the country of his birth at senior level, but he is currently progressing through the Italian youth ranks.
American players in LaLiga – Ranked by total appearances
| Player | Club | Appearances |
| Yunus Musa | Valencia | 94 |
| Luca de la Torre | Celta Vigo | 59 |
| Kasey Keller | Rayo Vallecano | 51 |
| Sergiño Dest | Barcelona | 51 |
| Johnny Cardoso | Real Betis | 26 |
| Matt Miazga | Alaves | 11 |
| Jozy Altidore | Villarreal | 9 |
| Shaq Moore | Levante | 6 |
| Matthew Hoppe | Mallorca | 5 |
| Oguchi Onyewu | Malaga | 2 |
1. Yunus Musah
- Club: Valencia
- Appearances: 94
- Active: 2020-2023
The American player to have made the most appearances in LaLiga is Yunus Musah with 94. Despite being largely raised in London and representing England at youth level, the midfielder was born in New York and has already won more than 40 caps for the United States.
Musah was just 17 when he made his LaLiga debut for Valencia in the derby against city rivals Levante in September 2020. He became Los Che’s youngest ever foreign goalscorer shortly after that and impressed with his energetic performances in the middle of the park, during a difficult period for one of Spain’s sleeping giants.
The tendency of Valencia’s owners to cash in on young assets meant it was always likely that he’d be sold at some point, and Musah completed a €21.7m transfer to Milan in the summer of 2023.
2. Luca de la Torre
- Club: Celta Vigo
- Appearances: 59
- Active: 2022-
Of the USMNT players currently active in LaLiga, none have made more appearances than Luca de la Torre. The San Diego born midfielder joined Celta Vigo on a four-year deal in 2022 and has tended to come in and out of the side since then.
De la Torre struck his first LaLiga goal against Osasuna in February 2024, but has endured an injury ravaged time since then. If he can overcome those issues, De la Torre will be hoping to play his part in Claudio Giraldez’s exciting young Celta side as he bids to chase down Musah to become the US player with the most LaLiga appearances.
3. Kasey Keller
- Club: Rayo Vallecano
- Appearances: 51
- Active: 1999-2001
Kasey Keller broke new ground in the late 1990s at a time when it was pretty rare to see American players in Europe, although the country was already starting to build a reputation for goalkeeping talent.
While other Americans had already featured in the lower leagues in Spain, Keller is thought to be the first ever to appear in the Primera Division. He started the majority of Rayo Vallecano’s games during a two-year stay in the Spanish capital, helping the newly promoted side to an impressive 9th place finish in his first season. Only once have Rayo finished higher up in the top tier.
4. Sergiño Dest
- Club: Barcelona
- Appearances: 51
- Active: 2020-2022
Level with Keller on 51 appearances is Sergiño Dest who became the first American to ever play for Barcelona or feature in El Clasico.
Dest’s spell in Catalonia came during a tough time for the club though and he struggled to make sufficient enough of an impact to suggest he’d have a long-term future as Barca’s right-back. Loan moves to Milan and PSV followed, and he completed a permanent switch to the Dutch club in the summer of 2024, despite having recently suffered an ACL injury.
5. Johnny Cardoso
- Club: Real Betis
- Appearances: 26
- Active: 2024-
It’s perhaps testament to the limited American involvement in LaLiga that Johnny Cardoso, a player who only moved to Spain in 2024, is already fifth on the all-time appearance list.
Cardoso’s path has been far from typical. Born in New Jersey to Brazilian parents, he was just months old when he moved to Brazil and it was with Internacional in Porto Alegre with whom he made his big breakthrough in senior football.
The midfielder opted to represent the United States at international level though and he has been a big hit in Seville so far, impressing many with his composed play in the centre of the park.
Current US players in LaLiga
Currently, Luca de la Torre and Johnny Cardoso are the only American players in LaLiga, at least in terms of those who have chosen to represent the United States at international level.
Barcelona’s 18-year-old keeper Diego Kochen has also recently received an international call-up for the USA. However, he is currently with the Barca B team in the Spanish third tier and is yet to feature in LaLiga.
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