Six years ago, Hannover 96 played in the German Third Division and aver-aged 8,116 fans per game. It won promotion to the Second Division for the 1998-99 season, and in January 1999 signed a 5-foot-6, 19-year-old American.

This past season, Steve Cherundolo led Hannover in starts as the team finished 11th in the German First Division and averaged 35,369 in attendance.

Of all the Yanks in Europe, only goalkeeper Brad Friedel of English Premier League Blackburn played in more league games over the past two seasons.

Cherundolo played in 30 games during the 2001-02 season, when Hannover won the Second Division title. He was one of the few players whose starting spot, at right back, was considered a lock when Hannover brought in reinforcements for the top tier.

''I have to say I was very surprised in the difference between the First and Second Division,'' says Cherundolo, 24. ''It was difficult, and we all went into it a bit naive. We lost the first four games of the season.

''We noticed very quickly how much more severely mistakes were punished in the First Division. Bad positioning or a missed pass always seem to give the other team a scoring chance.''

At the season's halfway mark, Hannover was in the relegation zone. But, with the help of midseason signing Fredi Bobic, a German national team forward, Hannover found its form.

''We had to get used to being the team that got attacked, instead always being the attacker,'' says Cherundolo.

In the Second Division, Hannover scored 97 goals in 34 games, 27 more than its nearest rival.

''In the Second Division,'' Cherundolo says, ''I was an offensive right back, almost to a fault. I basically attacked all the time and had to defend only when something broke down. In the First Division, I learned how to be a real defender, and it helped my game tremendously.''

Cherundolo missed only one game, because of a yellow-card suspension.

''His defensive work is regarded as solid, and he's also able to open up the game with solid passes and runs up the right side,'' says Thomas Haeberlein, a reporter for German sports wire service SID. ''He plays unspectacularly but effectively and showed no signs of a slump during the season.''

And Cherundolo was a survivor among the Americans in the German First Division. Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus) and Tony Sanneh (Nuremberg) dropped to the Second Division. Sanneh, who was injured the last half of the season, had started his German stint playing for Champions League and UEFA Cup qualifier Hertha Berlin.

Cory Gibbs suffered his second relegation in two seasons. He had debuted in the First Division in 2001-02 at age 21 and played 25 goals as cash-strapped St. Pauli fell to the second tier. This season it dropped to the amateur Third Division.

''It was frustrating,'' says Gibbs. ''We had three coaching changes in two years. We lost our whole midfield when we went down to the Second Division. Our defense was under pressure all season long.''

Gibbs, a marking back, only missed games when he was injured, and reports out of Germany indicate he's likely to move to a club in the pro ranks.

American players have a long history of getting relegated. Eric Wynalda was relegated twice with two different teams during his four-year stint in Germany. Alexi Lalas' Padova went down during his last season in Italy. Gregg Berhalter and Earnie Stewart each dropped once in the Netherlands.

The 2002-03 season was particularly grim. David Regis' Metz was relegated in 2001-02, and he moved to Troyes, which then went down. Metz, with Oguchi Onyewu, has returned to the top tier.

In England, Claudio Reyna's second season with Sunderland was cut short with an ACL tear in October. The Black Cats, who won 12 points in 11 games with Reyna in the lineup, tallied only eight in the 27 games without him. They finished last and move from the Premier League to the First Division.

Friedel, on the other hand, was credited as a key to Blackburn's qualification for next year's UEFA Cup and was named Professional Footballers' Association Goalkeeper of the Year.

Kasey Keller, who spent most of 2001-02 on the bench with Tottenham Hotspur, played every minute for the 10th-place finisher this season.

Another keeper, Marcus Hahnemann, who spent three years on the bench for Fulham, helped First Division Reading reach the promotion playoffs, where it fell to Wolves. He enjoyed a 756-minute shutout streak along the way.

Eddie Lewis, who shared bench time with Hahnemann at Fulham, found new life at First Division Preston North End. After having played just one game in the Premier Division in 2001-02, the left-sided Lewis played all but six of his team's 44 league games and notched five goals – the most among Americans in Europe last season.

Where most of the Yanks end up next season won't likely be decided until late in the summer, although Berhalter has committed to helping Cottbus return to the top tier. And Conor Casey, property of Borussia Dortmund, will move from Hannover to Karlsruhe of the Second Division on another loan.

Cherundolo, meanwhile, looks forward to his sixth season in Hannover. Never has a U.S. product stayed with a European pro team for so long.

''I feel real comfortable,'' he says. ''I've got friends here. As long as the club keeps moving forward, and as long as I feel like I'm improving, I see no reason to leave Hannover.''

by Soccer America Executive Editor Mike Woitalla