While for many people the chance to live and work in the USA is but a dream, it is something former German internationals Inka Grings and Conny Pohlers were able to realise this year.
Grings laced her boots for Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) inaugural campaign, and Pohlers, who played for Atlanta Beat in 2003, donned Washington Spirit’s colours on loan during her second spell stateside.
“I didn’t want to miss out on playing here these two months,” Pohlers told FIFA.com. “It was the best thing I could have done. In footballing terms it wasn’t very satisfying as we finished bottom, but the whole experience will stay with me. The team, the coach, the city, the place I lived: everything was wonderful.”
Pohlers’ former Germany national team colleague Grings was equally enthusiastic about her time in the NWSL. “Chicago is beautiful and a fantastic city,” she told FIFA.com. “I was happy that we played there [Sonja Fuss also joined her on the team]. It was a great experience for me and in football you always learn something new.”
Culture shock The differences between the styles of play in Europe and America became apparent early on. “In the USA they put a lot more emphasis on athletic ability before getting down to football-specific training,” Grings continued. “It’s exactly the opposite back home. That was noticeable in the matches.
Team moves didn’t develop as I wanted them to. As an attacker you need to receive passes and you need your team-mates. But it seems they learned to play the long-ball game in college and have continued to play that way in the professional game. Fitness-wise it was a huge challenge for me and I must say that I feel physically really good now.”
