Jack Maher

He came up through Saint Louis FC's youth setup, made 13 appearances at the under-23 level, then broke into the first team, though only for two matches.

That stage paid off. Maher's performances at college level earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Year honours and a place on TopDrawerSoccer's Best XI for newcomers. Nashville SC took him with the second overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft as part of the Generation Adidas programme.

The path to regular first-team football wasn't immediate. Nashville sent him out on loan twice, first to Charlotte Independence, where he played a single match, then to San Diego Loyal, where he featured five times. Both spells were brief, but they gave him minutes away from a settled Nashville defence.

Once established at Nashville, Maher built up a steady run in the side, passing 110 MLS appearances with five goals to his name.

Maher's international experience has stayed at youth level, with call-ups to the United States under-18 side, and he has not featured for the senior national team.