By Chapin Landvogt – German-born Friederike Engel currently plays for her hometown Hamburg Sports Verein (HSV), but her path to this point in her career isn’t one that many, if any, of her teammates have taken. After having played for the club’s Bundesliga team for several seasons as a teenager, she crossed the pond to earn herself a college degree with an excellent academic record at American University as well as a number of awards for the school’s women’s soccer program (2009 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, All-Patriot League First Team Star for three straight years, Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for three straight years, amongst others). After a recent 2-0 home victory against Lokomotive Leipzig, Our Game Magazine had the opportunity to sit down and chat about the life and challenges of a pro international athlete having taken this route in her sporting and personal career path.
Interview part one
Engel in action
Interview part two
About the author: Originally from Virginia, Chapin Landvogt spent his childhood playing organized soccer everywhere from California to Florida to the greater Washington D.C. metro area and finally in high school a few hours south of Boston. A Siena College grad, he spent the better part of the past 15 years living and working as a professional translator in Germany, where he’s been able to remain more than just an avid observer of one of the world’s most passionate soccer cultures. You can follow him on Twitter @Csomichapin, where he enjoys sharing occasional commentary on primarily soccer, ice hockey and some of his favortie music.