Why are Scottish clubs suddenly raiding the USL Championship?

News

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Two standout performers from the USL Championship, the second division of soccer in the US, are on their way to Scotland.

According to Tom Bogert, 2025/26 Premiership runners-up Hearts are closing in on a shock deal to sign Rhode Island FC forward JJ Williams, while their Edinburgh rivals Hibernian are finalising a less surprising agreement to bring in Charleston Battery youngster Colton Swan.

The latter is a hugely exciting prospect. A 19-year-old striker, Swan has bagged seven goals in the regular season so far, and he recently reached the CONCACAF U20 Championship final with the US. He will finish the season with Charleston and then link up with his new team in January.

Hibs are reportedly set to pay a six-figure sum, while the Battery, who have done an excellent job at talent development in recent years, will retain a sell-on clause. In 2024, the South Carolina club earned more than $1 million from selling Fidel Barajas to Real Salt Lake and his subsequent transfer to Chivas for north of $4m.

The USL Championship still struggles to consistently sell talent abroad, although great strides are being made, so this will be a monumental deal for the league.

Why are Scottish clubs suddenly signing Americans?

Hearts' deal to sign Williams from Rhode Island is different. The towering striker isn't a rookie anymore - he is a 28-year-old Championship veteran who bounced around the league before finding a home in Pawtucket ahead of RIFC's inaugural season in 2024.

A talented striker in his youth, Williams failed to really make an impact in MLS, but he has been very good in the second division. He has notched 57 goals in 180 USL Championship outings, including eight in 17 matches in 2026.

Despite standing at 6 ft 4 in, Williams is mobile and links up well with his teammates. He is not simply a target man who just stands around and waits for long balls and crosses.

Still, the fact that he is now set to join Hearts is extremely surprising. Williams himself would probably admit that he didn't expect to be heading to Europe at 28.

His performances must have been flagged by Jamestown Analytics, thanks to which Hearts have had great success unearthing obscure talent from all around the world since they established their partnership in 2024.

But why are Scottish clubs suddenly signing US-based talent? Earlier this summer, Rangers acquired South Africa international Olwethu Makhanya from the Philadelphia Union, while Motherwell signed St. Louis CITY defender Jake Girdwood-Reich after he impressed on loan at Auckland FC.

It could just be a coincidence. After all, players like Ian Harkes, Christian Ramirez and Alistair Johnstone previously traded MLS for the Premiership, so it's not uncharted territory. But if you add USL Championship players to the mix, it could be a concerted recruitment effort.

Scottish clubs may have recognised the value that can be found in MLS and especially the USL Championship, where players are affordable and often on short and not particularly lucrative contracts.

The levels should be roughly comparable. A high-end Championship performer should be fine in the Premiership - and this will make the Scottish league attractive to these players.

The Premiership isn't a particularly strong league in a European context, but it does give players a good platform to showcase their skills and to occasionally play in continental competitions. It is also among the best-attended top divisions in Europe.

Cultural overlap and a shared language should also make the transition to living in Scotland fairly straightforward. New Zealand international Elijah Just, who secured a move to Swansea City after impressing at Motherwell, confirmed this in March.

"Away from the pitch, it's just been so easy to integrate into society, walking around Glasgow with different restaurants and events that are going on, because everything's in English, it's just so much easier," he said, having previously played in the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark.

"It really is like living a different life from when my girlfriend and I were in Denmark and Austria, where it's just so much more difficult when you don't understand what's going on."

Don't be surprised if we see more and more US-based players move to Scotland in the future.