Empire FGA
PSV Eindhoven · $6M, Jan 2025 🇧🇦 Bosnia senior · World Cup hero Tier 2/3 ❌ 0/12 · Pending match-log review
Esmir Bajraktarević
🇧🇦
PSV Eindhoven 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina senior $6M from New England Rev.
11
FW/W · 20yr · Appleton, Wisconsin (USA) · Bosnian heritage · New England Revolution academy → PSV
Esmir
Bajraktarević
FW / Winger Eredivisie · Netherlands 🇧🇦 Bosnia senior · one-time switch from 🇺🇸 ⭐ Winning penalty vs Italy sent Bosnia to the World Cup
20
USA-born, Bosnian heritage
4G · 4A
Eredivisie 25-26 (1,062')
6.9
Avg FotMob rating
$6M
Record Revolution export fee
31 Mar
World Cup-clinching penalty
⭐ Scored the winning penalty in the WC26 qualifying shootout vs Italy — eliminated Italy, sent Bosnia to the World Cup Scored twice on the same PSV matchday as his Groningen debut appearance (46', 66') One-time nationality switch from USA to Bosnia; assisted Edin Džeko on the legend's international farewell ⚠️ First-ever New England Revolution Homegrown Player sold overseas — Revolution retain a sell-on percentage
Proxy FGA Rating
7.7
/ 10.0 · PROXY
Tier 1FotMob/Wiki/pressFull
Tier 2CompositePending
Tier 3Scout (Jim Totime)0/12 ❌
Data-only estimate from 2025-26 season · not the evidence-weighted FGA · the World Cup penalty is a huge storyline but is deliberately not over-weighted against the actual club data
$6.0M
Transfer fee
(Jan 2025)
2nd PSV season
⭐ THE MOMENT — WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION VS ITALY
On 31 March 2026, Bajraktarević scored the winning penalty in a shootout against Italy in the UEFA World Cup qualifying playoffs, eliminating the Azzurri and sending Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He was subsequently named in Bosnia's World Cup squad and made his tournament debut against Canada on 12 June 2026. This is a genuinely major career moment — but Empire's job is to keep it separate from the club-level PSV data rather than let it inflate the proxy score by association.
📊 DATA STATUS · TIER 1 COMPLETE (PUBLIC RECORD) · TIER 2/3 NOT YET SCOUTED
Every number here is sourced from FotMob, Wikipedia, and press coverage (linked in Scouting Intel). Per Empire's evidence-first rule, OBI/SII/DMA/SPI Tier 3 metrics, Attribute ratings, and Philosophy Fit scores stay PENDING until match footage is logged.
🇺🇸→🇧🇦 New England Revolution Academy (joined Aug 2021) → Homegrown signing (23 May 2022) → 45 MLS apps, 2022-24 (3G, 3A) → PSV Eindhoven ($6M, 2 Jan 2025)
4G · 4A
Eredivisie 2025-26 · 1,062 minutes
A genuinely productive first full PSV season. A goal-plus-assist involvement roughly every other match, at a 6.9 average rating, from a 20-year-old who made the jump straight from MLS. Note: one source cites a wider all-competition total of 37 games, 7 goals, 4 assists — presented alongside the Eredivisie-specific figures for transparency.
4
Goals · Eredivisie
2 vs Groningen alone
4
Assists
Strong involvement rate
1,062'
Minutes played
Rotation/impact role
6.9
Avg rating
Solid for age/role
$6M
Transfer fee
Record Rev. export
⭐
WC-clinching penalty
vs Italy, 31 Mar '26
Profile
Full nameEsmir Bajraktarević
BornAppleton, Wisconsin, USA
HeritageBosnian
ClubPSV Eindhoven
Joined PSV2 Jan 2025 ($6M)
NT status🇧🇺🇸→🇧🇦 One-time switch, senior debut Jan 2024 (USA), 6+ BiH caps (2024)
Tier 3 Status
0/12 confirmed
Confirmed (video-evidence required)
None confirmed. All 12 Tier 3 metrics require match-video evidence not yet collected for this player.
