Kyle Frudakis wanted a challenge, and he found it in Germany.

The 15-year-old from Florida spent most of his life playing at a very high level in Florida, and then on the national club soccer scene until this past summer when an opportunity to play in Europe presented itself.

After playing for a season with IMG U14 in the Development Academy, Frudakis and his father looked for other options.

“I enjoyed the U14 DA but  . . . I also wanted to experience other styles of play where the backs are more involved in the buildup and attack,” Frudakis told TopDrawerSoccer. “The idea came to mind to play somewhere in Europe and my father and I found IFX online.”

IFX or International Futbol X-Change is self-described as a “leading international soccer organization, providing professional, amateur, and youth players with international soccer exchange programs.”

Given Frudakis’ pedigree, the scouts elected to have him train with top-level clubs while he was in Europe.

“The idea was if I did not make the team, we could consider it a summer camp abroad,” he said.

He didn’t need to worry about that though. Frudakis made quite the impression on the coaches and was offered a youth contract with German Regionalliga (youth 2. Bundesliga) team FC Frankfurt for one year.

Frudakis, born in 1999, is the starting right back with the club’s U17 team while playing up two age groups. He is the only American at the club, which is a semi-pro, residential youth academy.

Frudakis landed the spot after a two-week try-out in August. The German club was not the only academy to express interest in the defender. He was part of a camp in Rome, Georgia in July for FC Utrecht. The Dutch club invited him to an Elite ID Camp in Holland in the spring.

The youngster is still getting adjusted to life in Germany after his first two months in Europe.

“The hardest thing for me was to get settled in,” Frudakis said. “It was extremely hard since all the rules are different here in Germany. There are so many things you have to get done and it’s very stressful. My team’s organizer was very kind to help me and my dad figure out how to get me settled in. But after that it’s still a challenge because my days are very tight – as soon as school is out I go right to the train station. Getting settled in was the most difficult thing for me here, but I’m glad I stuck with it and got through it.”

Adjustments on the field have not been quite as difficult as Frudakis has fit in well with the club’s style of play.

“The play here is very fast and more intelligent,” he said. It’s always very quick passing, but it’s not always safe passes. We are always looking for a good ball behind the back line and to cause danger for the other side. You do not see the game go back and forth with bad passes or sloppy dribbles. Teams here usually lose the ball when they try to make a dangerous ball because the defenders here can read the game very well. Also, there is never just one guy who dribbles every time he get the ball and tries to take on all 11. Here the German players are all parts of a perfect machine that work efficiently and quickly toward a specific purpose.”

While Frudakis has established himself as a key part of the team at the early stage of the season, his long-term future is still to be decided.

“My youth contract is for one year,” he said. “Maybe in the future, both the coach and I will extend it.”

Frudakis is also a former participant of the TDS Combine in Raleigh where he attracted some interest from some local college coaches. The TDS Combine is an elite recruiting event for high school-age players looking for exposure in front of local college coaches.

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