BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — Midfielder
Matthias Heiland earned a spot on the NEC All-Rookie team in 2021 as the LIU men's soccer team claimed the conference title and ultimately earned a win in the NCAA Tournament at Maryland.
He has been spending recent weeks on campus, working at youth camps.
And as the first official practice for the Sharks nears on Aug. 9, the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Heiland again figures to play an integral role.
LIU opens its season Aug. 25 when it hosts Stony Brook.
Heiland scored a pair of goals during his freshman season a year ago — game-winners against La Salle and Mount St. Mary's.
The foundation for that contribution was built in his native Germany.
A 20-year-old from Thuringia, roughly 170 miles southwest of Berlin, Heiland spent four years with German professional club RB Leipzig's youth academy. He won a U17 Bundesliga championship, and played alongside Mads Bidstrup, who currently is with Brentford in the Premier League, as well as Bundesliga players Tom Krauß (Schalke 04) and Noah Katterbach (FC.Köln). Katterbach, currently on loan to Swiss club FC Basel, also plays for the German national team.
Heiland played against Youssoufa Moukoko, currently one of Germany's biggest talents with Borussia Dortmund.
The caliber of soccer proved to be an eye-opening experience, with the chance to showcase his talent alongside Germany's best youth players.
"I played in a tournament when I was young, similar to what you would do in the United States," Heiland said, "and the scouts that found me wanted me to come to RB Leipzig. The academy they built was like a hotel. They had whirlpools and saunas in the locker room, and chefs would cook for you."
Being around those players helped Heiland adopt his challenging style of play.
"Those were important years, and I really learned a lot on the pitch," he said. "I learned how to press, to play aggressive."
Thanks to a successful U16 Leipzig season, Heiland also was invited to participate in the U16 and U17 German national team camps.
It proved another memorable learning experience.
"It was very high-level. I liked it very much," Heiland said. "It was twice-a-day training, very high intensity. I'm very thankful for that experience early in my career."
