USMNT prospect Cole Campbell makes senior debut for Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga defeat to Augsburg

U.S. Soccer prospect Cole Campbell, 18, was handed his first senior appearance for German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund Saturday afternoon, being introduced off the bench in the 89th minute for the Black and Yellow in a 2-1 defeat to Augsburg.

Campbell, who is Icelandic-American, has been with Dortmund since the summer of 2022, where he signed from Icelandic side Fimleikafelag Hafnarfjardar. From a USMNT perspective, Campbell is a recent commit, joining the U.S. program in spring 2024. On his U.S. Youth National Team debut though, he scored twice as their U19 squad defeated England 3-2 in March.

Campbell is deemed one of the most promising prospects in the U.S. pool, and coming through the ranks of BVB, he is looking to follow in the footsteps of current USMNT players Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna; both of whom crafted their trade with the German side as teenagers.

Reyna, however, is still with the club - but is currently sidelined through the end of Nov. with an injury he picked up in early Sept. while on international duty with the U.S.

In total, Campbell played 10 minutes due to a large amount of stoppage-time on Saturday. In his brief cameo, he had four touches on the ball, including one successful dribble.

Campbell's commitment to the U.S. program was heavily influenced by a conversation he had with ex-U.S. forward Aron Johannsson, whom he held a conversation with while playing in Iceland prior to his move to Dortmund.

Speaking around the conversation and his recruitment, Campbell relayed at the time that he's looking forward to the challenge with the USMNT.

“The U.S. came calling and really pursued me. I felt really wanted,” he said. “At the end of the day, I had to just look and say, 'Iceland was good, but the U.S. is a huge opportunity.' I felt like that was what was best for me. That's why I made the switch.”

The Black and Yellow are back in action on Tuesday in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. They travel to Volkswagen Arena, looking to snap a three-game away losing streak across all competitions.