Arrived at Schalke! The American U18 team, which will be guests at the Knappenschmiede until May 2022, has been at Schalke since mid-August. You can read what the young talents have experienced in the first few weeks on knappenschmiede.de.
Kickin’ it in Germany
Written by Jonathan Weaver
In the Four States area where football is king, Reece Gaylor has made a name for himself on the soccer pitch. Reece, a junior at Texas High School, was selected to the first-team all-district lists in his freshman and sophomore seasons, as well as being selected to the USYS ODP South Region Pool Team. The talented Tiger has now taken his talents overseas to an Integrated U19 Residential Academy at Schalke 04 in Germany. Reece was selected after submitting a highlight film and application that was evaluated by the scouts at the German club.
Welcome to the #schmiede!
US cooperation: U18 team arrived at Schalke
Six training sessions, the first game, and a tour of the stadium: some eventful days lie behind 21 American talents. The young Americans have been training at Schalke since Thursday (12 August) as part of a partnership between the International Soccer Academy (ISA) and Knappenschmiede.
With an opening event on Wednesday (11 August), those responsible at Knappenschmiede and ISA welcomed the 21-man squad of the new U18 team to Schalke. Before the first session on the pitch started on Thursday morning, the players got to know the coaching team the evening before and were given their equipment for the coming months. Head coach Jens Grembowietz and assistant coach Julian Kaliczok handed each player his royal blue jersey for the first session in the shadow of the VELTINS Arena the following day. The young players, who come from all corners of the United States, completed their first exercises on the ball under the watchful eye of Peter Knäbel, Director of Sport and Communication, and Mathias Schober, Director Knappenschmiede and Development.
FC Schalke 04 and International Soccer Academy Launch News Picked Up By Over 122 Media Channels
FC Schalke 04 and International Soccer Academy Launch Integrated Academy With American Youth From Across the USA
Head Coach Jens Grembowietz and Assistant Coach Julian Kaliczok to lead Integrated Residential Academy of American players at FC Schalke 04
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its ongoing mission to provide a solid pathway for elite players aspiring to play abroad, International Soccer Academy (https://internationalsocceracademy.com/) has announced today the inaugural group of 22 U.S. players who have moved to the FC Schalke 04 (https://schalke04.de/) campus in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and will immerse themselves in the professional environment for the duration of the 2021-2022 football season. FC Schalke 04 scouts finalized the roster selection after an extensive nationwide search and thorough online evaluation process.
Coached by UEFA A licensed coaches hired by FC Schalke 04, the groundbreaking International initiative focuses on the inaugural Under-18 team of elite U.S. youth soccer players training at the famed Knappenschmiede and competing against regional academy teams.
“We have had good experiences with Matthew Hoppe and Weston McKennie,” said Mathias Schober, Director of Knappenschmiede and Development. “When the opportunity came up to partner with International Soccer Academy, we saw the chance to further strengthen our position on the American market. It’s also a great challenge for our coaches to train an international team and develop the young U.S. players, but also themselves.”
Schalke has appointed Jens Grembowietz as the full time head coach leading the group of young Americans. Grembowietz, a former Schalke Academy and FC Schalke 04 II player also suited up for Dynamo Dresden and Preußen Münster before retiring in 2016 to become a coach.
“I am very much looking forward to my new task and am excited to get to know the team soon,” Grembowietz said. “Training with the young U.S. talents for a whole year is also a completely new experience for me. In addition to intensive training sessions and games, I expect that we will have a lot of fun. It is also important for me to bring the players closer to the German and especially the Ruhr culture.”
2021-2022 U-18 International Soccer Academy-FC Schalke 04 Integrated Academy Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Cameron Hein (Frostburg, MD), Alec Laible (Rock Hill, SC)
DEFENDERS (3): Alex Hafer (Kingsville, MD), Tidiane Keita (Montreal, Canada), Jaime Villanueva (Tualatin, OR)
MIDFIELDERS (13): Dillon Bardhi (Scarsdale, NY), Pedro Bottene (Oxford, Michigan), Christian Chandler (San Antonio, TX), Jake Chung (Bellevue, WA), Reece Gaylor (Texarkana, Texas), Trace Higham (Acworth, GA), Andres Lopez (Chula Vista, CA), Antonios Loukas (Lake Worth, FL), Paolo Millan (Delray Beach, FL), Gavin Müns (Gig Harbor, WA), Christian Poehlein (Pennington, NJ), Christian Rodriguez (Port Orange, FL), Joseph Teutimez (Cypress, CA)
FORWARDS (4): Keiquon Aaron (Brooklyn, NY), Alex Cole (South Orange, NJ), Michael Divano (Bremerton, WA), Colin McGinnity (Colbert, WA)
Julian Kaliczok is the assistant coach, and is also a former Schalke Academy player. He has coached previously at SpVgg Erkenschwick, DFB Base Gelsenkirchen and VfB Waltrop.
