'We have a big eye on America' - Former USMNT defender, long-time manager David Wagner sought a new challenge, and has been energized by Jurgen Klopp, RB Leipzig role

Wagner’s journey has been an interesting one. The Frankfurt, Germany native has enjoyed an illustrious career - one that could yet continue - in football management, coaching in his home country and England for five different clubs. His Huddersfield Town side, where he managed from 2015-2019, were the golden boys of the Premier League for a spell, the low-budget, high-output team that even rival fans rooted for. 

He has coached in the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, Bundesliga, Swiss Super League, 3. Liga. and English Championship. But in July, it was time for a change of pace. His time as a player ended in 2006. He has been in head coaching roles since 2011. And when lifelong friend Klopp started a high-profile job as head of gobal soccer for Red Bull on Jan. 1, a natural opportunity opened up. 

Red Bull, under the tutelage of one of the greats, with a fine academy to work with, was an easy sell. 

“There are some people in the head of the structure who I know a lot, who I trust a lot,” Wagner said with a knowing chuckle. “If they have targets in their mind, they will normally reach them.”

This has, in truth, always been part of Wagner’s DNA. He, like many top managers, started his career in the youth ranks - overseeing Borussia Dortmund II, the club’s reserve team, for five years. There, he guided them to the highest level a reserve team can reach in Germany. Before that, he was a youth coach at Hoffenheim. 

Even in first team roles, he has been eager to give the kids a chance - whether it be in training or handing out debuts. Football at the youth level has changed radically over the 15 years since. But Wagner insists that one thing remains true. You have to be deeply invested. And you can’t overthink. 

“You have to be obsessed about what you are doing," he said. "I think the guys who at one moment start to be obsessed, and not think ‘What should I do? Is this the right thing?’ they are then very often the small percentages who can make the step over."

Yet there is complexity. Even the best youth players have to wait for their moment. Sometimes, their path into the first team is blocked. Sometimes, players, even if they have the quality, aren’t physically ready. 

And then there are the expectations of performance. RB Leipzig are a team that should compete for Champions League football. There are a lot of good footballers here. Getting eager youth players to be patient is part of the process, not a contradiction. 

“The good thing will come. Don't get nervous, don't get frustrated, don't get negative," he said. "Don't get tracked into these emotions. In some situations, you can easily do it. But this is why, for me, it isn't contrast. You can be obsessed, but you can be impatient in the right moments as well. And this is where we have to support them, so that they can balance it out."

And then there are the realities of things. If only two of every 25 make it to the first team - and even they aren’t guaranteed to stay there long term - what happens to the remaining 23? Of course, there are other options, other academies, and life outside of football. 

The Leipzig academy, to be sure, is elite. But there is, admittedly, a range of ability to be worked with. And even for those who don’t make it, the journey itself is part of the learning curve. 

“At the end of the day, they get all the education, all the information, all the ideas, all the training," Wagner said. "They can use all the facilities in a top professional academy set up. What they can take out of this sometimes depends on the talent."

And Wagner sees value in developing character - regardless of whether that can be applied on a pitch. After all, he was once a full-time teacher with a degree in biology. He knows what the non-football world looks like.

“It helps if you have the right values… to support and help the other part of the academy players to become better players in whatever division they end up in,” Wagner said.

Part of Wagner's focus is America. The Red Bull network now includes six clubs on three continents. For some time, there was a clear pipeline from New York Red Bulls to RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.

USMNT and Bournemouth star Tyler Adams was the poster child of the journey. Canada manager Jesse Marsch, too, found himself in the pipeline. Wagner admitted that the U.S. remains a priority - both for him and Red Bull at large. 

“We have a big eye on America, especially because of our partnership with our partner club. So I guess we know more or less everything about America and American talents,” Wagner said. 

But of late, that has rather dried up. Adams left Leipzig in 2022. And there hasn’t been a top tier American talent to come through the system since. Wagner said there’s no singular reason why, but talent identification is part of the problem. 

