Atlanta United’s academy is getting a taste of of European football right in their own backyard this week, as VfB Stuttgart’s U-16 side spends time in the Peach State as part of an internaional exchange trip formed initially from the two clubs’ ties to German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz.
Both players and coaching staff from the two clubs have joined forces at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground over the past week to compare methods and challenges from both a tactical and behind-the-scenes perspective. The Bundesliga club’s U-16 side, 23 players in total, has spent time in training and attending classes with the Atlanta players at the Atlanta International School. They’ll close out their trip with matches against Charlotte FC, Nashville SC, and a finale against Atlanta’s U-16s, which the media team will broadcast via live stream on atlutd.com Sunday at 10 am. The players will afterwards get the chance to watch the first team play in the evening against Sporting Kansas City from Arthur Blank’s suite in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“International matches against top teams from other countries are an important part in our program,” VfB Stuttgart Academy’s Head of Sport Daniel Teufel said in a media roundtable on Thursday. “It’s really important for our players to see different playing styles […] but it’s also really important for for me to hear that the players take part in the lessons at the high school in Atlanta.”
“We don’t want to educate only in football, but we also want to educate them as a person.”
For Atlanta United’s Director of Methodology Javier Perez, the time spent together between the clubs is “something we can all benefit from.” Perez shared that per MLS’s rankings a few weeks ago, Atlanta United’s academy ranked at the top of 152 academies in the U.S. and Canada for performance, a testament to the work and progress the academy has made over the past few years.
“Everything starts at the base. Everything starts at the bottom… the development of the youth is the future of the club.”
That development goes beyond what happens on the pitch, a senitment shared by both sides. “That’s really important for us, for our players to get to know other people, other playing styles, and other cultures.” Teufel said, “because most of our players won’t become professionals.”
“I think we share the same view,” Perez echoed. “Everything is about exposure.” A trip to France when he was 15 opened his eyes to “a different way to perceive not only football, but life, too.”
“I want our players in our academy to be early on their lives exposed to not only the soccer part, but to life itself, because that is what is going to help them to grow.”
The Atlanta and Stuttgart teams have quickly bonded during their time together, while the Stuttgart contingent has marveled at the supermarkets, larger sizes of things, and gyms as part of their exposure to American life. On the field, they’ve noticed some differences between the two cultures as well.
“I think they are really athletic, and isolated technically. I think they have problems in tactics […] they are really well educated, but one of the topics is our tactics,” Teufel said. A coaching development program he saw on an earlier visit to the U.S. was “much different” than in Germany, where rather than individual technical and athletic ability, academies focus more so on training against opponents in small sided drills.
Perez noted that in Atlanta’s academy, they have “incredible athletes… in Europe, we only dream of these types of players. We have some profiles, they could be playing in high level professional football if they have access to the right developement plan.”
“We can think positives: strength, athletics. Negative or weaknesses… mentality. Part of that is culture. Life here is very nice, it’s very easy. When things are easy and nice, and you don’t have to fight as hard for things, we know in football what that means: A lack of hunger, lack of commitment.”
Exposure to different sporting cultures is one way that Atlanta United’s academy players can become stronger in this regard. Talks are happening to reciprocate the visit, including participating in Stuttgart’s youth tournament in the future.
For now, the two sides will meet Sunday morning in what will be an interesting clash of athleticism, tactics, and culture. “While our level is more spread, their level is more homogenous, the ball rolls much faster,” Perez said. “It will be interesting to see the higher level of proficiency versus the individual talent on the field.”