16-Year-Old Mathis Albert Becomes Youngest American To Play In Bundesliga

Mathis Albert became the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga when he made his debut for Borussia Dortmund on Sunday at the age of 16 years, 11 months and 5 days. Albert, who is from Greenville, South Carolina, went on in the 88th minute of Dortmund’s 4-0 German league win over Freiburg. He beat the record set by Gio Reyna, also playing for Dortmund, on Jan. 18, 2020. Reyna was 17 years, 2 months and 5 days old at the time, younger than the previous record-holder, Christian Pulisic, who was 17 years, 4 months, 12 days old when he made his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund on Jan. 30, 2016. Albert joined Dortmund’s academy from the LA Galaxy youth program in 2024 and was part of the U.S. team at last year’s Under-17 World Cup. He also was the second-youngest player at last year’s Club World Cup, The Greenville native made his debut with the U.S. U-17 squad at 15 and has scored three times in 10 matches for the youth side. Dortmund’s win ensured it qualified for next season’s Champions League. The Associated Press contributed to this report.