Orange County SC, Whitecaps & Co.: North Americans clubs with the most exports to Europe

Milan Iloski will leave Orange County SC at the end of the season and join Danish club Nordsjaelland. Both clubs announced the transfer earlier this week. Iloski signed a new contract ahead of the announcement, which meant that Orange County SC were able to generate a six-figure transfer fee for the striker, whose contract would have been up at the end of the season. The transfer marks the fourth time in the last three years that Orange County SC have sold a player to a European club (full list). 

"Milan has arguably been the best pure forward in the USL Championship the last two seasons, and we are beyond delighted to have come to an agreement to transfer him to FC Nordsjaelland at the end of the season," said Orange County SC president of soccer operations and general manager Oliver Wyss in a club statement. "We have turned down multiple offers that did not meet our expectations for last year's Golden Boot winner during his very successful time here, and we are convinced his value will only continue to rise in Denmark.” 

Iloski becomes the second player this summer to leave for a transfer fee. Orange County SC made headlines when they sold Korede Osundina to partner club Feyenoord earlier this summer. Furthermore, last year, the 2021 USL Championship winners sold Kobi Henry to Stade Reims and Ronaldo Damus to GID Sundsvall. The Henry deal was a record transfer not broken until Louisville City sold Joshua Wynder to Benfica in the spring (overview). Orange County SC, together with the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire, rank first with four players sold for a fee to clubs based in Europe. 

Orange County rank 2nd - North American clubs with most European exports

Orange County have increasingly built a reputation as a steppingstone club for players wanting to move to Europe. Once he has completed his transfer to Nordsjaelland, Iloski will become the 20th player over the last five years to move from Orange County SC, to a club in Europe. Only the New York Red Bulls (22) and the Vancouver Whitecaps have seen more players move to Europe than the USL Championship side. The Whitecaps, in fact, have just captured first place in the ranking by selling Venezuelan striker Sergio Córdova to Süper Lig side Alanyaspor on Friday. 

The Whitecaps are king in the export business. No other club in North America has moved more players to Europe than the club based on the Canadian West Coast. The Whitecaps have seen a staggering 103 players move from Canada to leagues based in Europe—the most prominent player is Alphonso Davies, who joined Bayern Munich during the 2018/19 season (overview). But the sheer volume of players moved by the ‘Caps is impressive and can be explained by the club’s academy system but also a history that dates back to the 1970s.

Record sales: Major League Soccer / USL Championship

Orange County SC have been around for just seven years. But even going back ten years, the team from Southern California ranks first among current USL Championship sides, with 29 players moved on to European clubs. In that period, only the New York Red Bulls (34), New York City FC (33), the Whitecaps (32), and the Chicago Fire (30) had more exports. The first two are, of course, part of the multi-club ownership constructs, which makes it easier to facilitate the movement of players. Going back further, the only USL Championship side with more all-time exports are the Tampa Bay Rowdies (40). But similar to the Whitecaps, the Rowdies have a transfer history dating back to the old NASL days, giving them a significant historical advantage in that ranking. 

Transfers as a business – Why is it important? 

Selling players to Europe has become an important part of some clubs based in North America. In fact, USL Championship sides like Orange County SC believe that an easy pathway to Europe is a big part of the business model. That business model has allowed the club to recruit the likes of Bryce Jamison and Benjamin Barjolo, who have previously been on the radar of MLS clubs. Not being part of a single-entity league like MLS has made it easier for clubs in the USL Championship to move players abroad. 

“We are very proud of our unique player development pathway that has resulted in significant transfers into top European teams,” Wyss said to Transfermarkt. “We have heavily invested both on and off the field to create a professional environment that maximizes the development of these top talents that we have recruited from all around the US with the sole goal to transfer into Europe. Talented young men from across the US are choosing to come here knowing that we can give them the tools and the opportunity to succeed at the highest level.”

It certainly has been working for Orange County SC, over the last few years and it is a model that is increasingly being copied by other teams in the USL. The most prominent example is Louisville City FC. The club from Kentucky has sold two players to Europe in the last three years, and with an excellent academy in place, it is likely that more will follow. But for now, it is Orange County SC, among the unexpected export champions in North American soccer.