For young American soccer players who dream of playing at the highest levels, making it to Europe is the ultimate goal. 

Unfortunately, US based players chasing their dream of Europe have several hurdles to overcome. FIFA regulations restrict international transfers of players under the age of 18, which means that unless the player has an EU passport, he/she has to miss out on critical and irretrievable development years in what is arguably the best soccer development environment in the world. By 18 years old most players are nearing crossroads of whether to pursue a professional pathway, look to college as the next step, or shift to another lower level altogether. This is not to say that the pathway into Europe is closed but it becomes significantly more difficult.

This is where the Talentprojekt comes in. The Talentprojekt was conceived and created as a way to bridge access for young American soccer players to the advanced and accelerated development environments that European systems have mastered, without violating FIFA laws or compromising NCAA eligibility. 

The Talentprojekt opens doors for top young American talent that were previously closed. A German-based study abroad program, it offers the best of what the European development system has to offer: the opportunity to train twice a day in a high-intensity soccer development environment, exposure to other talented players from around the world, and compete in games against top professional academies. 

“As youth players, levels of raw talent between American and German players aren’t vastly different,” Talentprojekt Founder and CEO Mark Dillon said. “Getting players at the right age and into the right environment to make the most of their soccer talent is absolutely paramount” Dillon says. “By embedding talented American players into the German development system the Talentprojekt seeks to close the gap between American and European players and prove that Americans can compete at the highest levels when given the same advantages and opportunities as their German counterparts. 

The Talentprojekt operates out of Deutsches Fussball Internat (DFI) in Bad Aiblling, Germany, located midway between Munich and Salzburg, Austria. It is a soccer specific boarding school that was converted from a former U.S. Army base. Along with the cultural experience of living and playing abroad, school schedules are flexible to allow two training sessions per day along with weekly matches against regional teams as well as top-tier professional club academies like Bayern Munich, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig to name just a few. 

One player that leveraged his experience with The Talentprojekt into a contract with a German professional team is Micah Ham (pictured), currently playing with the U19 team at FC Ingolstadt. The forward from Georgia contributes his success so far to his five months with Talentprojekt – not just landing him on the radar of the German club, but by improving his skills both technically and tactically, while also helping him adapt to the speed and level of play in Germany.

“The biggest thing about the Talentprojekt is that it will put you in an environment in which your only goal is to play your best and improve” Ham said. “You’re surrounded by wonderful coaches that all want to see you improve your game and will give you the tools to do that”. 

The Talentprojekt’s mission is to create better global citizens both on and off the field. They take a holistic approach to developing the whole person first by establishing professional habits and teaching important life skills like self-management, cultural agility, respect and gratitude. Developing the player is important, but to be really be successful, developing the person must come first. Off the field players, in addition to maintaining high academic standards, are enrolled in mandatory German language classes providing a dual-language element to the experience. Players are also enrolled in a self-paced, U.S.-based virtual school to provide the necessary flexibility in their schedule while still maintaining American school accreditation and NCAA eligibility. 

Obviously, a significant element is the opportunity to face a level of competition that’s not available in the States. This allows players, who are under challenged and typically standouts in their home environment, to develop to their full potential after a few months of training in a professional development system. 

“Over here, they learn the importance of concentrating and being fully-focused from the first whistle to the last” Dillon said. “With time, our players do narrow the performance gap. When you are training intensely twice a day, with direction and intention for each player, you start to see a shift in speed of play, speed of thought, higher levels of fitness and tactical awareness”. 

Added Ham: “it gave me the ability to focus on the weaker aspects of my game and really work hard on them. The games we played put me in different situations that I had to find solutions to”. 

The games themselves are not within a championship competition, but they unlock important opportunities nonetheless. Classified as friendlies, the games are anything but. The American Eagles from the Talentprojekt go into every game with something to prove, and the German teams go into every game wanting to prove they are (still) better than the Americans. The American boys quickly learn about the speed and physicality of the European game while coaches from other clubs are able to see how they match up against their peers from prominent, high-level European clubs. 

Away from the game, the cultural experience of living in another country and learning a new language are some of the more surface-level demands on these young athletes. Then there is the reality of living far away from home, family and friends at a younger age. Ham noted that this helped him to grow off the field as well. 

“I had to take a lot more responsibility, especially being thousands of miles away from home,” he said. “I think that was the big thing. I also had to learn better time management”. “With the schedule we had you couldn’t really do much on the fly so I had to make sure I got done what needed to be done first”

In the near term, the organization continues to work to identify players from the United States with the right combination of talent, potential and motivation to move abroad. Talent ID camps are slated to take place in Northern California in early February with other locations to be announced soon. Dillon and his network of partner clubs, coaches and scouts scour the country looking for the next wave of American talent to leave their mark on Europe.

Moving forward, the organization has announced the launced of Talentprojekt Femmes. Aiming to replicate the model on the girls side, it is tentatively scheduled to be based in France. As the women’s game continues to gain prominence and priority on the global stage, the Talentprojekt is making efforts to offer the same opportunity to young female players looking to expand beyond what the American system can offer. The women’s game has gained significant momentum in the last decade with prominent European clubs now investing in and increasing available resources into their women’s programs. 

Talented young American female athletes will have the same access as their male counterparts to train and compete in the world’s best development system. While details are still pending, the success of the boys program offers a blueprint that can be followed. The program will look to replicate what has worked well to this point, offering young players a platform to make the most of their talent, emphasizing development between the lines and beyond.

Players and families interested in learning more about the program can find more information and complete a pre-screening application on their website at www.talentprojekt.com.