Conor Casey grew up in Denver dreaming about playing professional soccer in Europe. He admits he didn't know that much about the leagues of Europe.
''I used to watch old World Cup tapes from 1982 and I knew all the stars played in Europe,'' he says. ''Later, we got an English Premier League highlight show every week. I didn't know much about the German league, although I knew Bayern Munich.''
He entered the University of Portland in 1999, considering it a stepping stone to the pros. MLS never crossed his mind.
''All I ever thought about was Europe,'' he says.
He led the nation in scoring his freshman year. His coach, the late Clive Charles, was also the U.S. Olympic coach and took Casey to the 2000 Games in Australia, where the Americans finished fourth. The burly striker went scoreless, but set up a goal in the opener against the Czech Republic and started all six games. Borussia Dortmund, the most successful German team after Bayern Munich over the last decade, liked what it saw in the burly striker.
When the club called him in Portland after his sophomore season, he packed his bags.
''I went to Portland kind of wanting to leave as soon as possible,'' he says. ''When Clive thought I was ready to go, I would go.''
Now Casey, 22, knows German soccer in detail, having played in each of its top four divisions.
He started with Borussia Dortmund's amateur team in the Third Division. That team was relegated to the Fourth Division for the 2001-02 season, during which Casey reeled off 12 goals in 13 games and drew the attention of Second Division clubs.
Dortmund, the 1997 Champions League winner, loaned him to Hannover 96, where another UP alum, Steve Cherundolo, played.
Casey scored seven goals in 19 games as Hannover ran away with the Second Division title.
''That was a wonderful time,'' Casey says.
Knee, shoulder and muscle injuries limited him to 66 minutes last season with Hannover in the First Division, but he finished with a goal in the season finale.
''At least the season ended well,'' he says.
Dortmund then sent Casey on loan to Second Division Karlsruhe, and Hannover took heat from local media for letting the promising young American go.
Casey scored two goals in his fourth start for Karlsruhe, which last played in the First Division in 1998 before falling on hard times. Karlsruhe, which averages 11,000 for home games, should again be in a tight battle to avoid relegation.
Kicker magazine, which praises Casey's command of German, lauded his heading, his ability to disrupt a defense and the frequency with which he lays good balls off for teammates.
''The key about playing here,'' he says, ''is that if you're not sharp every single day, in games or training, someone else will win your spot.''
by Soccer America Executive Editor Mike Woitalla