For the best players in the United States, turning 18 is milestone different than most of their peers.

While many 18 year olds prepare for college, whether to play soccer or not, it’s the minimum age required for non-European Union passport holders to sign in Europe.

U.S. goalkeeper Brady Scott recently jumped at the chance to head to Europe when he hit that age milestone, signing with FC Köln in Germany in lieu of an opportunity at the University of Virginia.

A plethora of reasons pulled the California native and De Anza Force product towards Germany, and part of that came down to the country’s track record of developing goalkeepers.

“Germany produces world-class goalkeepers including Manuel Neuer, Marc-André Ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp, Timo Horn, and Bernd Leno,” Scott told topdrawersoccer.com. “Specifically at FC Köln, the club has recently produced Timo Horn and Sven Müller, who have both been developed through their academy. So there is a clear path to the first team and the club likes to sign their own products.”

Scott’s stock with the U.S. youth national team setup has surged in 2017. A veteran of numerous U18 and U19 camps dating back to 2016, Scott leveraged those chances to enhance his development, setting himself up for the opportunity in Germany.

“My experiences with the youth national teams have helped me immensely,” he said. “The experiences of playing at the international level have been a key in my development. Because of these games, I feel that the adjustment to German soccer will be significantly easier. I’ve had the opportunity to work with national team GK coaches, Des Mcaleenam, Brad Friedel and Tony Meola over the past year. They have helped me both on the field and been there for consult about this next step.”

Along with the opportunities in camp, Scott worked his way onto the U20 World Cup roster this year. Born in 1999, he traveled to South Korea as the third goalkeeper in May, with one eye towards the 2019 World Cup.

Rooming with one of the other younger players on the team - Josh Sargent - Scott trained alongside starting goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, who recently signed with Hertha Berlin, and backup goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski.

“The dynamic of myself, JT and Jonathan was very positive for me,” Scott said. “They both were super nice guys and I learned a lot from both of them. After going to this past U20 world cup, I feel like I will much more prepared for (hopefully) the next opportunity with my age group in 2019.”

In the wake of the World Cup, Scott turned his eye towards pursuing opportunities abroad. He had trialed with Koln prior to the trip to South Korea, and had an offer on the table. He had visited other clubs in Germany and in England as well, with each stop an eye-opening experience.

“It took some time to adjust to the speed of play but once I had done that it was very enjoyable,” he said. “Being called up to US U19 and U20 national teams over the past year helped prepare me for the trials as well. The European trials were very influential in my development and exposed me to many different styles and techniques of goalkeeping.”

Coupling Koln’s track record of moving goalkeepers through the academy, part of the draw to that club was the chances to compete in the German Fourth Division for the reserve team, along with competing at the U19 age group.

Scott is excited about the move abroad, after working towards the goal of turning pro. The club will provide German lessons with the aim to help make things as easy as possible.

Signing a three-year deal, Scott is tempering his expectations as he jumps into a new challenge.

“My football goals for the first season with Köln are to get as many games as possible and to improve as much as possible,” he said. “Within the next few years, I will do my best to earn a spot on the first team. I’m hoping to still be able to be a part of the US National team program and represent my country.”

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