Stoke City and Middlesbrough are now soaring in the Championship, and the key to their recent success is more obvious than some may believe.

Stoke and Middlesbrough both appear to be genuine top-eight candidates at this time, with the Potters suffering only one loss in their previous 11 league games following a victory over Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, while Borough remain at the top of the table.

Both clubs changed their badges over the summer and are currently in excellent form, but they aren’t the only parallels between the two.

Stoke City confirmed the signings of American duo Jack McGlynn and Luca Bombino this summer.

Stoke had another busy summer window, with Sorba Thomas, Lewis Baker, Steven Nzonzi, and Tatsuki Seko leaving the club, while Ethan Galbraith, Djibril Soumare, Luca Bombino, and Jack McGlynn joined.

Bombino, 20, joined from Californian club San Diego FC for around $5 million (£3.7 million) to provide competition in both wing-back positions, while McGlynn, 23, joined from MLS club Houston Dynamo for around $5.5 million (£4.1 million) plus add-ons to add another attacking midfield option.

Both arrived late in the window, with little information available to Stoke fans, and it appears that the Potters have successfully copied Middlesbrough’s strategy.

Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten, and Rokas Pukstas joined Aidan Morris at Middlesbrough during the most recent transfer window.

Middlesbrough had one of the best summer transfer windows in Championship history, with Hayden Hackney, Abdoulaye Kante, and Morgan Whittaker all leaving, as well as the sell-on clause for Morgan Rogers’ move from Aston Villa to Chelsea; Borough earned around £40 million in player sales.

With that money, Will Lankshear, Kyle Joseph, Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Sebastian Berhalter, Rokas Pukstas, and Max Arfsten all came at the Riverside, many for potentially lucrative deals, albeit Kim Hellberg’s team remained in the red despite this spend.

Berhalter joined the Vancouver Whitecaps for roughly $1.5 million (£1 million), Pukstas from Hajduk Split for around £4.3 million, and Arfsten from Columbus Crew for around $7.5 million (£5.6 million), all of whom joined compatriot Aidan Morris on Teesside.

Now, a few months into the season, the Americans at Middlesbrough and Stoke are demonstrating why they are an unexplored and undervalued market right now.

Stoke City and Middlesbrough hit the jackpot by taking advantage of the American market.

McGlynn and Bombino have been regulars in the Stoke side since arriving in ST4. Bombino rotates with Eric Bocat, Ben Johnson, and Junior Tchamadeu at wing-back, while McGlyn has nailed down a spot as an attacking midfielder in the Potters’ starting XI, with four goals and two assists in ten Championship games so far. McGlynn appears to be having his own Goal of the Season competition at the moment, with excellent strikes against Watford and Sheffield Uni.

With McGlynn and Bombino thriving at Stoke, Berhalter, in particular, is having a significant impact at Middlesbrough, where he plays alongside compatriot Morris in the middle of the park and has three goals and two assists in 13 league appearances.

Arfsten and Pukstas have not had as many minutes as they would like at this point, but there is every potential they will succeed and have the necessary impact in due course, just as Borough led Stoke down the American market, and both teams are experiencing the benefits right now.

Other EFL clubs must follow Stoke City and Middlesbrough’s transfer methods after American success

Middlesbrough and Stoke have already seen their investments in the American market pay off, so it wouldn’t be surprise if more EFL clubs followed suit.

Over the years, the MLS has produced numerous jewels who have gone on to make good careers in Europe, and there are often many prospective diamonds waiting to test themselves over the pond for a low cost.

Middlesbrough set the way, Stoke followed, and both are reaping the benefits. Sooner or later, the American market will become a conveyor belt for players travelling to Europe.