A former Barcelona Academy prospect is starting to gather admirers in Croatia. Rokas Pukstas, who has played for the under-20 USMNT side, is starting to perform in the Hajduk Split first team.
Pukstas, who grew up in Oklahoma, is of Lithuanian and American descent. He spent time in the Kansas Academy, but also at Barcelona’s US academy in the same city.
At the age of 16, he was picked up by Hajduk, and is now starting to entertain in the first-team. He was part of their under-19s that got to the final of the UEFA Youth League, and were only defeated by an all-conquering AZ Alkmaar side.
So far he has 22 appearances for the first team, 17 of which this season, where he has contributed four goals and an assist to their cause. Pukstas has played 13 times for the USMNT under-20s, scoring once.
Diario AS have compared him to Dani Olmo, as someone who has come through the Barcelona system and is making his break in Croatian football, as Olmo did with Dinamo Zagreb. He shares the Spanish international’s versatility, although he is currently operating in central midfield.
Pukstas is only just taking his first steps, but at the age of 18, there is hope that he can perhaps be a prospect for the senior USMNT, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
