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The 23-year-old midfielder performed alongside Toni Kroos in Bayern Munich’s youth academy and later got here to the Air Pressure Academy to pursue a army profession. However he nonetheless hopes professional soccer is within the playing cards.
BY
Broke Tunstall
Posted
January 27, 2015
12:00 PM
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KEVIN DURR DIDN’T REALIZE how a lot he’d miss the sport. Now he may get one other shot to pursue it.
Rising up in Germany, the son of a United States Military officer and a German mom, Durr performed within the youth methods of native skilled golf equipment, together with spells at each Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. Had he gone a special path, perhaps he’d have been yet one more of the German-Individuals who’ve gone on to play for the U.S. nationwide crew—like Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, and Julian Inexperienced.
However like many European gamers who’ve come stateside, he needed knowledgeable choice exterior of soccer and as an alternative of searching for out a professional contract when he completed highschool, Durr opted for school soccer whereas pursuing a level that may give him a greater shot at a profession exterior of the sport.
“My brother (Stefan) played college soccer at (James Madison) and I knew that was something I wanted to do, to be able to play soccer and get an education,” Durr advised American Soccer Now.
Rising up in a army household, Durr had a connection to the armed providers and he finally accepted a fee to the Air Pressure Academy.
“It wasn’t really because my dad was in the military,” stated Durr, whose father retired from the Military as a colonel. “But I came in for a visit and I just really connected with the school, both the campus and the coaches and (future) teammates. I realized what a unique and distinguished institution the Academy is and how big of an opportunity it really was for me to serve my country.”
At Air Pressure he gained a number of convention and regional honors. As a senior in 2012 Durr led the crew to its first NCAA Event look in 15 years and due to his clear ft and talent to see the sport, emerged as a reliable professional prospect.
However a service academy training comes with a widely known obligation within the type of a five-year energetic responsibility dedication that takes precedent over skilled sports activities. Regardless of being chosen by the Seattle Sounders within the 2013 Main League Soccer draft, aside from a short time in coaching camp with them that winter, Durr has been unable to pursue the skilled profession his ability warrants.
“I’ve never been away from the game this much before. People that know me very well know how much soccer has been a part of my life. It’s all I watch on TV, pretty much what I think about all the time away from work,” stated Durr, who was picked 54th total by the Sounders however seemingly would have gone a lot larger have been it not for his service dedication. “I miss it so much.”
Today Durr is stationed at Peterson Air Pressure Base in Colorado Springs, throughout city from the Air Pressure Academy and about 70 miles south of Denver. There, 2nd Lieutenant Durr serves as an acquisitions officer for a unit that tracks long-range ballistic missiles.
“Basically,” Durr tried to elucidate to a neophyte, “I make sure the type of radar I work on has the software to ensure the radar has the newest upgrades and works at its highest capabilities.”
Regardless of his army profession coming on the expense of enjoying professional soccer, Durr says he wouldn’t do it any otherwise if he may.
“I miss (soccer) more than I thought I would. But I really like being in the Air Force. Yes, those thoughts come out at times but we make the decisions we make. I don’t regret the decision at all,” stated Durr, whose English has the slightest trace of an accent that reveals his German upbringing. “I don’t know what could have been (with soccer) but I’m not worried. I truly enjoy and am proud to serve my country. I don’t want to get too philosophical but I feel like I made the right choice.”
Nonetheless, Durr’s bought a soccer itch and he’s hoping for an opportunity to scratch it this spring as a result of as destiny would have it, there’s an growth crew starting play this 12 months within the third-division USL Professional—the Colorado Springs Switchbacks—which might be enjoying a couple of minutes from the place Durr is stationed.
“The first time I heard about it was from (Air Force head coach Doug Hill) about a year and a half ago and I was definitely thrilled,” Durr stated. “I knew it was a chance, if I was still stationed in the same place and still in the Air Force, to start playing on a pro team and get a chance to pursue pro soccer. I was so excited. I knew it wouldn’t be as simple as just hopping on a team, but I realized, if the Air Force allows it, it gave me an opportunity to play at a high level on a regular schedule and see where things go from there.”
The Switchbacks held open tryouts final fall and Durr performed properly and was supplied a contract.
“We had a combine of sorts, an open tryout, and he was the best player there by far—he really stood out,” stated Switchbacks coach Steve Trittschuh, the previous U.S. World Cup and MLS participant. “It’s obviously not a simple situation because of the Air Force (commitment), but we’re hoping to work something out where he can play for us. He’d be a nice addition to our team.”
Trittschuh was simply ending a trailblazing stint with Sparta Prague, then the reigning European champions, when Durr was born within the spring of 1991. “I never saw him play, obviously, but I knew the name, that he played in MLS,” stated Durr. “But Coach Hill told me all about him, his career. It would be great to play for someone like that and learn from his experiences as a player.”
