Cole Campbell gave USMNT fans a glimpse at what the future might hold during his first taste of Bundesliga action.

On Saturday, Campbell made his debut for Borussia Dortmund, replacing Donyell Malen for the final two minutes of normal time in his club’s 2-1 loss to Augsburg. The 18-year-old made the most of his sparse playing time, managing to complete one dribble and go one-for-three in duels.

Back in 2022, Campbell inked a long-term deal with Dortmund that keeps him binded to the German giants through June 30, 2028. He immediately made his presence felt at the under-17s and under-19s level, registering 18 goals and 19 assists over 52 games.

The strong showing earned Campbell his first professional contract back in July – making him the latest U.S.-born player to play for Dortmund. The Houston native joins USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, who made their pro debuts with the BVB in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

“Cole is a difference maker in our U-19 team,” Dortmund CEO Lars Ricken said at the time of his pro signing. “His speed, his dribbling, his finishing and his mentality are qualities that make him special.”

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl expressed a similar sentiment, adding: “Cole is a very young and extremely exciting player, who took huge strides in the past year. We see so much potential in him.”

Cole Campbell signed his first professional contract with Borussia Dortmund back in July

Cole Campbell signed his first professional contract with Borussia Dortmund back in July ( 

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Getty Images)

As the son of former Iceland women’s team forward Rakel Karvelsson, Campbell made seven appearances for the Scandinavian nation’s U-17s team. But earlier this year, he decided to take his talents to the U.S. – utilizing his one-time change of affiliation request.

In March, Campbell was called up by the under-19s and made his international debut for the Stars and Stripes in Morocco against England. The forward didn’t disappoint, netting two goals and propelling the U.S. to a 3-2 win.

“Cole came in for his debut with the US after his one-time switch. He was definitely up for the challenge to show and prove why it was all worth it. I think he made that impact,” USA U-19s head coach Michael Nsien said.

As for why he opted to play for the United States, Campbell credited USMNT forward Aron Johannsson with encouraging him to make the switch. “It’s kind of funny, I made the switch to Breioablik a few months before I left for Dortmund. We were playing against the team that Aron Johannsson played for,” he said.

“After the game was over, he came over to me. I had never met him before and he was like, ‘you’re Cole, right?’ I was like, ‘yeah’. Then he told me I’ve got to consider playing for the US. I was like, ‘really?’ And he said it’s such a great opportunity. It’s such a big, big thing. He said he would do it all over again if he could. It kind of got me thinking.”