'Consistent, relentless and fearless' - Why Mathis Albert, the 16-year-old with 'world-class' ambitions and fresh off the Club World Cup, could be Dortmund's next USMNT star

The first time Sam Al-Basith saw Albert, the winger was nine years old. Albert had only recently moved to Southern California, having spent the first few years of his life in South Carolina. At the time, Albert was playing for the San Diego Surf. Al-Basith, a member of the LA Galaxy Academy's coaching staff, was coaching on the other side.

During that period, Albert's Surf faced Al-Basith's Galaxy teams multiple times. He was dominant. The second time the two teams faced off, Albert scored a hat-trick before casually walking off the field. Al-Basith knew right away.

"He was like nine at this point and he was such a joy to be around," Al-Basith told GOAL. "He was unpredictable. He played with freedom. He was creative. He played with instinct and had so much intention behind his actions. He had technical intention, yes, but it was all so unpredictable. He got a hat-trick against us and was just sensational.

"After the game, I spoke with his dad and Mathis was just so nonchalant about it. He had just killed us, but he was so humble. That spoke to me. The balance of talent and competency plus humility? That's him."

From the start, Al-Basith and those who worked alongside him at the Galaxy knew what needed to be done. Like every young player, Albert sought guidance and instruction. More importantly, though, Al-Basith and the team knew what they didn't have to change. They knew to just let Mathis be Mathis.

"When he was on the ball, I wouldn't say anything," Al-Basith said. "I didn't want to approach him when he had the ball because we needed to allow him to be creative, express himself and make mistakes. I understood him as a human and his ability and his toolbox, but he also had that intention. It's not to say he always made the right decision, and there were definitely some moments when he was 13-14 years old when some would get frustrated with his decision-making, but that's part of the journey.

"We spoke a lot about flow state and what that means, what that looks like, feels like, smells like. That stems from love. That stems from doing something you're passionate about and that you believe in. Mathis can enter that flow state. He can be fearless and creative and just flow within that."

Utilizing that, Albert thrived. By 13, he was starting to break through and was starting to establish himself as one of the brightest stars in Los Angeles. 

"I was scoring so many goals," Albert recalls, "but they weren't just regular goals. They were really nice! I think that's when people started looking."

His education didn't just come at the academy level, though. So much of it, too, came from unorganized moments of chaos, the moments that tend to make the difference for kids all over the world.

The first time Jeevi Rai saw Albert, it was during the tail end of the COVID pandemic, when everything was just a little bit less certain. Rai, an agent for CAA Stellar, was in Los Angeles and was invited to check out a pickup game at UCLA organized by a friend. The games featured kids up to 18 years old, many of whom were in academies. A few of Rai's clients were involved, so he popped in one night to get a look.

"He was on the practice field, maybe 12 or 13 years old," Rai recalls to GOAL, "and it was just like, 'Who the hell is this little kid with an afro?' He was just attacking. It was such a drastic range of players in terms of quality and level, and he just had so much personality in there. I was just like, 'Who is this kid?' 

"I saw right away that this kid was fearless. He didn't give a s*t. He'd be that kid fighting with a first-team guy. That's what makes him unique. He tries all of these things, and it may not come off, but he goes again and he's going to keep going down your throat. There aren't enough direct players with that confidence, especially in America. Everyone is so structured and programmed to play a certain way. From the start, with him, it just feels free."

At the time, those pickup games were a sanctuary for Albert, a place for him to go against the very best Los Angeles had to offer. LA, he can admit, has a unique soccer scene. He was desperate to be a part of it. It was on those fields that the best faced off. Age, size, academy affiliation - none of it mattered. On those fields, game talked and game alone.

"It was just a really good time to be in LA," Albert recalls. "There were pickups everywhere and you had really good players from all over, especially in the COVID times. You had players from the Galaxy and LAFC coming and playing in Santa Monica or wherever for those two hours. I had so much fun during that."

As fate would have it, Rai would stumble on Albert again shortly after catching him at UCLA. This time, it came while watching a Galaxy youth team. He did a deep dive.

"There was something there," he recalls. "I just needed to talk to his dad. I'd heard that Mathis was French and German and was like, 'OK, there's a project here'." We had this long phone conversation and he was telling me all about their background. It's always been the kid's dream to play in Europe and I was like, 'Well, this is what we do'. He had that trajectory and that skillset, which was interesting, and then he had that passport, which makes him even more interesting.

"Everyone always asks me, 'Where did you find him? How did you get him so early?' Other agents reach out and it's just like, 'Well, I saw him at a pickup game.' Sometimes you've just got to get lucky, honestly."

Albert, of course, would need a bit fortune if he were to make that European dream come true. Talent is one thing but, as Rai can attest to, it's all about that talent being seen by the right people. That, ultimately, happened, but not without a big, big scare.

