Matthew Hoppe: USMNT match-winner.

Written by Martin, @MartinLFC_, on July 26th 2021.

An introduction.

The United States came into their match against Martinique on Thursday knowing that simply winning would secure a spot in the Gold Cup knockout stage. While this seemed to be all at stake for the U.S., their lineup revealed there was much more on the line than 3 points. The starting XI averaged 5 caps each, and at an age of 23 years, the match was an opportunity for a number of young Americans to stake their claim with the national team.

20-year-old Matthew Hoppe's performance was in a position much wider than the centre-forward is used to. Always looking to get the ball forward, Hoppe showcased his tremendous dribbling skills, a quality further underlined by his 100% dribble success rate. He was active in the press winning 5 duels and assisted Daryl Dike for the first goal of the night before coming off in the 58th minute. USMNT Coach Gregg Berhalter was more than impressed by Hoppe, saying post-match, “He did an excellent job… We had him slated as a winger and he played as an attacking mid and in the pocket sometimes, sometimes running behind. It’s not easy to take in all that information and perform as well as he did. He also showed quality.”

It looked so easy, but Hoppe’s performance was not simply a result of god-given talent; Instead, it was a testament to his willingness to seize opportunities and his driven mentality that had been forged from the beginning of his football career.

A native of Orange County, California, Hoppe remembers starting football at an early age: “I started playing soccer at the age of four and he instantly fell in love with it.” Coached by his Dad, Matthew played in local leagues before joining his first travel team, FC Golden State, at the age of 10. Hoppe won many tournaments with the club, but the success did not come without struggle. “I would drive forty minutes one way which was a very difficult and long process,” he recalls. It was his first mental test in football, a challenge that barely fazed Hoppe.

At the age of 13, Hoppe made his first real step into the world of high-level football when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy Academy. But no sooner had Matthew opened the door than it was slammed in his face. Overshadowed in midfield by prodigious talent like Efrain Alvarez (already a youth international) and undersized at just 5’ 4”, Hoppe was cut after just one year with the Galaxy.

Coming back stronger.

The rejection, however, did little to discourage Hoppe who joined Strikers FC. He came to the Fresno-based club driven by a burning desire to play football in Europe, a mindset that led to his rapid technical development. That combination of ambition and technical qualities was spotted by the club’s Technical Director Don Ebert.

Ebert has developed many European-based U.S. players from Bobby Wood to Benny Feilhaber, and believed Hoppe had all the technical qualities needed to one day succeed in Europe. “If you’re not crystal clear with your first touch, they’ll laugh you out of Europe. Matty’s first touch was immaculate, and he had it with both feet. He could dribble at full speed with his head up and the ball wasn’t going anywhere,”

And while Hoppe had yet to physically develop, his qualities as an athlete were already clear to Ebert: “Matty’s movement was effortless. With other kids, they’re straining and sprinting and you can see the look on their faces. He just runs.”

But most importantly, Hoppe possessed the right mentality one needs to make it in Europe: “You have to be humble and you have to just be that American work-a-holic. When I saw Hoppe do that, I was like, ‘Oh, this kid, now if he wants it he can get it.’”

Hoppe came into his own as a playmaking number 10, and was continuously challenged by playing with older age groups. In 2017, Hoppe made his first trip to Europe with Ebert & a few of his Striker teammates. It was a two-week tour of Germany where they trained at Bundesliga Academies and received elite coaching. Ebert was initially unsure what to expect from Hoppe in Germany, but any and all doubt was erased by the end of the tour.

“Hoppe was raw and I wasn’t sure if he was ready. So we went over and I watched him tear up training sessions. But I wasn’t sure if he wanted it. At the end of the trip, Matt said, ‘Okay, this is all I want to do. I want to play in Europe.'" Elbert said.

Barca Academy.

Hoppe returned from Germany with a renewed focus, a change to his mentality that coincided with a change in his club. He received and accepted an invitation to join the new Barca Residency Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona. Opening in August 2017, it would become Barcelona’s “only full-time youth residency academy” [besides La Masia itself] and was an opportunity Hoppe could not pass up. Although moving hours away and joining a new club already were massive changes Hoppe needed to adjust to, there was still one big change in store.

“Hoppe came in as a No. 10,” Sean McCafferty, Hoppe’s coach at the Residency Academy recalls. “But his movement in behind, ability to run with the ball & be direct - he was brave and courageous and every time he was on the ball he’d go to goal. It stood out.” And now at age 16, he finally began to develop physically and the once 5’4” Hoppe is now over 6’. “He was tall and wiry, an intense runner,” said McCafferty. “When we looked at his physique and saw his aggressiveness in the box, we knew he should play for us a striker.”

The positional change also fit Hoppe’s already obvious goal-scoring talent. In his last season with Strikers FC (16/17), he was the club’s leading goal scorer with 16 goals. During the Barca Academy tryouts, Hoppe was asked to fill in at striker and bagged two goals in 10 minutes. Even though the talent was clearly there, Hoppe initially found the new role difficult. But he doubled down and continued to put in the work when all of sudden the goals started flowing. Hoppe finished the season with 24 goals in 30 games, the 4th highest in the U.S. Development Academy (DA) U-16/17. He also received DA West Conference Best XI Honors and was named a 2018 United Soccer Coaches Youth All-American. “His finishing is exceptional,” said McCafferty. “He’s quick, willing, runs in behind, energy with the ball is constant, he can press; He has all the attributes of a top no. 9.”