“I am looking forward to accompanying the boys as assistant coach for a year and observing their development,” Kaliczok said. “Developing talent is an exciting task and I am curious to see what we can achieve during our time together.”
The Integrated Academy players will live at the 4-star stays by friends Gelsenkirchen, a 5-minute walk from the Schalke stadium and training fields.
“We are happy to welcome these players,” said Kai Brock, FC Schalke 04 Project Manager.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SOCCER ACADEMY (www.internationalsocceracademy.com):
Founded by Eddie Loewen and Diane Scavuzzo, International Soccer Academy is the world’s leading youth soccer to professional career bridging program, with an ongoing mission to provide a solid pathway for elite players aspiring to play abroad. Providing real, authentic and expert development opportunities with top European professional soccer clubs, International Soccer Academy is focused on developing successful players who are driven to reach their goals of signing a professional contract, or play Division 1 soccer.
Since inception of the first session in October 2020, four International Soccer Academy players have signed contracts to be paid to play soccer in Europe.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Diane Scavuzzo – Co-Founder
diane@internationalsocceracademy.com
+1-858-531-8300
SOURCE
International Soccer Academy
Related Links
https://internationalsocceracademy.com
USA cooperation: U18s team arrive at Schalke
It’s been an exciting few days for the 21 young Americans that have been training at Schalke since Thursday (12/8) as part of a cooperation with the International Soccer Academy (ISA), with the talents from the United States taking part in four sessions, playing their first game and also getting a closer look at the VELTINS-Arena on a stadium tour.
FC Schalke 04 and International Soccer Academy Launch Integrated Academy With American Youth From Across the USA
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its ongoing mission to provide a solid pathway for elite players aspiring to play abroad, International Soccer Academy (https://internationalsocceracademy.com/) has announced today the inaugural group of 22 U.S. players who have moved to the FC Schalke 04 (https://schalke04.de/) campus in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and will immerse themselves in the professional environment for the duration of the 2021-2022 football season. FC Schalke 04 scouts finalized the roster selection after an extensive nationwide search and thorough online evaluation process.
Proud to partner, FC Schalke 04 and International Soccer Academy offers a solid pathway for players aspiring to play abroad and who dream of becoming a professional soccer player like Matthew Hoppe
Coached by UEFA A licensed coaches hired by FC Schalke 04, the groundbreaking International initiative focuses on the inaugural Under-18 team of elite U.S. youth soccer players training at the famed Knappenschmiede and competing against regional academy teams.
“We have had good experiences with Matthew Hoppe and Weston McKennie,” said Mathias Schober, Director of Knappenschmiede and Development. “When the opportunity came up to partner with International Soccer Academy, we saw the chance to further strengthen our position on the American market. It’s also a great challenge for our coaches to train an international team and develop the young U.S. players, but also themselves.”
Schalke has appointed Jens Grembowietz as the full time head coach leading the group of young Americans. Grembowietz, a former Schalke Academy and FC Schalke 04 II player also suited up for Dynamo Dresden and Preußen Münster before retiring in 2016 to become a coach.
“I am very much looking forward to my new task and am excited to get to know the team soon,” Grembowietz said. “Training with the young U.S. talents for a whole year is also a completely new experience for me. In addition to intensive training sessions and games, I expect that we will have a lot of fun. It is also important for me to bring the players closer to the German and especially the Ruhr culture.”
2021-2022 U-18 International Soccer Academy-FC Schalke 04 Integrated Academy Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Cameron Hein (Frostburg, MD), Alec Laible (Rock Hill, SC)
DEFENDERS (3): Alex Hafer (Kingsville, MD), Tidiane Keita (Montreal, Canada), Jaime Villanueva (Tualatin, OR)
MIDFIELDERS (13): Dillon Bardhi (Scarsdale, NY), Pedro Bottene (Oxford, Michigan), Christian Chandler (San Antonio, TX), Jake Chung (Bellevue, WA), Reece Gaylor (Texarkana, Texas), Trace Higham (Acworth, GA), Andres Lopez (Chula Vista, CA), Antonios Loukas (Lake Worth, FL), Paolo Millan (Delray Beach, FL), Gavin Müns (Gig Harbor, WA), Christian Poehlein (Pennington, NJ), Christian Rodriguez (Port Orange, FL), Joseph Teutimez (Cypress, CA)
FORWARDS (4): Keiquon Aaron (Brooklyn, NY), Alex Cole (South Orange, NJ), Michael Divano (Bremerton, WA), Colin McGinnity (Colbert, WA)
Julian Kaliczok is the assistant coach, and is also a former Schalke Academy player. He has coached previously at SpVgg Erkenschwick, DFB Base Gelsenkirchen and VfB Waltrop.
“I am looking forward to accompanying the boys as assistant coach for a year and observing their development,” Kaliczok said. “Developing talent is an exciting task and I am curious to see what we can achieve during our time together.”