The first time the scouts saw Albert, it was at MLS Next Fest in 2023. On Rai's recommendation, scouts from some of Europe's top clubs arrived in Phoenix looking to catch a glimpse of the teenage winger from Los Angeles. This was Albert's big moment. It was so, so close to passing him by.

"He didn't touch the ball for 20 minutes," Rai recalls with a laugh. "We were all just waiting there and I'm like, 'Damn, maybe this wasn't the game to invite them to'. I was worried. Then, he finally got a touch, burned a couple of guys and made things happen. I think he got an assist, if I remember. I saw a scout from Ajax walking away from the field and I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. I spoke to them after, and all they said was, 'Yep, we like him.' "

Clubs began to swarm and, ultimately, the game was starting to open up to Albert. A FIFA rule change, though, prevented players under 15 from trialing abroad unless they hold a passport from that same country. Albert had French and German citizenship, but there was concern about breaking up the family, even amid interest from the likes of PSG, Bayern and Dortmund.

Then, the turning point: Albert's father got a job in Germany. A move to Dortmund, a club with a history of developing not just talent, but American talent, opened up.

"It wasn't pre-determined or anything," Rai says. "Dortmund was a dream club, though, and it made sense. We never had a concrete plan of where he was going, but everything just felt right."

That didn't mean it was easy. He moved to Dortmund at just 15, leaving family and friends behind. Culturally, Germany is slightly different than back home in LA. There's no room for tardiness or slacking off. Life suddenly turned more serious. 

"There are so many little rules," he says with a laugh, "but it's taught me and I can kind of understand those rules. I'm good now but, in the beginning, I was struggling a little!"

The on-field performances were never really a problem, though. From the start, Albert was comfortable in Dortmund's academy as he worked with both the U19s and the U23s this past season. In November, at just 15, he scored against Sturm Graz in the UEFA Youth League, making him the seventh-youngest scorer in the competition's history.

Among those ahead of him are the likes of Youssoufa Moukoko, Rayan Cherki and Ryan Gravenberch, all of whom have had their moments on the highest of levels.

"I started performing right away, but it felt so hard," Albert can admit. "Going to training and games was great but, after that, it's like 'Oh, sh*t, I'm thousands of miles from home'. I still feel that, sometimes, it's hard being away from LA. In the beginning, I struggled, but then my family visited and everything started clicking...  We played against Barca and these other teams that are really talented and, once you get into that environment, it's really different in terms of speed. You get tired easily because it all happens faster. There's a level there."

The internal competition helped sharpen his game.

"Our team just clicked and we had some good moments together. I'm training with these guys, but I'll also probably play against them in the future, too," he says. "We have guys that play for Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, so it's just about competing with these players every day, because they are so talented and from the best in the world. We push each other a lot, but it's also fun. We all want to get to the first team, but we obviously all have fun when we play. That's the most important part."

If Albert does get to the first team, he wouldn't be the first American to do so, of course. Dortmund has proven to be a haven for American players, perhaps more than any other club in Europe. Just this past season, Cole Campbell followed in the footsteps of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna by debuting for the first team. This summer, Albert joined Campbell and Reyna in Dortmund's squad for the Club World Cup.

"If Pulisic can do it, that proves to a lot of us other Americans moving to Europe that we can do it, too," Albert says. "Just because you're American doesn't mean you're any different than the European players. Us Americans, we have a good connection. Gio is really talented. Cole is an amazing player. They made that jump and more Americans can, too. The American talent pool is getting better every day. This generation feels like it's going to be really good."

Albert has ambitions with Dortmund, of course. He recently signed a professional contract, one that ties him to the club for the foreseeable future. The plan is for him to continue to progress through the academy, spending most of this season with the second team in Germany's fourth tier. Dortmund, meanwhile, will monitor his progress.

Back home, U.S. Soccer is monitoring his progress, as well, as Albert looks set to be one of the faces of a rising generation of American teenagers.

The first time Gonzalo Segares saw Albert, he didn't believe much could surprise him. The former Chicago Fire mainstay is now the head coach of the U.S. U17s and, as he prepared to usher in the next pool of talent, he'd heard rave reviews of an up-and-coming winger with unlimited confidence and skill to match.

So, when Segares finally got to see Albert during a youth tournament in Florida, he knew what to expect. He was still left impressed.

"I'd heard he was a special talent, and I already felt like I knew him from how people had talked about him," Segares tells GOAL. "It was just good to actually see it and see what he was capable of doing right at that moment. It was exciting for me to see because he was fearless, he was brave, he was relentless. What stood out was his one-on-one ability. That's something we look at in players: being comfortable to take on players and beat them. That's a special talent that we look for in attacking players, and he had it."

Under Segares, Albert put in a signature performance in the fall at the Vaclav Jezek tournament, when he torched the Czech Republic for two first-half goals in a 4-0 win. He provided an assist in that game, too, putting a stamp on a dominant performance.

