The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League league phase wraps up Wednesday, with all 36 teams competing at once in the finale of the opening portion of this year’s new format in the tournament. Eighteen matches will kick off simultaneously at 3 p.m. ET, as the top 24 teams moving onto the next round are finally determined after five months of action.
From a U.S. men’s national team perspective, six teams featuring senior members of the USMNT are in play. Five of the six have already guaranteed their spot in the knockout stage of the competition, while one side, PSV, are fighting for their UCL lives heading into the Group Stage finale.
Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan have already secured a spot in the knockouts after recording five-straight victories after losing their first two matches in the UCL. However, on Wednesday, the Rossoneri are looking to become a member of the top eight; which automatically books their spot into the Round of 16.
Juventus, which rosters Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, Monaco and Folarin Balogun, Gio Reyna and Borussia Dortmund, as well as Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Auston Trusty will all be competing as well, but playing knowing their spot in the next round is already reserved. However, they are still fighting for seeding, looking to climb the table to earn a more favorable matchup in the next round.
PSV, who sports all four of Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, Richard Ledezma, and Sergino Dest, is still up for grabs, but the odds are in their favor due to some recent outstanding performances in the competition.
Teams who finish outside the top eight will compete in the knockout playoffs, with teams No. 9-16 being seeded, and 17-24 being unseeded. Seeded sides are set to host the second leg of a two-legged affair between the two sides. The first legs of the knockout playoff round will take place on Feb. 11 and 12, with the second legs on Feb. 18 and 19.
GOAL takes a look at how each team sporting a USMNT player on their roster has fared so far this campaign, what they need to do Wednesday to book their spot in the next round or move up the table, and more in their Group Stage finale.