Tanner Tessmann woke up on a Saturday morning last month to three text messages that meant his plans were changing — and maybe his life.
Tessmann and his wife intended to buy some furniture for their new place in Lyon, France. That was out the window. A few injuries had opened up spots on the U.S. men’s national team roster and Mauricio Pochettino was summoning Tessmann to be part of his first camp as U.S. coach.
“Now we’ll just have to push those plans back a few weeks,” Tessmann remembers thinking, as he read through his text messages.
It was a good problem to have.
It had been a busy summer for the 23-year-old and, at times, a tumultuous one. The midfielder knew it was time to move on from Italian club Venezia, where he had spent the previous three seasons. Tessman started 39 games as Venezia was promoted from Serie B to Serie A, but he felt ready for a change.
A move to Inter Milan almost happened, but there were complications regarding where Tessmann would play in 2024-25. Inter wanted to send him on loan, but they couldn’t reach an agreement on where Tessmann would spend the season. In the end, he decided to pause transfer talk while he went to the Olympics with the U.S. team.
The experience in Paris was invigorating. Tessmann wore the captain’s armband as the U.S. advanced out of group play before falling in the knockout stages. For Tessmann, though, it was a profound experience.
“I just really felt that with the group everybody was so dedicated to what we were trying to do,” Tessmann told The Athletic during an interview at the team hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico last month.
“When you have guys like that, it just creates something special. And win, lose or draw, we had such a good time… And then to be Team USA at the Olympics, there’s no better team to be a part of anywhere in the world. The way we got treated, to see other American athletes compete and go to some events and support them, and to be a part of that, is incredible.”
After returning from France, Tessmann finally learned his future would be in… France.
A move to Lyon was finalized, with the Ligue 1 side paying $6.7million (£5.3m) to bring him into the squad. On the field, Tessmann felt it was a different level for him to push himself. Rather than taking part in a likely relegation battle with Venezia, Tessmann was joining a team that was playing in European competition (the Europa League).
“It was a big step for me,” Tessmann said. “I mean, it’s a team that is always trying to fight for the French Cup and always trying to fight for the league, and then always trying to fight for Europa League or Champions League. In the midfield, we have World Cup winners, Champions League winners, players that have won the league in different countries. So it’s just a team full of winners. And I think the level in training and the standard is a different level.”
Quickly, he learned that the tactical game he learned in Italy was going to be supplemented by new emphases in Ligue 1. Tessmann said play is “a lot more individual, one-vs-one dribbling, one-vs-one defending, really athletic players that can really open the field quickly.” Tessmann was thrilled the move was pushing him to find a more physical part of his game.
He started a 2-1 victory against Toulouse in September that Pochettino’s staff saw live, which contributed to his call into October camp. Tessmann said he understood how fleeting these chances might be.
“No matter how I got here, we all have different paths, we’re all in different parts of our careers,” Tessmann said. “I’m here just like anybody else, and now I can make an impression.”
Tessmann made a positive impression in his first days under Pochettino and was one of few players who showed a bit of something in a 2-0 loss to Mexico on the road.
But while life in Lyon on the field is positive, the club’s prospects off it are precarious. Just a few days ago, it was banned from making any transfers in January and is provisionally set to be relegated to Ligue 2 next season due to financial issues. Its owner, the U.S. businessman John Textor, insists that will not happen but it is uncertainty that players could do without.
Pochettino has said he hopes that instability doesn’t alter the environment Tessmann needs to continue to grow and refine his game. Tessmann made enough of an impact that Pochettino called him back into camp this month and gave him the call to start in the 1-0 first-leg win in Jamaica.
“We have really liked his quality, his ability to understand the game, everything, the balance that he brings,” Pochettino said on Sunday.
“I think that he is a player who, in my opinion, has not shown all the potential that he has. He has enormous potential. We have to help him to continue growing and let’s hope that Lyon solves all the problems… and can have stability and find that stability that will give him consistency to continue progressing.”
Tessmann acquitted himself well in midfield in Kingston, Jamaica. He completed 35 of 38 passes, won four of five duels and made three recoveries in midfield. His teammates took note — and Tessmann might get another shot to make an impression tonight in St. Louis.
“From when he first came into camp to where he is now, I’ve seen a big change in him, confidence-wise, and his quality is showing through,” left-back Antonee Robinson said. “So whenever he gets a chance, he’ll be putting everything to try and keep that place.”
If he can keep it, the hope for Tessmann is that while those texts last month may have delayed moving a couch, they also opened a path to the World Cup in 2026.
(Top photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
