From Benfica to New England: Joshua Wynder’s Next Chapter Begins in the U.S.

Joshua Wynder is heading back to the United States.

The New England Revolution have acquired the American center back on a year-long loan from SL Benfica, bringing one of the country’s most highly regarded young defenders back to MLS after three seasons in Portugal.

The Louisville, Kentucky native signed with Louisville City in 2021 at just 16 years old, quickly becoming one of the youngest players to make an impact in the USL Championship. Across three seasons, he made 44 appearances for the club, scoring twice. 

His performances attracted attention from Europe, eventually leading Benfica to make a significant investment in the teenager.

In June 2023, Wynder joined the Portuguese giants for a reported $1.2 million, with additional incentives. At the time, the transfer represented the largest fee ever paid for a USL player.

Initially assigned to Benfica B, Wynder gained valuable experience in Portugal’s second division. He made 32 appearances and scored four goals for the reserve side, including a particularly productive 2024-25 campaign in which he played 31 league matches and found the net four times. 

That experience also brought him closer to the first team.

Wynder made his Benfica senior debut in April 2025, coming off the bench in a Portuguese Cup semifinal victory over FC Tirsense.

New England offers Wynder something particularly valuable at this stage of his career: the possibility of establishing himself in a first-team environment.

The Revolution are bringing in a 6-foot-2 center back who has already experienced professional football in two countries before turning 22. His time with Benfica exposed him to a different tactical and technical environment, while his years with Louisville gave him extensive experience playing senior football at a young age.

Now, he will have the opportunity to put that development into practice in MLS.

The timing is also notable for a club that has been investing heavily in developing young American talent. Wynder joins a Revolution organization that has recently promoted players such as Peyton Miller and Judah Siqueira into the first-team picture.

Wynder has also been a familiar name within the U.S. youth national-team setup.

He represented the United States at the U-17 and U-19 levels before becoming part of the U-20 cycle. He was selected for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup squad and played in four of the Americans’ five matches as the team reached the quarterfinals.

He was also called into the senior USMNT camp in April 2023 for a friendly against Mexico, although he did not enter the match.

His international résumé makes the return to MLS particularly intriguing. Regular first-team football in New England could give Wynder a platform to re-establish himself in the national-team picture as he enters his early twenties.

For Wynder, the objective will be to turn that opportunity into consistent performances and show that the defender who earned a record-setting move to Benfica can take the next step toward becoming a regular at the highest level of the American game.

The loan gives him a fresh start. What he does with it could determine what comes next in his career.