Croatia is not normally thought of a destination for emerging talent from the U.S., but that is changing.

Earlier this year, Saalih Muhammad talked to TopDrawerSoccer.com about his move to Dinamo Zagreb and now a few players from Northern California have followed suit.

Santa Clara Sporting winger Gabriel Borges and Atletico Santa Rosa defender Thomas Ziemer are also in Croatia hoping to latch on with Dinamo, but neither has been able to sign with the club yet.

Borges, a 19-year-old, was blocked from signing with Dinamo due to the transfer window closing shortly after his arrival. He currently plays with a third division club in Dubrava that is affiliated with Dinamo while he waits for the window to open up again in January.

“Everything has been going well,” Borges told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “I have been getting positive feedback from the directors of Dinamo so I’m working hard to get back to NK Radnik.”

Radnik is a second division club where Dinamo sends many of its young players to get more experience. Borges trained there for a period before the window closed.

“I’m adjusting to the European style,” Borges continued. “High pace, very physical – the coaches like everything fast and one touch, so you have to be fit and mentally focused.”

The attacking talent was first spotted at a camp in Northern California in a similar manner to how Muhammad was found.

“I was seen at a camp that they do in Northern California, which was run by Peter Burns [a director at Walnut Soccer Club] this year. They helped Muhammed get here and also helped me too. There’s also a couple more young players returning in January from Northern California.”

Borges said that Alex Molano, Muhammad, and Ziemer already being there helped ease his transition into Croatia.

“[They have] helped me learn the language. The culture is very different, but nothing to complain about.”

The gifted winger was born in Goiania, Goias, Brazil and moved to the U.S. at a very young age “because his dad worked in San Francisco.” He says he has dual citizenship.

 Former U.S. U17 Men’s National Team defender Thomas Ziemer is also biding his time in Croatia while waiting on some red tape to clear.

“Right now, nothing is official because the FIFA rules prevent any international player from signing with a club without the family moving over and passing certain criteria,” Ziemer told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “However, I can play in friendly games and intersquad games.”

The defender does have German citizenship though, so his path to the Academy will be cleared up next year.

“When Croatia joins the EU [European Union] next year the plan is to officially join the club,” Ziemer said. “I am playing with the Kadete or under 17s. However, I have played a couple of friendlies with the U19s.”

Ziemer’s path to Dinamo is a bit different from others there. The former Residency Program player went on trial in Germany and was set to join Weder Bremen before the German Federation stopped the move.

“[Weder Bremen] sent in a transfer request to the DFB, but it was rejected because of the FIFA rules so I guess word spread and [Dinamo] liked my resume. They invited me on trial. I’ve done well, so they asked me to stay on a bit.”

The 16-year-old said the adjustment has been easy, but he did struggled with one part of the culture.

“The most difficult thing is the language,” he said. “When I first got here, it sounded like a combination of Russian and gibberish, but I have picked up a little and it’s made things easier.”

Reflecting on his time in Bradenton, Florida with the youth national team, Ziemer pointed to it as an eye-opening experience that helped develop his game.

“It didn’t really end the way I wanted it to, but I think I learned a lot from the experience. It really helped improve my consistency and it gave me a little chip on my shoulder.”

Not returning to Residency has not soured Ziemer on playing with the national team in the future.

“I also hope to get another chance with the national team so that I can prove myself again and represent my country.”