Player To Watch: Twenty Year Old American Soccer Player Signs To Play Second Season For Germany’s Greifswalder FC
Joe Joe Richardson was a youth soccer player from Washington state who dreamed of playing soccer in Europe. He has just signed his second contract to play soccer for the recently promoted club Greifswalder FC in Germany.
Twenty-year-old attacking midfield Joe Joe Richardson is a student at New York University, or perhaps more accurately, a college student on leave from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
One of U.S. News & World Report’s “10 Best Business Schools for Finance,” graduates of NYU’s Stern usually earn $225,000 plus after graduation … but what is more important than a lucrative career in finance? Being a footballer. Richardson has put his career path in investment banking on hold to follow his soccer dreams. 
During the early days of the pandemic when classes went virtual, Richardson joined the prestigious International Soccer Academy gap year program in Mallorca, Spain to take his game to the next level.
After several months of impressing International Soccer Academy co-founder Eddie Loewen and Associate coach Holger Gehrke, a former Bundesliga goalkeeper at FC Schalke 04 who became a national team coach, Richardson was approved for going on trials with LA Liga, Bundesliga and other European soccer clubs.
Gehrke, a former head coach of FC Köln, recommended Richardson, who accepted a roster spot in Germany at Greifswalder FC along side his International Soccer Academy teammate, Michael Scavuzzo, a striker.
International Soccer Academy teammate Bleon Salihu was also offered a roster spot and joined Richardson at Greifswalder FC. All three American youth soccer players were proud to sign their first contracts to be paid to play the game they loved. At 19 years of age, they moved from the USA to Germany.
In 2022, International Soccer Academy had arranged over 65 trials for its talented soccer players and a total of 15 soccer contracts.
Related News: JoeJoe Richardson at International Soccer Academy
Although the average age of the 25-member squad at Greifswalder FC was 25 and approximately 80% of the players were European, with the majority being German, the three American players performed well.
Among the youngest players on the team, Richardson was one of the highest goal scorers and clearly made an impact on the field, helping his team become promoted to the next league.
Diane Scavuzzo: How would you describe your first year?
JoeJoe Richardson: I will always remember my first year in Greifswald. I came into a team, Greifswalder FC, that allowed me to grow in my first year of men’s football and improve daily.
Diane Scavuzzo: Scoring 12 goals for your team, you were the lead goal scorer … As an American soccer player on a German team, how did this make you feel?
JoeJoe Richardson: I did score twelve goals and was the leading scorer until last week, when my teammate from Ghana, Peterson Appiah, passed me by one.
Obviously, I enjoy scoring goals—and helping the team is one of the most exhilarating aspects of football—but being the top scorer is never too important.
In the last game, I had an opportunity to score a goal, but I decided to pass to Appiah instead because I thought he had a better chance.
For me, where the goals are coming from is not so important. It is how my team performs on the field.
Diane Scavuzzo: What was it like playing in Volksstadion, Greifswald’s stadium that seats just under 5,000 fans?
JoeJoe Richardson: It’s just great. I am thrilled to have had a successful season and proud to have helped my team win the league.
Diane Scavuzzo: What are your goals for the future? Right now, are you focusing on your career as a professional footballer?
JoeJoe Richardson: Yes. My goal for the future is to help Greifswald get promoted again within the next two years. I know this is a difficult challenge, and people may laugh, but I go into every match believing I can win.
For a more personal goal, I hope to continue moving up divisions and playing at the highest level possible.
Diane Scavuzzo: What was the hardest part of the past year? Be away from home?
JoeJoe Richardson: The most challenging part of the year was the three weeks after the Winter break — I had returned from being back in America for the holidays. The German winters can be dark and difficult, especially after leaving all my family.
This was the first time in my life I felt genuinely homesick. It was very tough. I have traveled extensively, and I never thought I would be homesick.
Diane Scavuzzo: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
JoeJoe Richardson: My biggest challenge was working on staying positive and getting through feeling homesick last January.
Diane Scavuzzo: As an American footballer, what do you miss most from the states? Any special foods?
JoeJoe Richardson: Mexican cuisine is the food I miss the most.
Diane Scavuzzo: And finally, when your team won the last match and knew it would be promoted, how did you feel? It was a tough road, with the tight promotion race in the northern Oberliga Nordost continuing until the very end of the season. What was it like?
JoeJoe Richardson: Winning that final game was a very special moment. Promotion is something that we don’t fully understand in America, I think.
Then when you are here and see the emotions of the people from the city, you start to understand. There were so many people crying of joy and saying they never thought they would see Greifswald in the Regionalliga … for them, it was like a dream.
To be a part of this achievement will always be special.
Joe Joe Richardson
According to Gehrke, “JoeJoe played a great season last year. With the promotion of his team, he can now take the next step.” Chris Ketels, International Soccer Academy program director in Mallorca, said, “JoeJoe was always highly focused, dedicated, and highly talented. We all wish him continued success and the very best.”
Flash back to when Joe Joe Richardson joined International Soccer Academy’s program in Mallorca, Spain.