Groningen confirmed via match report (scored twice). Sparta Rotterdam confirmed as an 8-minute substitute appearance. Telstar not independently confirmed.
Preliminary Data Verdict
A 20-year-old American-born forward of Bosnian heritage who made a $6M MLS-to-Eredivisie jump, produced real goal involvement in his first full PSV season, and became a genuine national hero for Bosnia by scoring the penalty that eliminated Italy from World Cup qualifying.
Empire FGA Status — Not a Final Verdict
Tier 1 data-complete · Tier 2/3 unscored · FGA composite cannot be calculated. Don't let the World Cup narrative do the club-level evaluation's work for it — the 1,062 minutes suggest an impact/rotation role, not an undisputed starter, at this stage of his PSV career.
Style Notes — Preliminary
Media/data, not scored
Statistical Radar
Raw % from real 25-26 totals
FotMob Rating Trend
Last matches · real data
❌ ATTRIBUTES PENDING — 0/24 SCORED
Attribute circles (Technical/Mental/Physical) are a scouting judgment — exactly the layer Empire's "no score without evidence" rule protects. Every row below is left unscored until Jim logs timestamped match evidence.
Technical / Attacking
Mental
Physical
Tier 1 — FotMob · Wikipedia · Press
Tier 2 — Composite
Pending
❌ NOT CALCULABLE YET
Tier 2 is derived directly from confirmed Tier 3 sub-metrics. Since Tier 3 is 0/12, Tier 2 has nothing to composite from.
FGA Weighting Breakdown
Season Context
2nd PSV season (2025-26)
Groningen (23 Aug '25): Scored twice (46', 66')
Telstar (22 Mar '26): Not independently confirmed
Sparta R'dam (11 Apr '26): Sub, 82', 8 minutes
Proxy FGA Rating — 7.7 / 10 · Methodology
Tier 1 estimate only · not the evidence-weighted FGA
⚠️ Read before citing this number
Empire's real FGA is 20% Tier 1 / 30% Tier 2 / 50% Tier 3. With Tier 2/3 both empty, this 7.7 is a substitute built only from public Tier 1 club-level numbers — the World Cup penalty against Italy is a real achievement but is deliberately excluded from this component breakdown, since it's an international moment, not a PSV data point.
Tier 3 · Awaiting Scout Assessment · 0 Matches Reviewed
Footage received, not yet scouted
Per the Empire Agent 1/2 workflow: paste timestamped match observations for Bajraktarević and I'll structure them into OBI/SII/DMA/etc. evidence logs. The Groningen brace (both goals) is a natural priority — finishing quality and movement in the box specifically.
OBIOff-Ball Intelligence❌ PENDING
SIISprint Intensity Index❌ PENDING
Video Completeness
All 10 Remaining Metrics
STYLE NOTES — PRELIMINARY (MEDIA & DATA), NOT A SCORED PHILOSOPHY FIT
Rather than assign fake fit percentages against Michels/Cruyff/Guardiola, the traits below are pulled straight from published career coverage and are qualitative only.
Sourced Style Descriptors
MLS Homegrown product, record $6M export Real goal-plus-assist output at Eredivisie level One-time nationality switch, USA → Bosnia World Cup-qualification-clinching penalty taker
A player whose off-field storyline (the Italy penalty, the Džeko assist, the record MLS export fee) is unusually rich for a 20-year-old — but the actual PSV role (1,062 minutes, rotation-weighted) is the more sober part of the picture, and worth keeping in view alongside the highlight reel.
Philosophy Fit Radar
Not available — Tier 3 required
Philosophy Fit scoring runs on Tier 3 evidence logs. 0 matches scouted → chart withheld rather than shown with invented numbers.
