An American with professional playing experience in Germany has become an important addition to the staff and mission of United States Football Club.

Jon Spencer, who rose from the ranks of youth soccer in Southern California to a contract with a German professional side, is now U.S.F.C.’s Director of Scouting – responsible for player scouting as the organization continues in its mission to elite American youth players with European ambitions.

Spencer will be leading the effort to identify players for potential overseas options, including this summer’s U.S.F.C. International Showcase in Holland. That event will feature a team of elite American players who will be based at a top European club. The all-star team will train and compete against youth teams of top clubs from Germany, Belgium and Holland in front of a host of coaches and scouts from a myriad of top European clubs.

Spencer, an associate of U.S.F.C.’s Orange County Blue Star coach Nick Theslof, mentioned the large number of contacts he has overseas, as well as his own experience molding him a good fit for the position.

“I’ve experienced the process of getting from America over to Europe. I understand the things players go through,” he said. “You have to have enough skill, but there are also mental, physical and emotional aspects of succeeding, and these are difficult things to do. I think I can effectively portray what people should be expecting, and also identify those players who have that kind of ability to adapt. I can help U.S.F.C. recognize players who won’t see it as a vacation, but who really have the drive to make it as players in Europe. I just wish U.S.F.C. had been there when I was trying to do this as a player.”

U.S.F.C. President Joseph Konowiecki expressed his happiness at Spencer’s joining the organization.

“Jon Spencer understands exactly what the needs are for American soccer and what the overseas opportunity means to players,” Konowiecki said. “His background fits in perfectly with our organization and mission and I’m confident he will be an excellent asset to the entire organization.”

Spencer has played the past 2 ½ seasons for VfR Mannheim in the German Oberliga. Previously he played for a lower division club in the Black Forest and had worked in Europe for Athletes in Action, after spending one season training with the Kansas City Wizards of MLS. He played his college soccer at UC Irvine after a stellar youth career in the Antelope Valley, north of Los Angeles, where he began as a recreational player in AYSO.

Spencer also played alongside Theslof and new Bayern Munich head coach Juergen Klinsmann at U.S.F.C.’s Orange County Blue Star in 2003.

Spencer and his wife have moved back to the United States and he has already begun carrying out his first scouting assignments, including at the USSF Academy Showcase in Frisco, TX in February.

He is convinced the opportunity for American players in Europe is even greater than ever if they can find the right way of approaching the process.

“Soccer in 2008 and beyond is looking for athletic players. You have to be athletic. The most recent World Cup showed us the emergence of an American athletic perspective. You see the influence American athleticism has on the game now,” he said. “A lot of Americans have that from growing up experiencing multiple sports. The ones who are successful in Europe will be those who take their ability and skill and apply it to a technical and tactical environment. The coaches there know Americans can run. Their challenge is can we turn them into football players. I think at U.S.F.C. we have a special ability to identify those players and help convince the European clubs about them.”