The United States have had a history of stars being born in Germany. Most notably, Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic made a name for himself with Borussia Dortmund. Matthew Hoppe has since followed in his footsteps, bursting onto the scene with Schalke. Now, the Bundesliga club have rewarded Hoppe for his performances.
Matthew Hoppe Commits Future to Schalke
Matthew Hoppe Has Impressed This Season
The 19-year-old joined Schalke’s academy following time with one of Barcelona‘s USA youth academies. He left the United States for Germany to train with Schalke’s U19 squad. His rise to their first-team was unprecedented.
For the reserve team this season, Hoppe, a centre-forward, scored once in 16 appearances – a return that does not turn any heads.
However, Schalke, currently stranded at the bottom of the German first-tier, knew they needed something to change. They decided Hoppe’s movement and eye for goal, despite only scoring once for the reserve squad, was enough to give him a chance in the first-team.
In his fifth senior appearance, Hoppe caught the attention of all. It had been 30 matches since Schalke had won in the league. The American took it upon himself to ensure the streak would be snapped. Hoppe notched a hat-trick against Hoffenheim to kick-start Schalke’s season. After scoring against Eintracht Frankfurt and Koln, Hoppe has five senior goals in twice as many matches.
Schalke’s Sporting Director Full of Praise for Matthew Hoppe
“Matthew has taken his chance and shown he has the potential to establish himself in the Bundesliga long term. His development again underlines the good work of the Knappenschmiede [Schalke’s youth system] and that Schalke is the right place for young players to develop,” said Jochen Schneider.
The club, currently nine points adrift from safety, know they have plenty to do if they are to turn the course of their season. However, having tied down Hoppe through the 2022/23 season ensures they have themselves a talented player for the future, regardless of what league they are playing in next season.
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