Julian Buescher’s career in Germany was coming to a slow halt.

He had once started a game in front of 30,104 fans, getting a taste of what it’d be like to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a professional German soccer player — his highest career point. But after that, he’d been relegated to the bench, spending more time there than on the field.

He had friends who had failed professionally and were now struggling. His mother asked if he was doing the right thing, still trying to make it to that level. Finally, Buescher decided enough was enough and put his professional aspirations on pause.

“It is what it is,” he said, looking down at the ground and his voice trailing off. “I decided not to stay and to fight at that point.”

After pursuing professional soccer for two years, the 22-year-old Buescher, a player once tagged as the top midfielder in the U-19 German Bundesliga, came to America to play collegiate soccer. He’s traded the 40,000 seat stadiums in Germany for SU Soccer Stadium’s 1,500-person metal bleachers. The decision has paid off.

His time on the bench has been swapped out for a starring role as the leading scorer for a Syracuse team that’s headed to the first Elite Eight in program history. On Tuesday, he was named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, an award for the nation’s top player. And his career, once reaching a dead end in Germany, has found a new path through Syracuse.

“He’s an exciting player … and has the ability to be a game changer,” Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said. “… It’s worked out great on both sides.”

Buescher’s time at Syracuse began “kind of depressing.” It was January, cold and dreary. He couldn’t talk with most people, including his new teammates, because of the language barrier.

Nods of yes and no served as his only tools of communication when former Syracuse goalie Alex Bono’s family drove him around to show him the area.

Everything was new, but soccer was the same. Hours alone juggling soccer balls in Manley Field House helped Buescher escape.

His technical ability was what Syracuse associate head coach Jukka Masalin had seen in highlight videos during the recruiting process. For the rest, Masalin relied on managers in Germany and “dear friends” that he asked to watch the future star play and train about six times — unbeknownst to Buescher.

What came back were reports of an undisciplined player compared to the rest of the parts of the German machine. He was lightweight, too, and lacked athleticism.

But what he did have was the innate technical ability and a wealth of untapped potential. It was enough for Masalin and Syracuse to pull the trigger on a guy they had never seen play in person — a first for the staff, he thinks — and who was desperate to enroll right away to not lose a year of eligibility after his gap year.

“We got so much information on him at the end of it and we had to make a quick decision,” Masalin said.

Buescher had only decided to look at American schools a few months prior at the suggestion of Matthew Taylor, a teammate in Germany who had played at UCLA and in Major League Soccer before going international.

He spoke with UCLA and other big soccer schools, but their interest vanished because he hardly knew English. Then the Orange came along and within six weeks of committing, he arrived in Syracuse, a 20-year-old freshman.

Senior Juuso Pasanen referred to him as the grandpa of the team and Buescher, now a sophomore, calls himself a fourth-year senior. Two years at the semi-professional level gave him more experience than a typical freshman, but the clock was ticking on his career.

“I come here and realize that I have to get the work done. I’m really late,” Buescher said. “I don’t want to waste another year.”

The first thing to do was get stronger and faster. He spent time in the weight room and began his first season as the fittest player on the team, Masalin said. Though he couldn’t do any pushups when he arrived, he can manage a few now.

His freshman season was a slight disappointment, he said, with no goals and just five assists despite starting every game. The Orange didn’t need him to be the go-to point producer.

This year, it has, and the result has been a team-leading 27 points — eight goals and 11 assists. Two assists, including a spin move inside the penalty box and a slick pass to defender Louis Cross, pushed SU past Dartmouth on Nov. 22.  Another assist on Saturday sent the Orange to the Elite Eight.

Disclaimer: This video contains explicit language

“We saw that he has potential to be a fricken hell of a player and he’s starting to answer those questions now,” Masalin said. “I think he’s got more in his locker and he needs to be pushed in that way.”

Buescher originally considered returning to Germany after school, but he seems to have put that aside to make a career in the United States.

He worked out with five different MLS teams during the summer, spending a week with each.

“I like America,” he said. “Let’s just say that.”

Buescher, made fun of most for the way he says words with “th,” doesn’t have many pieces of Germany with him. He just has some customs and traditions, like his natural aversion to peanut butter, and a pair of sandals with the German national flag printed across the strap.

His roots are evident in his accent and his play on the field. But Germany is where his career stalled. He’s left that behind and created a renewed dream in the U.S.

“I just went a different way,” Buescher said. “I wont regret it because I made the decision and I go fully for it. It could be different, could be not. You never know.”

Published on December 1, 2015 at 9:12 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus