Some continuity has arrived for ex-Sporting Kansas City center back Erik Palmer-Brown, as he’ll spend the 2020-21 season on loan at Austria Wien.
Palmer-Brown appeared in 26 matches across all competitions for the Austrian Bundesliga club this past season, joining on loan from Manchester City. Since signing for the Premier League side in 2018, the defender has also been loaned to Belgian side KV Kortrijk and Dutch side NAC Breda. Although a talented player, he's deep on the depth chart at Manchester City.
Before heading overseas, Palmer-Brown featured in 20 matches (13 starts) across four seasons as a Homegrown Player. He was then out of contract following the 2017 campaign, and still awaits his debut game for the Premier League giants.
It’s truly been a roundabout journey for the academy product, who spent the 2016 season on loan at Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto. His appearances came with their reserve team, as he helped Porto B to the 2015-16 second division title.
On the international scene, Palmer-Brown most notably represented the US U-20 national team at the 2015 and 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cups. He also has two senior team caps, which arrived during friendlies against Bolivia and France in 2018.
It all contributes to quite the extensive résumé for Palmer-Brown, who turned 23 this past April. Will he eventually break through with Manchester City? That’s hard to say, but he’s now focused on carving out a key role at Austria Wien for the second straight season.