The Integrated Academy players will live at the 4-star stays by friends Gelsenkirchen, a 5-minute walk from the Schalke stadium and training fields.
“We are happy to welcome these players,” said Kai Brock, FC Schalke 04 Project Manager.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SOCCER ACADEMY (www.internationalsocceracademy.com):
Founded by Eddie Loewen and Diane Scavuzzo, International Soccer Academy is the world’s leading youth soccer to professional career bridging program, with an ongoing mission to provide a solid pathway for elite players aspiring to play abroad. Providing real, authentic and expert development opportunities with top European professional soccer clubs, International Soccer Academy is focused on developing successful players who are driven to reach their goals of signing a professional contract, or play Division 1 soccer.
Since inception of the first session in October 2020, four International Soccer Academy players have signed contracts to be paid to play soccer in Europe.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Diane Scavuzzo – Co-Founder
diane@internationalsocceracademy.com
+1-858-531-8300
SOURCE
International Soccer Academy
Related Links
https://internationalsocceracademy.com
International Soccer Academy Appoints Thomas Caughlin as Marketing Director for the Integrated Academy at FC Schalke 04
SAN DIEGO (July 22, 2021) – International Soccer Academy is pleased to announce the hiring of Thomas Caughlin as the on-site Marketing and Communications Director & Player Advisor for the inaugural Integrated Academy team at FC Schalke 04 kicking off in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on August 11, 2021.
This groundbreaking Integrated Academy brings together a carefully selected team of American soccer players born 2003/04 who were all approved by FC Schalke 04 scouts to live, train and compete in Germany at FC Schalke 04, one of the most successful youth soccer academies. The team will be integrated into the legendary academy known as The Knappenschmiede, opening the door for talented footballers from America to be coached exclusively by Schalke coaches and compete against other Bundesliga academy teams.
“I am honored and humbled to join International Soccer Academy,” Caughlin said. “This is such a tremendous opportunity for these young athletes, and I am looking forward to doing everything I can to help each player achieve their development goals and have a memorable experience. I am confident that there will be many doors opened over the next nine months for this group of elite players aspiring to play abroad.”
This joint program was created to provide American youth soccer players with a solid pathway for those aspiring to play abroad. For the first time ever, and for a full academic year, the top youth soccer players will follow the methodology of the Schalke player development program that mirrors how the club trains their youth players.
As International Soccer Academy’s Marketing and Communications Director, Caughlin will cover the team’s experiences and the players’ development, reporting through the International Soccer Academy website and social media channels. Caughlin will also tell the story of the Integrated Academy and its players on a broader scale, leading the domestic and international public relations efforts.
Prior to joining International Soccer Academy, Caughlin served as a Press Officer for U.S. Soccer and worked with hundreds of youth players and closely with many of today’s Senior National Team members, including Josh Sargent, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest and Tim Weah, as well as former Youth National Team coaches Tab Ramos, John Hackworth, Shaun Tsakiris, Brad Friedel and Omid Namazi. Caughlin also worked hand in hand with the now defunct U.S. Soccer Development Academy and each of U.S. Soccer’s Sport Development departments, including High Performance, Talent Identification, Coaching Education and Referee Programs.
As the on-site Player Operations Advisor, Caughlin will live in the same hotel as the players, working to ensure player well-being and academic excellence.
Caughlin also worked for the San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XLVIII, KUSI-TV San Diego, Learfield Sports and the University of San Diego and has covered sports at the high school, college, amateur and professional levels.
Caughlin holds a BA from University of San Diego and an MBA from San Diego State University.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SOCCER ACADEMY (www.internationalsocceracademy.com): Founded by Eddie Loewen and Diane Scavuzzo in 2020, International Soccer Academy is the world’s leading youth soccer to professional career bridging program, with an ongoing mission to provide a solid pathway for elite players aspiring to play abroad. Providing real, authentic and expert development opportunities with top European professional soccer clubs, International Soccer Academy is focused on developing confident and successful players that are driven to reach their goals, whether that is to sign a professional soccer contract in Europe or the United States, or play Division 1 soccer.
To date, four International Soccer Academy players have signed contracts to be paid to play soccer.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Diane Scavuzzo
Co-Founder
diane@internationalsocceracademy.com
+1-858-531-8300
Thomas Caughlin
Marketing and Communications Director
Player Operations Advisor – FC Schalke 04
thomas@internationalsocceracademy.com
Ab August begrüßen die Knappen 20 junge US-Amerikaner in der Nachwuchsabteilung
#schmiede ✖️ International Soccer Academy
— Knappenschmiede (@knappenschmiede) June 20, 2021
Ab August begrüßen die Knappen 20 junge US-Amerikaner in der Nachwuchsabteilung 👋#S04 | 🔵⚪ | #InternationalSoccerAcademy