USMNT Prospect Hits Historic First As Bundesliga Underdogs Achieve Shock Upset

When SV Elversberg’s village of just 13,000 people celebrated their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga last season, they couldn’t have imagined a day like Saturday—beating giants Bayer Leverkusen 3–2, with a young U.S. star at the heart of their best moments.

Located in the small town of Spiesen-Elversberg, the club plays at a stadium that holds more than the municipality’s population: 14,200. After a rapid rise to the top-flight—Elversberg were in the fourth tier in 2022—they made several key moves this summer to bulk up the team for its first test in the Bundesliga.

Twenty-year-old U.S. men’s national team prospect and U.S. Youth National Team star Cole Campbell came in from giants Borussia Dortmund on a four-year deal and instantly endeared himself to his new fanbase in Saturday’s victory.

Elversberg got on the scoresheet for the first time in Bundesliga history in the eighth minute through Bulgarian winger Lukas Petkov, who was critical to the team’s promotion efforts last season. Then, Campbell netted his first goal at the senior level to extend the lead to 2–0 a minute later.

20-year-old Cole Campbell SCORES for @SV07Elversberg in their season opener and helps earn them the first win of their historic first-ever Bundesliga campaign 👏#USYNT 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/aYPuhiHyTk
— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) August 29, 2026

With his goal, Campbell became the first American player to score in a top-five European league this season, and the marker came on a weekend when North Americans stood out; Canada’s Liam Millar scored his first Premier League goal, Jacen Russell-Rowe netted his first Ligue 1 marker and fellow USMNT prospect Zavier Gozo made his Premier League debut.

Campbell went 65 minutes in the winning effort, hitting the net three times and wreaking havoc down the left side, while outplaying USMNT World Cup goalscorer Malik Tillman, who also saw the pitch for 65 minutes for the losing Bayer Leverkusen.

With the win, the tiny town can look at the earliest stage of the Bundesliga table and see their team ranking among other first-weekend winners, including the ever-dominant Bayern Munich, undoubtedly putting the club and the town on the global soccer map like never before.

How Elversberg Could Use Campbell This Season

Cole Campbell played in left midfield in Elversberg’s win. | IMAGO / Eibner

No longer a teenager this season, Campbell moved from Dortmund to find significant playing time in a top league, despite enjoying his development and first professional experiences with the Black and Yellow and a loan to TSG Hoffenheim.

Arriving at Elversberg, the Houston native brought 10 prior Bundesliga appearances and experience in the Champions League and DFB Pokal, and hoped to bring that experience into a more demanding role.

Now playing at a club that played a key part in the development of Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade, there’s a belief that Campbell is in the right spot to take the next step, while also playing a role in the team’s lofty ambitions.

“I think this year it’s even easier because we can offer them to play in the Bundesliga, you know? It was a bit more difficult in the 2. Bundesliga, but this year it’s quite easy, you know. We can’t offer high wages, but we can really offer a good development pathway for the player,” technical director Josef Welzmüller told CBS Sports.

“[Cole] was our record signing, which probably shows how much we believe in Cole. He’s a fantastic player. He’s very fast. He’s very strong with the ball, very strong in one-on-one situations.

“I spent quite some time with him now, and he’s a very good kid, a very good character. We just want him to go into one-on-one situations and solve spaces for us. And we are very sure that he will have a breakout season.”

With the first goal scored and first win secured, Elversberg will look to continue making history next weekend against Borussia Mönchengladbach, which could bring another USMNT battle, barring defender Joe Scally’s status in the final days of the summer transfer window.

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