16-year-old phenom Mathis Albert makes history and turns heads. USMNT stardom next?
Mathis Albert is the latest gem in Borussia Dortmund's academy, a place that has helped cultivate some of the top American talent in recent years.
It's impossible to say if Mathis Albert will end up surpassing the careers of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, but the Borussia Dortmund teenager has already one-upped the U. S. national team pair in one aspect.
Albert made his Borussia Dortmund debut on April 26 in a 4-0 win over Freiburg, becoming the youngest American to ever play in the Bundesliga at 16 years, 11 months and 12 days old. The record had been held by Reyna, who was 17 years, 2 months and 5 days when he debuted for Dortmund in 2020. Reyna was two months younger than previous record-holder Pulisic, who set the mark with his own Dortmund league debut in 2016.
Following in the footsteps of some of his country's biggest names, Albert tried to take the moment in at Signal Iduna Park, one of European soccer's most iconic stadiums. "I was honestly just star struck in front of the 80,000 [fans], in front of the Yellow Wall," he told USA TODAY Sports. "It just felt like history.
"It's a feeling I couldn't really even describe, because I was just so in the moment. I was nervous, but my nerves kind of went away as soon as I entered the pitch. "To be the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga is honestly an amazing feeling, especially with this club.