The hype surrounding Hoppe continued into the following season, as professional clubs and universities came down to Arizona in an attempt to secure Hoppe’s services after his eventual graduation in the summer of 2019. In November, despite interest from MLS clubs, Hoppe announced his commitment to San Diego State University. Making this decision meant Hoppe could focus solely on football, where he proceeded to go above and beyond the standards he set the year prior. He was the DA’s U-18/19 top scorer with 29 goals and had the nation’s highest goals-per-match ratio (1.45). Hoppe’s fall commitment did little to quell interest as more and more scouts from Europe could be found on the Barca sidelines every week as the season went on. As the interest grew, the chance to play in Europe was too attractive an opportunity for Hoppe to ignore.

Once the season ended, Hoppe went to La Masia & scored in a friendly off an Ansu Fati assist. That summer, Hoppe went to Germany and had trials at Wolfsburg and Schalke. Schalke were more than impressed by the American, offering him a contract that he signed in a heartbeat. “Telling [SDSU coaches] I was going pro was tough, but they were super excited and gave me great advice,” Hoppe said. “I’ve always wanted to play professional soccer. It was my dream ever since I was young to play in Europe.”

The Dream turned into Reality.

Hoppe joined Schalke in July 2019, where he was initially put with the U-19 squad. which celebrates hard work and determination. “We are famous for hard-working men. We love this attitude. Maybe you don’t fulfil every technical area, but you invest, are positive, natural, direct,” explains Schalke technical director Peter Knäbel. “We love those people here 𑁋 to be open-minded, interested in learning.” Hoppe’s mentality aligned perfectly, a spirit that had been built back on the fields of Fresno. “It was obviously a no-brainer to come here,” said Hoppe. I think the club fits me because I work hard - That’s one of my best attributes.”

Hoppe spent the season slowly improving and adjusting to Germany, scoring 5 goals in 20 appearances with the U-19s before COVID-19 shut down the world. He returned home to California and continued to dedicate himself to football amid the uncertainty of a global pandemic. “I’d wake up at six every morning to train, and would train two to three times a day… I was able to come back to Schalke sharper and fitter than I’d ever been. I don’t think I’ve worked harder in my whole life than those four months.”

Upon his return to Germany, his hard work was rewarded with a promotion to Schalke II, the club’s reserve team in the German 4th division. Hoppe was a regular from the start of the 20/21 season and had his performances rewarded by first-team coach Manuel Baum. Baum gave the 19-year-old his first-team debut in late November against Borussia Monchengladbach, where he started in a 4-1 defeat. He made two more appearances as a substitute in December but with Schalke bottom of the league, Baum was sacked.

His replacement, Christian Gross, gave Hoppe a chance in his second match with Schalke as the 19-year-old started against Hoffenheim on January 9th. In the 42nd minute, Hoppe broke the deadlock with a beautiful chip over Hoffenheim keeper Oliver Baumann to get his first Schalke goal. The goal seemed to energize the California Kid, as he coolly rounded Baumann in the 57th minute to bag his second and added another with a beautiful outside of the foot finish 5 minutes later. A hat trick in an eventual 4-0 win, a monumental moment for Hoppe personally but also for his club as Schalke snapped a 30 game winless streak. He became the youngest Schalke player to score a Bundesliga hattrick, and the third-youngest hat trick scorer across the Bundesliga, Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, and La Liga.

Already an impressive feat, Hoppe scored in Schalke’s next two matches before netting his final goal, and his first assist, in May against Frankfurt.

Hoppe’s meteoric rise was being watched closely back home as well. Hoppe had never been involved with any of the U.S. Youth National Teams but had been in contact with USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter since his debut in November. Berhalter described Hoppe’s hattrick game as “an amazing performance,” and emphasized how this was “just the beginning” for the 19-year-old: “Now, it’s about continuing to perform…I think he’s got a good mindset and he’s ready to do that.” If he did that, Berhalter claimed that Hoppe “will certainly get a chance.” Hoppe received his first international call up in May 2021 and was an unused sub in a friendly against Switzerland. While he missed out on the Nations League, Hoppe was included in the Gold Cup roster where he had the chance to make his impact with the national team.

Now aged 20, Hoppe understands when an opportunity presents itself you must seize it with both hands and make it your moment. His desire to go above and beyond what he has already accomplished is unwavering, underlined by his comments Thursday: “I wanted to show the country and the world what I can do on an international level.” And while the hype around the California native continues to grow, his concentration and mentality remain bulletproof: “There’s obviously pressure there,” said Hoppe. “I notice it but try not to think too much about it. You just have to focus on what you have to do and that’s all you can do. [Overthinking] happens sometimes. You just have to do your best to keep moving forward and not think about it.” Whether accomplishments or failures, Matthew Hoppe pays no mind to the past and what already was. He focuses solely on what’s in front of him, a commitment to constant progression. It is this attitude that created the player that he is today, and is why his potential is absolutely limitless.

Written by Martin, @MartinLFC_.