Durr hasn’t signed a contract. He nonetheless wants approval from Air Pressure superiors to try this and the Switchbacks hope that is available in time to permit him to coach with the crew throughout preseason, which begins subsequent month. And what stays to be seen is, if Durr does signal, whether or not it will likely be a part-time job he juggles round his service or if he can transition from being on energetic responsibility and serve out the rest of his dedication within the Air Pressure Reserve or Air Nationwide Guard.
There may be precedent for each eventualities.
From 2001 to 2003 Wealthy Cullen, a 2000 Air Pressure Academy graduate, served as a backup goalkeeper for the Seattle Sounders, then within the second division A-League, whereas serving on energetic responsibility at McChord Air Pressure Base in close by Tacoma, Wash. Cullen performed 25 video games in three seasons for the Sounders as a backup to future MLS goalkeeper Preston Burpo.
“I’ve spoken with Kevin about potentially doing this,” stated Cullen, who’s now a goalkeeper coach for the ladies’s program at Japanese Washington College and nonetheless serves part-time within the Washington Air Nationwide Guard. “It’s not easy. To make it work you have to have a commander that supports you. I was fortunate that I had a commander that thought it was good for the Air Force, to have me playing professionally while I served. But it’s a long day. I’d get up, go to training, then start my Air Force day around 11 or 12 then finish later in the evening after most guys had gone home.”
The Air Pressure additionally has a program, referred to as Palace Chase, that enables energetic responsibility service members to transition to serving part-time in trade for extending the size of their dedication. In keeping with the Air Nationwide Guard’s web site, Durr could be eligible for this program after serving two years of energetic responsibility, which in his case, could be on the finish of Could.
This program was utilized by Ben Garland, a former Air Pressure soccer participant who was capable of be a part of the Denver Broncos after two seasons of energetic responsibility after which switched to the Air Nationwide Guard. An offensive lineman, Garland made his NFL debut final fall.
Durr will not be assured both choice. The Air Pressure may deny his request to play part-time and acceptance into the Palace Chase program is on a case-by-case foundation. However the ensuing optimistic publicity that Durr’s enjoying professional soccer would carry the Air Pressure would seemingly assist his case.
“I think the publicity this brings the Air Force is completely worth it for them to let him do this,” stated Cullen. “It shows the type of people the academies get, shows he’s committed to serving, and shows you can serve your country and still play. There’s value to that kind of P.R. that’s good for the military and, specifically, the Air Force.”
Durr says he’s at peace with regardless of the Air Pressure decides. “It’s out of my hands,” he stated. “I’ll accept whatever the Air Force tells me to do because that’s what I signed up for.”
Nonetheless, there’s little question he’d love to present professional soccer a shot. At Bayern Munich’s academy, he performed alongside present Actual Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who scored a pair of targets for Germany on its technique to profitable this summer time’s World Cup and at Leverkusen he performed with Christoph Kramer, a shock inclusion on the German World Cup crew final summer time. At Air Pressure he performed in the identical convention—the Mountain Pacific Sports activities Federation (Air Pressure has since switched to the Western Athletic Convention)—because the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes, Actual Salt Lake’s Devon Sandoval, and D.C. United’s Nick DeLeon.
“Obviously Toni Kroos is the best player I played with,” stated Durr. “However on the Academy I performed towards some guys who at the moment are in MLS. Enjoying with and towards guys which have gone on to do good issues as professionals, it makes you wish to give it a shot. I wish to learn the way far I can go and hopefully make it again to MLS or a league in Europe.
“That’s what I wish to use this to do.”
Durr admits there is perhaps some rust to shake off. Apart from a stint two summers in the past with the U.S. entry within the All Army World Cup, Durr hasn’t performed a lot excessive stage soccer since his preseason with the Sounders. “I train with the Academy team and I train on my own, but it’s been tough,” Durr stated. “That’s one of the reasons I can’t wait to get back out there.”
There’s an opportunity Durr gained’t be the one professional soccer participant in Colorado this 12 months with a army dedication. On this month’s MLS SuperDraft the Colorado Rapids used its twenty sixth total choose to pick Joe Greenspan, an All-America defender from Navy. Greenspan is hoping to delay his Navy deployment till the top of the calendar 12 months, thus enabling him to play in MLS this 12 months after graduating in early June. His plan is to then spend two seasons on energetic responsibility and, like Garland and corridor of fame basketball participant David Robinson, transition to the reserves and play professionally.
“I think what he’s doing and what I’m doing shows there’s talent in the academies,” Durr said, “and that you can serve your country and hopefully still get a chance to play professionally.”
Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter.
Author : usa-foot
Publish date : 2025-03-16 04:24:37
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