COLE CAMPBELL: THE NEWLY-RECRUITED USMNT STARLET TRYING TO FOLLOW IN CHRISTIAN PULISIC AND GIOVANI REYNA'S FOOTSTEPS AT BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Where it all began

Campbell was born in Houston to parents with deep roots in soccer. His mother was an American-born Icelandic international named Rakel Karvelsson. His father was a pharmaceutical executive, Lance Campbell, who also played at the college level. They gave Campbell something of a head start in the sport, for sure.

During his youth, Campbell's family moved to Georgia, where he eventually linked up with the Atlanta United Academy. In 2020, though, the Campbells moved to Iceland to take care of the forward's maternal grandmother. Campbell had spent plenty of his youth in Iceland, visiting during summers. It was a natural transition, on and off the field.

As a player, he continued to grow after signing with Fimleikafeeag Hafnarfjardar, making his first-team debut in 2021 to become the second-youngest player in league history. His rise brought him into the Iceland U-17s, too, where he made several appearances in 2021.

After just two appearances for his club, it was announced that Borussia Dortmund had swooped, sealing a deal that would bring the forward to Dortmund in the summer of 2022. According to Sky, Bayern were also in pursuit of Campbell, who was ultimately convinced by Dortmund legend and current youth coordinator Lars Ricken to don the black and yellow.

The big break

During a short stint with Icelandic side Breidablik prior to his Dortmund move, Campbell took the field against Aron Johannsson, who was suited up on the other side for Valur. Like Campbell, Johannsson was an American-born Icelandic international. He too had his foot in both worlds and, in 2013, Johannsson made what was one of the most important decisions of his life, filing a one-time switch to leave Iceland and join the USMNT, who he would go on to represent at the World Cup one year later.

After that game, the ex-USMNT striker became Agent Johannsson, and he ended up being a vital recruiting tool for the USMNT.

“It's kind of funny,” Campbell told American Soccer Now. “I had never met him before but he came over to me and he was like 'You're Cole, right?' I said yeah. Then, he told me I’ve got to consider playing for the US. I was like, 'Really?' And he said 'It's such a great opportunity. It's such a big, big thing.' He said he would do it all over again if he could. It kind of got me thinking.”

After his move to Dortmund, U.S. Soccer really ignited the recruiting process. He was visited by Marco Mitrovic, the then-U.S. U-19 coach who is now in charge of the Olympic team. From there, it all snowballed, leading Campbell to recently commit to the U.S. with a one-time switch.

“The U.S. came calling and really pursued me. I felt really wanted,” he said. “At the end of the day, I had to just look and say, 'Iceland was good, but the U.S. is a huge opportunity.' I felt like that was what was best for me. That's why I made the switch.”

How it's going

It's safe to say that Campbell's impact on the U.S. program was immediate. Upon filing his one-time switch, he was called into the U.S. U-19 camp for a pair of friendlies against England and Morocco. It didn't take long for him to make his presence felt.

In that first friendly against England, Campbell scored the opening goal just 15 minutes in. He went on to score another shortly after the start of the second half, helping lead the way in a 3-2 win. It was one hell of a first impression.

On the club level, Campbell is also making progress. He's still a part of the Dortmund U-19s, but he has been called up to train with the senior squad on several occasions. He was even included in the club's first-team training camp in Spain during the Bundesliga winter break, showing just how highly he is rated.

Biggest strengths

Primarily deployed as a winger, it's been made quite clear that Campbell is a player who has a knack for contributing to goals. Across 23 appearances for Dortmund's U19s comprising just over 1,500 minutes, Campbell scored three times and racked up nine assists. Those are decent numbers, even for a club like Dortmund that will be outclassing opponents much of the time.

A right-footed player, Campbell is versatile, able to play on either wing or centrally as more of a No.10 if needed. Campbell's movement is fantastic, as are his skills on the ball. He's comfortable taking players on, cutting inside from the wing intending to do damage.

There are few clubs in the world better at developing talent than Dortmund, particularly in attacking areas. Pulsiic, Reyna, Jaden Sancho, Jamie Byneo-Gittens... we won't even get into Jude Bellingham and Erling Halaand.

Campbell clearly has the skills to play at a top level, and he's in the perfect place to evolve those skills in a way that gets him ready for what's ahead.

Room for improvement

We'll start with a big one: maturity.

During Dortmund's winter trip to Spain, Campbell and Paris Brunner were reportedly disciplined for violating their midnight curfew. The two were left out of the squad for a 3-3 draw with Standard Liege and were not seen taking part in public training sessions the prior day.

Now, let's be clear, not every misstep is an indication of a kid's character or attitude. Sometimes, kids do stupid things and, at 18, Campbell is still a kid. In time, he'll learn that he can't put himself in those types of situations, particularly when given such a good chance to impress with the first team.

On the field, he'll obviously need to fill out physically, particularly if he wants to play at a high level in the Bundesliga. Tactically, the Bundesliga is also a massive step up that all young players must adjust to. He'll also likely need to figure out a position and, if it is central, he'll need to be a bit more active on the defensive end.

The next... Gio Reyna?

It's hard to project exactly where Campbell will play once he does reach the top level. Is he athletic and brash enough to play on the wing? Or does his skillset lend itself to playing as a No.10, if the system calls for it?

If that discussion sounds familiar, it's because it is. It's been one centered around Reyna for quite some time. For years, onlookers debated how to get the best out of Reyna, who had been deployed as both a No. 10 and as a wide player. There were positives and negatives for each side, for sure, and the fact that he can do both only adds to his value.

Now, comparing Campbell to Reyna is a bit hasty. The on-loan Nottingham Forest star, despite his struggles, is still one of the most talented prospects American soccer has ever seen. Campbell, at least so far, doesn't seem to have the pure ceiling that Reyna has, even if the latter has struggled to hit it a bit due to a lack of minutes.

However, you can see the similarities. They both make a major impact on the attacking end by scoring and assisting goals. They both can play out wide, but may just project better centrally. And both are rising through the system at Dortmund, a club that clearly sees both as part of their future.

Reyna himself still has plenty to figure out. So does Campbell. Reyna has helped pave the way for the young up-and-comer, though, so it'll be interesting to see how Campbell follows in the footsteps of the Americans who came before him.

What comes next?

For Campbell, the big goal will be building towards a senior debut. Dortmund aren't a club afraid to chuck a player into the deep end no matter the age. Can Campbell make himself the next youngster Dortmund trust enough to give him that chance?

Internationally, Campbell looks set to move to the U.S. U-20s as they begin their qualifying campaign for the next World Cup. That process will begin this summer, as Campbell continues to integrate himself to the national team program.

“I'm actually excited for it,” Campbell told ASN. “If I get the honor of being called up to that squad, I'm feeling confident. I think we did very well against England. The players are great. The coaching staff also. I think we have a good group. I’m looking forward to that.”