How Lyon’s successful relegation appeal impacts three USMNT players

For a pair of U.S. men’s national team stars hoping to test themselves in European competition next season it is good news; for another, it means further uncertainty.

Lyon ensured their place in Ligue 1 for the coming season, winning their appeal over relegation imposed upon them by the body that oversees the finances of French football teams. That means the club, where U.S. midfielder Tanner Tessmann plays and where U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner is reportedly headed to, will remain in the French top flight after all next season – and crucially take their place in the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League.

Back in the U.K., Lyon’s reprieve could be potentially unsettling news for U.S. defender Chris Richards and his Crystal Palace teammates. Richards, who is fresh from a standout showing in the Concacaf Gold Cup – he also scored twice, including in the final vs. Mexico – must wait and see what level of European football his London club will now be allowed into next term. By virtue of winning the FA Cup, Palace should gain entry into the Europa League, but due to multi-club ownership rules for teams in the same competition, that may not be so straightforward.

Lyon finished the 2024-25 Ligue 1 campaign in sixth, making the Europa League out of France alongside fifth-place Lille. Their qualification raised uncertainty over Palace’s participation in the European competition, due to U.S. investor John Textor and his company, Eagle Football, having involvement in both clubs.

UEFA had postponed its decision on Palace’s European fate until after the appeal on Lyon’s relegation, and that call is still pending. If Palace are barred from the competition, then Nottingham Forest — who qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League after finishing seventh in the Premier League and were ironically Turner’s parent club while he was on loan and winning the FA Cup as a backup at Palace — would take their place.

USMNT’s Tanner Tessmann playing in last season’s Europa League for Lyon vs. Manchester United (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Palace, who say Textor has never had decisive influence on their operation (in an effort to maintain their spot in the Europa League alongside Lyon), would probably then drop into the Conference League, effectively swapping places with Forest.

That outcome would mean Richards at the very least being able to play in UEFA’s third-tier club knockout competition. The Birmingham, Ala., native could hope for as impressive a run in the Conference League as fellow Gold Cup participant Johnny Cardoso enjoyed last term. The U.S. midfielder helped Spanish club Real Betis reach the final in May, where they eventually lost 4-1 to Chelsea.

While Lyon’s appeal win is an undisputed win for the French club, Turner is still waiting for official confirmation of his move from Nottingham Forest to the Groupama stadium. Last month The Athletic reported that the two clubs have agreed a fee of €8 million (£6.74m) for the 31-year-old, who made just four appearances while spending the season on loan with Palace.

Turner was part of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad at the Gold Cup but did not play a minute, with New York City FC’s Matt Freese selected ahead of him throughout. Turner had started, and struggled, in the U.S.’s 4-0 friendly defeat to Switzerland prior to the tournament.

On Tuesday, the veteran, who was first-choice under Pochettino’s predecessor Gregg Berhalter and started at the 2022 World Cup, posted on Instagram that it had been a “challenging” time.

“Sometimes you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, and lose in order to gain,” he wrote. “Challenging summer in so many ways, but I hold my head high knowing I was part of this special group. We learned, fought and grew together and had so many laughs along the way.

“I found joy in the in between. I’m re-energized and excited for what the future holds, but until then, I’m on DnD [do not disturb].”

That future appears to be at Lyon, where he’ll hope to regain first-team minutes and the appearances necessary to reclaim the U.S. No. 1 job. Lyon’s future overall, at the very least, is looking up.

(Top photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)