Karlsruher SC: Oliver Semmle, former Karlsruher SC goalkeeper, experiences the American soccer boom in Kentucky. He plays for the Lexington SC in the USL Championship. Semmle, who has lived in the USA for eight years, is one of 23 German professional soccer players in the host country. The 28-year-old goalkeeper began his career through college soccer to find his place in professional soccer. His career follows no straight line, but rather the highways that suddenly turn into the open, then offer a ramp. "I see it positively as a rollercoaster ride, where it goes forward," he says. This sentence fits not only his career. It also fits the soccer in the United States. Because the history of sports in the USA is a history of attempts, setbacks, and new beginnings. In the seventies, Pelé was supposed to bring the soccer boom. The then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had convinced him to come to New York. Franz Beckenbauer followed, later Gerd Müller. The North American Soccer League (NASL) became a glamour show – and broke despite that. Today, soccer in the USA is an important part of sports. The Major League Soccer (MLS) is one of the best leagues in the world. And the USL Championship is the second-highest league. Oliver Semmle plays for the Lexington SC in this league. He is one of many German soccer players who play in the USA. The compatriots Thomas Müller, Timo Werner, Marco Reus, and Hany Mukhtar are attractions and high earners at their clubs. In the MLS, there is money, in the USL Championship, there is the hope of the players to find a place. Semmle is an example of how it is possible to play soccer in the USA and be successful. He began his career to find his place in professional soccer. And now he plays for the Lexington SC in the USL Championship. That's a big success for him and an example of how it is possible to play soccer in the USA and be successful.