Segares, though, learned more about him from one of his appearances against Costa Rica this spring.

"It was a challenging game because of the conditions, the grass, it was hot," Segarres says. "We reflected after the match and my message for him was about what happens when he isn't successful one way. I can see he's consistent, relentless and fearless. But he kept trying the same way to beat the opponent. The message to him was that, if that isn't working, find something else. You get these different types of experiences and it's what he needs, right? That's what's going to get him better and better. These are the environments he's going to be in.

"It's easy to see where he stands out. He takes on guys. He's not afraid. He takes experiences and they push him to get better. That's what he can learn from. He's already playing and training with top international players at the Club World Cup. Those are men. That's what's going to get him to keep improving."

Segares' U17 squad was loaded with talent, including Philadelphia Union star Cavan Sullivan, LAFC standout Jude Terry and Chase Adams, the Columbus Crew rising star known as "Baby Haaland" after scoring 10 goals in a 22-0 win last fall.

Albert is one of the players in that pool that is making waves ahead of the upcoming U17 World Cup in Qatar. These tournaments have famously been showcases for some of the world's best. Landon Donovan, Cesc Fabregas, Toni Kroos and Phil Foden are among those to have won the Golden Ball at a U17 World Cup.

It remains to be seen what the squad will look like but, both in the short and long term, Albert believes those in his age group can make an impact for the U.S.

"We have such a talented team and so many players used to playing in MLS or other big, big matches," he says. "We have guys training with some of the best players out there. We haven't really played together much but, hopefully, it will happen soon, because when we do, we have a talented team. We want to be successful, and I think we will. It's really cool seeing all of my teammates do well and, when we do get to come together, we'll win a lot of stuff together, I'm sure."

The first time Borussia Dortmund's stars really got to see Albert was ahead of this summer's Club World Cup. Just 16, he was training with the first team, and he wasn't backing down From the start, Albert made it a mission to go at whichever defenders were in his way no matter their experience level.

Some within the team loved it. Others were quick to test Albert's mettle, attempting to bully him physically to see if he'd buckle. He didn't. Albert gave it right back, going toe-to-toe with the more senior defenders

"The first few training sessions, the level is high, for sure," he says, "and sometimes you just have to sit back and go 'Damn.' But, at the same time, you have to get used to it and you have to adjust to keep up. You still have to perform, do your stuff and get that chance to play, because the goal is to play, not just be there, but play."

He recalled a specific welcome-to-Dortmund moment.

"I think Julian Ryerson was playing right-back and I was playing winger when we trained," he said. "The first move I did, I tried like a scissor to the left, and he just bodied me. I fell to the ground. It was crazy. It's that, but also the speed, how fast they play, how quick the decisions are."

That's what the Club World Cup showed him. The youngest player in the tournament, Albert was generally just along for the ride. It was a taste of the first-team experience, one that stuck with him. Getting to work with Dortmund starters was eye-opening. Getting to meet Mbappe, one of his heroes, postgame was, too. 

"He had a doping test, so I just went and asked him for a picture," Albert says with a smile. "It was me and a friend, and he was a really nice guy. I got to meet him and take a picture with him. My friend got his jersey. He was such a good guy. I got to meet a lot of players. Being around them and training with them and experiencing everything was amazing.

"It was all about exploring something new and different than what I've played against in the past."

That's Albert's big passion now: exploration. It's not just limited to on-field. Like most teenagers, Albert is continuously redefining himself, often through fashion. Clothes have become a passion, an expression of his personality. It's a chance to make something flow, something that is uniquely his own.

"I really do love just putting sh*t together," he says. "When I was in LA, I would see these people with pieces and just putting things on, and I knew I needed to step up my style. It's not about buying clothes, it's just about putting different stuff things together. I'm obsessed with it now."

That creativity, that confidence, that ability to make things flow - all seem to unite whether on or off the field. That, at the core, is what those who know him say makes Albert who he is: this combination of impulse, instinct and intensity that make a player different.

Will it be enough in the end? Can Albert and those around him harness all of that and turn it into something special? It's impossible to know. There have been countless 16-year-old prodigies, and so few actually make it in the end.

"I do have a big picture," he says. "I want to make the first team and be a difference-maker. I want to be a world-class player. That's the main goal for my career, but also, I live day by day. I don't overthink it mentally because if you jot down all these goals and you don't complete them, and that'll mess up your mental. Sometimes, you just have to have fun. I think that joy is what's kept me playing my whole life.

"That's how I still like to play. I just have fun. It's not always that serious. It's just fun, and I think that's what's led me to keep going since I was a kid, having fun when you play."

Maybe Albert will prove different. Maybe he will be a flag-bearer for a new generation of American stars. Maybe this will all follow script. If it does, there will be plenty of others with stories. There will be plenty of others that pop into Albert's journey along the way. The world is meeting him for the very first time and, if the past holds true, he'll leave everyone watching with plenty to say.