“One of the reasons that you cannot always create a Tyler Adams story every year is that you have to find them, and you have to develop them,” Wagner said. 

Yet he remains optimistic. The Red Bulls are opening a state of the art new facility next year. He hopes that will attract some of the brightest prospects in the talent-rich New Jersey area - and bring more players through the system. 

“We will make a huge step in terms of recruitment, in terms of developing top talents in America, because there are no better facilities, no better academy in America than the Red Bull New York Academy,” Wagner said. “And I know how huge that step is, an academy, for a football club, in finding, recruiting and getting talent into your building.” 

After that, it just comes down to math. The next Adams is out there. 

“The more talent you have in your building, you have a highest percentage chance to create and the highest percentage to find another Tyler Adams,” Wagner said. 

There are other connections, too. Red Bull have partnered with Top Baller for a street soccer content that will promote brand awareness and, eventually, give two players the chance to try out for the Leipzig academy. That event, in coordination with the Bundesliga, starts on November 1 in New York. And it could be significant for the club's growth in the youth scene. 

"I think it's huge for us. It's huge to make our stamp in the American market, with our organization and with our football knowledge as well. And obviously, every event gives us a chance to find another talent," Wagner said. "And at the end of the day, this is why I'm in my chair."

Some Red Bull academy players will also train in Leipzig during the next international break. The connections are getting stronger, Wagner says.

“Have we done everything right in the past? Maybe not in our communication, maybe not in our relationship. But we are on the right track,” Wagner said.

Wagner has experience with the U.S. He was an early iteration of the dual-national obsession that has grasped the USMNT. He made eight appearances for the country from 1996-1998. Then-coach Steve Sampson made it an early focus to find talent from around the world.

Wagner, despite being capped at the youth level for Germany, was allowed into the national team setup. That was 30 years ago, but he still reflects on the experience fondly. 

"I was young at this moment,” he said. “America and America’s football was just starting to grow. We had some unbelievable characters in our dressing room with Alexi Lalas, John Harkes, Jeff Agoos, Tom Dooley, Earnie Stewart. They made it so easy for us Europeans to feel very welcome.” 

Ultimately, though, Wagner wasn’t good enough to make the cut. When Sampson named his squad for the 1998 World Cup, the German wasn’t on the list - but left on standby in case of injury. 

“That would have been a great experience to be part of the World Cup squad. But they have done right not to pick me,” Wagner admitted. 

And even if his loyalties lie with the German national team, he still has a soft spot for the U.S. He wore the badge with pride. 

“I think with Mauricio Pochettino, a guy I played against, they have a top manager, and hopefully he can create the dreams which everyone has,” Wagner said.

So, Wagner might just have found a calling - at least for now. Management was a lot to take on. It was a grind, but also similar from country to country. He needed something different. And here, at Red Bull, he has it. 

“I’ve jumped into something new, but I miss nothing," he said. "To be totally honest, when I was a manager in the last 20 years, whatever country you were, whatever division it was, whatever age group it was, it was quite similar. Not exactly the same, but similar."

And of course, the Klopp story follows him around. Wagner was the best man at his wedding. They were roommates for some time. There was scattered talk that Wagner would be part of Klopp’s backroom staff at Liverpool, and the two of them were colleagues at Dortmund. The English press, in particular, seized onto the narrative. 

Working for his best friend, someone Wagner admits is ‘the big boss in our company" isn’t too bad at all. 

“If we have arguments with each other, OK, we hang up the phone and we know we will call each other the next day," he said. "It will not stay something in between us. It’s sometimes even harder to discuss or to have arguments with a guy you love. But at the end of the day, it's part of my life. I really like it."

And for now, the focus remains on developing young players. In every dressing room, on average, there are two. Wagner’s challenge is ensuring that they are ready. 

“It will be great if we find them,” Wagner said.