Belgium delivered an emphatic response to FIFA kowtowing to Donald Trump’s intervention to have the Folarin Balogun suspension for the USA game lifted. Specifically, the Belgians rarely looked in trouble during their 4-1 win. The game has implications for Chris Brady Scotland eligibility. Details are below.
| Age | 22 |
| Full Scotland caps | 0 |
| Age group Scotland caps | 0 |
| Year of last full cap (for USA) | 2026 |
| Current club | Chicago Fire |
| Current club division | American 1st tier |
| Club division Opta rating | 78.0 (19th globally as at 7 July 2026) |
Chris Brady Scotland eligibility
Illinois-born & raised Brady was reported in January 2025 as eligible to play for Scotland based on ancestral grounds. So far, fitba.scot has been unable to ascertain through which parent(s) and/or grandparent(s) it is exactly that qualifies Brady to play for the Scots.
Is Brady still eligible for Scotland?
Transfermarkt credits Brady with 14 appearances to date at different levels for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT). Further, that includes only one full cap, when boss Mauricio Pochettino subbed Brady on pre-World Cup in a friendly against Senegal. Thus, since Brady has not played in a senior competitive international, he retains dual international eligibility.
Would Chris Brady get a game for Scotland?
Given the current lack of Scottish GK strength in depth, if Chris Brady were to defect to Scotland, he could realistically expect to currently be at least no lower than #2 in the Scottish GK pecking order. If Angus Gunn, like last season, is unable to attain regular first team football, Brady could justifiably feel he should be the Scotland #1. Gunn is reported as about to join San Jose Earthquakes who, like Brady, play in the MLS.
Why would Scotland wish to pick Chris Brady?
Despite being only 22-years-old, Brady already has 115 first team appearances to date with Chicago Fire in the MLS. He also has 7 appearances with them in cup games. He is in his 4th season at Chicago Fire as #1 GK.
Brady won the golden glove at the 2022 CONCACAF U20s championship. He was part of the USA side that won that competition.
Why would Brady wish to play for Scotland?
Brady would be further up the pecking order in the Scotland squad than he currently is in the USMNT squad. Specifically as current USMNT 3rd choice, he is behind Matt Turner (aged 32, on loan at New England Revolution), and Matt Freese (aged 28, signed to New York City). Looking at potential competition for the Scotland GK jersey, Brady could potentially visualise a significantly higher cap haul for the Scots than for the USMNT. That suggestion though is very speculative.
Scotland is one of 4 host nations for Euro 2028. As per our detailed article, the Euro 2028 qualification process is heavily rigged in favour of the host nations. Hence, potentially playing at Euro 2028 is very realistic.
It is possible Brady could see playing for Scotland as a shop window to a big money move to Europe. There have though been abundant players from North America to earn contracts in Europe, without needing to play for a European national team.
Has Chris Brady expressed interest in playing for Scotland?
This is where it gets tricky. When news broke in 2025 of Brady’s dual eligibility, some (clickbait chasing?) media phrased their wording to imply Brady was interested in playing for Scotland.
Misleading claims
E.g., Football Scotland headlined their article:
“MLS goalkeeper Chris Brady backs himself for first Scotland cap to give Steve Clarke squad boost”
The article then opens with:
“Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady has made a vow to earn his first Scotland cap in 2025.”
“The 20-year-old, who was born in Illinois and has US caps at U20 and U23 levels, wants his first senior international appearance to be with Steve Clarke’s side.“
Accompanying text not backing up the claims
However, encouraging as those claims seem, the accompanying comments attributed to Brady make no mention of playing for Scotland:
“I just want to make a name for myself. I think that’s something that I haven’t been able to do quite yet on the most senior national team level. So I would say, going forward, that’s something that I’m kind of geared towards making an impact. It’s extremely important to impress if you go to a national team camp and there’s close to no time to work on training.
“You’re in the hotel going over set pieces and how the game is going to look. And that’s kind of the only time you get to be adaptable. But yes, I want to showcase what I can do on the international stage in 2025. My confidence in the role of being a goalkeeper for a team that plays on a stage like this has definitely grown. My adaptability has grown. I’m very open now, especially now, to new systems, new ideas, new coaches.“
“My ability to take crosses, confidence in the box, in the air – I feel like I’ve grown quite a bit. And I feel more calm with the ball at my feet. And that’s a big change when you compare the way I was playing a year or two ago, where I was so rushed when I had the ball at my feet, to where now everything’s slowed down through my eyes.”
What has Brady said about playing for USA?
In contrast, Brady has expressed pride in representing USA. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t turn out for Scotland. It is though by no means cut & dried that he would defect.
Would Chris Brady as a character fit in with the Scotland squad?
Numerous players have expressed appreciation of the work of Steve Clarke to foster a club-like team spirit, and spoken of how much they enjoy joining up with the rest of the squad. Some have called it the best team spirit they’ve been involved in.
While not formally describing it as such, Steve Clarke seemed to have employed what in essence was a No Dickheads Policy. That seems to have been why Clarke didn’t select Oli McBurnie for the world cup squad. Questions have also been asked if some less than humble comments were involved in the omission of Lennon Miller from the squad.
Steve Clarke is no longer boss. The point remains though that managers prefer not to select individuals they perceive as less than harmonious to the squad. What is Brady like as a personality? Is there any kind of cross-cultural risk in selecting someone born & raised in USA to be part of the Scotland squad? Are Americans, for example, more bullish than Scots, or vocal about their talents in the way Lennon Miller was? In reality Brady is likely a decent guy. He obviously is highly regarded at his club & also by Pochettino who selected him for the USA World Cup squad, despite Brady being only 22.
Is Chris Brady likely to play for Scotland?
Regrettably, this seems unlikely at least for the moment. He is almost certainly good enough to merit contending with Angus Gunn for the #1 jersey. The bigger issue is Brady’s likely current unwillingness to defect to play for Scotland.
