A Manchester City debut for former Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen will have to wait, according to a report from Paul Tenorio of The Athletic.
Tenorio cites several sources saying Steffen, also a key part of the US men’s national team picture, will head on loan to Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf. They were promoted to Germany’s top flight for 2018-19 after five seasons in 2. Bundesliga, eventually finishing in 10th place.
Steffen, 24, was sold last offseason to the back-to-back Premier League winners for $10 million, though remained in MLS for half a season. He now enters a crowded goalkeeper pool at Manchester City, with Brazilian shot-stopper Ederson the club’s de-facto starter. Claudio Bravo of Chile has served as their back-up as of late.
Before heading overseas, the 2018 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year played 13 games in 2018-19 for the Crew under new head coach Caleb Porter. He missed two matches while recovering from a foot injury.
Once in Germany, Steffen will join several other recent MLS exports to the European country. Most prominently, Tyler Adams went from the New York Red Bulls to Red Bull Leipzig and Alphonso Davies went from the Vancouver Whitecaps to Bayern Munich. Steffen's own career also began in Germany with German side SC Freiburg in 2015, though he quickly joined MLS and the Crew.
Steffen is currently with the USMNT as they prepare for the 2019 Gold Cup. They first face Jamaica on Wednesday night at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. (7 pm ET | FS1, UniMás, UDN), then play against Venezuela this coming Sunday in Cincinnati. The USMNT opens Group D play at the Gold Cup on June 18 against Guyana.
