“If it didn’t work I would be interested too [for me],” Joshua Kimmich said. “It’s interesting to learn new things in a different culture and country. They all have scholarships, which is good. I got the feeling that he was happy with the path he had taken. I think it’s a really interesting option.”
The Germany captain’s words were in reference to three young German footballers playing just five minutes away from the grounds of Wake Forest University, where the likes of Manuel Neuer, Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala are training to realize Germany’s World Cup ambitions.
Linus Musilak (22), Noah Vasiliev and Flynn Mewes (both 23) changed their summer plans to get the chance to be closer to their football heroes.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Noah told DW.
All three came to the USA on scholarship to play football for a university. A 2020 survey by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) revealed that 367 men and 126 women from Germany played college soccer in the country. This number is expected to increase since the last survey and international recruiting is a trend that is now redefining the way college football develops here.
Football dreams and reality
With the College League ending, the trio decided to play for Salem City FC in USL League Two (USL2). The league, which operates in the summer, has 158 clubs in 37 states and serves as a pre-professional stage, bringing the best players into MLS. All of this will change drastically by 2028 when American college football enters an existential recovery, but none of this was decisive for the German boys. The most important factor was that it was very close to the four-time World Cup winners.
Roots in Germany, Flowers in the United States
Linus, who still has ambitions to play professionally, played for amateur club TSC Eintracht Dortmund before moving to the United States, where he plays college soccer in Boston. Noah is from Wurzburg and played for the Wurzburger Kickers youth teams before a lecture on the concept of college soccer helped him make up his mind and move to Chicago. After playing for Osnabruck’s youth teams and later fourth-tier Rodinghausen SV, Münster’s Flynn joined him there.
“Once I started training more often with the first team, I realized it probably wouldn’t be enough to make a big jump like the Bundesliga,” Flynn told DW. “I’ve just noticed a lot of them [players] There was really no backup plan. I decided I would build a safety net, and because I realized it was hard to build a safety net in Germany, I decided to do it here and take a different path.
All three have earned education and life in the United States thanks to their football ability. Their hopes of meeting their heroes came to fruition when the trio briefly met Nico Schlotterbach. The pair talked about the facilities at Wake Forest, and pointed out that the pitch is a little drier than at home. Noah and Flynn were even luckier when they ran into Germany captain Joshua Kimmich and goalkeeper Oliver Baumann at a café near campus and chatted for about 15 minutes.
The summer of soccer in the United States – and beyond?
With the New York Knicks sealing the NBA title and the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup, hopefully there will be a little more room for the World Cup on America’s sports radar after a slow start. Linus, Flynn and Noah believe that this tournament can change the state of football in the country.
“With other stars like (Lionel) Messi, Marco Reus, going to MLS helped the league and football grow,” said left-footed forward Linus, who grew up watching Reus. “There are more international players in college soccer, the game is small here but growing and the World Cup will play a big role in that.”
Noah also hopes the tournament can change the landscape.
“Football has never really been a big thing at the big universities. First and foremost, it’s always been football. And then there’s a long hiatus, and then comes baseball, basketball, and (ice) hockey, and eventually football. Of course, I’m hopeful that for us, too, football can become a big deal.”
Although they miss the taste of German bread and doner kebab, this trio exemplifies another way to make the most of sporting talent. The Bundesliga is not the only end goal, and in this case three youngsters have given themselves a platform to succeed in professional life through the sport they love. And the best part is that this summer, they were able to do so with their football heroes as their neighbors.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold