Scouting Noahkai Banks: The USMNT-eligible teenage centerback already making waves in the Bundesliga with FC Augsburg

Born in Honolulu, Banks' soccer education didn't really come in Hawaii -- it came in Augsburg. Since joining up with the club at the U-10 level, Banks has been pushing towards everything that has gone on over the last few weeks.

Since joining the German club, the defender has battled his way right up through the ranks. He made it to the U-17s in 2021 at just 14 years old. It didn't take long for him to make it to the U-19s and, ultimately, the reserve teams, too. FC Augsburg have always been high on him. The club has always seen him as a key prospect. It's why it tied him down to a long-term deal last summer in a move that signaled that his first-team arrival was imminent.

 “Noahkai is a very talented center back who we believe can make the leap to the Bundesliga," sporting director Marinko Jurendic said at the time."He showed last season that he can adapt quickly to a higher level and his performances in the U23s have earned him his place in the first team. We are delighted to be able to promote yet another player from our youth academy to professional football. We will continue to work with Noahkai individually, and give him the best possible support for his personal journey towards becoming a Bundesliga player."

Banks' success hasn't just been limited to Augsburg, either. On the international level, Banks is eligible for Germany but has exclusively featured for American youth national teams so far. In 2023, he was a member of the U.S. U-17 squad for that year's World Cup. In that team, he joined highly-rated American prospects like Nimfasha Berchimas, Keryol Figueroa, and Cruz Medina as the U.S. fell in the Round of 16 to Germany, coincidentally. The teenager has represented the U.S. up to the U-20 level, providing an assist against France last year with that group, but turned down a call-up to that team last summer to focus on preseason with his club team.

"I’m delighted to be given the chance to prove myself in the first team," Banks said. "It’s a childhood dream come true for me, and I’ll do everything I can to make it to the Bundesliga with FCA."

It ultimately worked. It took a few months but, as we moved into 2025, Banks has arrived in Germany's top flight.

It showed a strong level of trust from manager Jess Thorup. When Maximilian Bauer went down with an early injury, Thorup needed a replacement in the left side of Augsburg's back three. He turned to Banks, throwing him right into the game with little time to mentally comprehend what was happening.

“As everything happened so quickly, I didn’t have much time to feel nervous,” Banks told FCA TV. “I was happy to be on the pitch and focused on my game."

Banks looked relatively unfazed. He completed 32 of his 36 passes, including two of his three long balls. He won two tackles, had two interceptions, and won three of his five duels. Tossed right into a tough Bundesliga clash, Banks didn't look overmatched, which is all you can ask of a young center back.

It proved to just be an introduction, though, Banks was just getting started.

Banks' debut against Stuttgart was solid and, for a teenage centerback, solid is basically spectacular. After two more substitute appearances, though, he was finally given his first start against Heidenheim on Jan. 25 and there's no caveat about that game: Banks fit in perfectly.

Banks went 70 minutes in that match, looking every bit like a USMNT star of the future. He completed 52 of his 53 passes, including all seven of his long balls. He has a whopping 11 clearances. He won two tackles and all three of his ground duels. Most importantly, Augsburg didn't let in a goal while he was on the field, going on to earn a 2-1 win. His performance earned him a spot in WhoScored's Team of the Week, and it was fully deserved. That was his true breakout performance, the one that officially put him on the USMNT radar not for the future, but for the present.

His next appearance was somewhat of a step back. Back in the XI against St. Pauli, Banks was credited with an unfortunate own goal. There wasn't anything particularly bad to it, as Banks was punished for attempting to make a heroic clearance off the line, but it was an own-goal nonetheless. Outside of that, the passing numbers still pop, as he went 51 of 54 in that metric, although he did struggle a bit more with the physicality in that second start.

Still, it's easy to see what Banks is and what he can be, particularly if he continues to get these Bundesliga chances.

There's something you notice quickly about Banks, and it's very obvious: his size. His 6'3" frame makes him stand out even among players significantly older than him. It's that frame that allows him to compete defensively against top-level attackers in one of the world's best leagues. He's tall enough to win headers, but also fast enough to outpace them.

Banks isn't all physicality, though. In fact, when you really watch, his game is very much about finesse.

In his brief Bundesliga run, Banks has already proven to be an elite passer of the ball. In his 250 minutes played so far, he's completing 94.6 percent of his passes. These aren't just sideways, either, as he's also completed all but one of his 12 long passes. In that way, Banks is a prototypical modern center back -- tall enough to swat attackers away, but skilled enough to be the player that kickstarts an attack.

Despite his age and lack of experience, Banks already has some key tools for success, but, as expected with an 18-year-old defender, he's still anything but a finished product.

All of the "modern center back" stuff is well and good but, at the end of the day, a defender's job is simple: don't get beat. The job still centers around going toe-to-toe with attackers and winning that matchup. All of the things a defender can do on the ball, in many ways, is a bonus.

Like any teenage defender, Banks can still improve at the defending side of his role. He hasn't had the experience to develop the wiley intelligence that make the great center backs great, nor the instincts to sniff out sequences before they begin. That, of course, comes with experience, which Banks will hopefully gather plenty of going forward.

Ultimately, Banks still has to prove he can defend at the highest of levels like all center backs do. It is unfair to knock him for his own goal, because he does get credit for trying on that one, but how will he fare when put in difficult situations like that? What will he do when he plays against the best of the best like Bayern Munich? It's still very early in his career, so those are questions that still need answering.

Overall, Banks just needs to continue on his path as a defender. He has every tool to get right to where he needs to be.

When it comes to passing central defenders, William Saliba and Virgil van Dijk are the pinnacle. Both can kickstart an attack with ease and both have no concerns about stepping up into midfield. Those would be bold comparisons, though. Those are two of the best in the world.

You could see flashes of Saliba, in particular, in Banks' game. Both are tall and agile, and both thrive in situations where they can also play with the ball at their feet. Neither is afraid to step up into midfield and carry the ball forward a bit before trying an ambitious pass to a place where few other defenders would consider looking. It's a bold comparison, though, but that's the best-case scenario. If Banks can get anywhere near Saliba, he'll be the best central defender American soccer has ever seen.

More than likely, though, he can simply be a player in that mold. As mentioned before, Banks is a prototypical modern center back, and those types of players are being used in different ways. Banks, for example, has played in a back three with Augsburg, but you're seeing all over Europe that teams are getting creative in how they organize defenses. Ball-playing defenders like Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji, for example, have been deployed as fullbacks at Manchester City. So, too, has someone like Joe Gomez at Liverpool.

Again, if Banks can reach that level, the USMNT would be thrilled. Those, though, are good role models for the young defender as he looks to evolve his game to reach that sort of level.

The USMNT will reconvene in March for the CONCACAF Nations League, and the center back race will be a topic of conversation once again. Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, and Miles Robinson - all remain in the mix. Could Banks get into that race? Can he do so as soon as March?

He'll have about a month or so to prove it. Banks must first keep his spot in Augburg's starting XI as they head into big games themselves. It seems they're clear of the relegation race sitting in 12th, but a push for a European spot isn't out of the question. As things stand, Augsburg are just five points back of sixth-place Mainz, although there would be a lot of leapfrogging to do to get there. It would take a lot of trust for Banks to maintain his place in this upcoming stretch but, so far, he's shown he deserves it.

Banks' January breakout was just the start, but now there's more pressure than ever on the young defender. It only gets more difficult from here, particularly if he wants to make a late push towards a 2026 World Cup spot. He's looked unflappable so far, though, and that calm and cool might just make him the USMNT's center back of the future.