Career Timeline
Born · Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Bosnian heritage. Joined the New England Revolution Academy in August 2021.
23 May 2022 · Signs Homegrown deal
9th Homegrown Player in Revolution history; first from the academy residency program to reach the first team.
2022-2024 · 45 MLS appearances
28 starts, 3 goals, 3 assists across three seasons; 2024 breakout with 1,990 minutes and 2 game-winners.
Jan 2024 · USA senior debut
Full U.S. men's national team debut.
2 Jan 2025 · Transfers to PSV Eindhoven
$6M fee — first Revolution Homegrown ever sold overseas. Revolution retain a sell-on percentage.
2024 · One-time switch to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Assisted Edin Džeko on the legend's international farewell. Earned 6+ caps for "The Dragons" in 2024.
23 Aug 2025 · Brace vs FC Groningen
Scored twice (46', 66') in PSV's 4-2 season-opening win.
31 Mar 2026 · World Cup-clinching penalty vs Italy
Scored the winning shootout penalty in the WC26 qualifying playoff, eliminating Italy and sending Bosnia to the World Cup.
12 Jun 2026 · World Cup tournament debut
Bosnia's opening group game vs Canada.
FotMob Rating — Recent PSV Matches
Real data · club appearances
Transfer & Contract Ladder
New England Rev. → PSV$6.0M (2 Jan 2025)
Sell-on clauseRetained by Revolution
Distinction1st Rev. Homegrown sold overseas
MLS career: 45 apps, 28 starts, 3G/3A (2022-24), plus a 2024 career-best of 29 apps/1,990 min.
Season-by-Season Register
SeasonClubCompetitionAppsGoalsNotes
2024New England RevolutionMLS29—Career-best: 22 starts, 1,990 min, 2 GW goals
2025-26PSVEredivisie1,062 min44 assists · 6.9 avg rating
2026 (WC)Bosnia & HerzegovinaFIFA World CupDebut 12 Jun—⭐ Qualification-clinching penalty vs Italy, 31 Mar
Data-Driven Scouting Report — Preliminary
Public sources only · Tier 3 not conducted
Esmir Bajraktarević is a 20-year-old forward/winger born in Appleton, Wisconsin, of Bosnian heritage. He came through the New England Revolution academy, signing a Homegrown deal in May 2022 and making 45 MLS appearances across three seasons (2022-24) before PSV signed him for a record $6M fee on 2 January 2025 — the first Revolution Homegrown Player ever sold overseas, with the club retaining a sell-on percentage.
His first full PSV season produced real output: 4 goals, 4 assists, 1,062 minutes, 6.9 average FotMob rating in the Eredivisie — including a brace against Groningen on matchday one (46', 66'). Note: one source cites a broader all-competition total of 37 games, 7 goals, 4 assists — both figures are presented for transparency rather than silently reconciled into one number.
The international storyline here is exceptional for a player this age. He debuted for the USA in January 2024, then took a one-time switch to Bosnia and Herzegovina, assisted Edin Džeko on the legend's farewell, and — most remarkably — scored the winning penalty in the shootout that eliminated Italy from World Cup qualifying and sent Bosnia to the 2026 World Cup. He made his tournament debut against Canada on 12 June 2026.
Worth being careful about: that World Cup narrative is genuinely major, but it's an international achievement, not a club-level data point. At PSV specifically, 1,062 minutes over a season suggests a rotation or impact role rather than an undisputed starting spot — a distinction worth keeping clear rather than letting the Italy penalty color the club evaluation.
Empire FGA Status Note
Tier 1 data-complete · Tier 2/3 not scored · No final FGA composite. This is a legitimately exciting long-term profile — but "he's a World Cup hero for Bosnia" and "he's PSV's starting forward" are two separate claims, and only the second one is what club-level scouting needs to verify.
All Tier 1 Season Totals (2025-26)
Tier 3 Event Log
0 events · not yet scouted
No match footage has been reviewed for events yet.