On Aug. 10, Pauline Machtens and the German U-20 national team walked into Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium in Costa Rica to over 1,000 German fans on their feet. The team looked up in awe as Germany kicked off against Colombia in the 2022 U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

 A jetlagged Germany had arrived in Costa Rica a week before their opening match and continuously woke up around 5:00 a.m. during the first week. Before the opener, they had to adjust to the intense humidity of Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Germany lost its first match of the World Cup 1-0 to Colombia. Three days later, Machtens played the final 33 minutes in its 3-0 win against New Zealand. Then, after a 1-0 loss to Mexico, Germany finished third out of four teams in its group and failed to qualify for the quarterfinals.

“It was a great experience and I think it will help me do better here,” Machtens said. 

 Machtens grew up playing soccer in Leverkusen, Germany, before earning spots in the U-15, U-16 and U-18 German national teams. She played alongside those same teammates at the U-20 World Cup. Germany played an aggressive play style that the sophomore is applying to her play at SU.

At Syracuse, the team focuses primarily on training the body and preparing for specific opponents. But Matchens said she had to prepare more tactically for the World Cup, as Germany tried to scheme different plays to activate players’ strengths.

“We don’t focus as much on the athletic part, we just had to make sure we were fit on our own,” Machtens said. “They really had us get to know each other and everyone’s play style.”

Germany U-20 head coach Kathrin Peter used this approach because every team was a new unit with no film available. The only talent Peter had was on the field in front of her and there was an expectation for the players to be fit. They assumed that each player could play a full 90 minutes, which meant their next priority was to create chemistry and offensive schemes.

In the tournament, their pace and defensive urgency was much higher because of a one-shot mentality. Teams had just three group matches in order to qualify for the quarterfinals. Only half of the squads advanced.

“The pressure was a little bit higher because we knew we had to bring everything we had on the field because this was our only chance,” Machtens said. “Here [ at Syracuse], we have two games each week, so when one game is bad we can improve the next game.”

Machtens said the World Cup experience can help her at SU because she can implement her patient natural style into the Orange’s playing style. With a big drop off in pace, Machtens said she wants SU to “be more calm on the ball and with passes.”

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Syracuse head coach Nicky Adams echoed Machtens’ calming presence. Adams said that Machtens was “the most professional freshman that we’ve ever had” last season.

“She brings a leadership presence as a youngster,” Adams said. “She’s playing great and she’s going to continue to get better and better.”

Sophomore Koby Commandant said Machtens’ ease with the ball is consistent with her demeanor on the field. But Machtens isn’t afraid to take charge and call out her teammates.

 “She’s a super calm player, super composed all the time, pretty quiet on the field,” Commandant said. “But when she needs something said, she’ll say it right away and is pretty consistent with everything.”

The elimination disappointed Machtens because she began preparing for the tournament a year before after participating in five camps beginning in August 2021. At camps, they ran through individual drills and scrimmages in front of the team coaching staff and scouts, who narrowed the group down from 30 players to a finalized roster of 21.

These camps allowed the core group to get to know each other even though a lot of them had already played together in a professional setting. Machtens played for Bayer Leverkusen of Frauen-Bundesliga, making 51 appearances on the U-17 team across three seasons. She scored 14 goals in that time and was named team captain in 2018-19.

Germany is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Women’s U-20 World Cup, having qualified for all 10 editions. Its three title wins are tied for first with the United States. The team had also never been eliminated before the knockout stages prior to this year. 

Though Germany didn’t have the success that Machtens hoped for, the experience changed  her mindset. Machtens said that being around players who grew up with her style of soccer was a fantastic learning experience.

“Every single player on my team had an impact on me,” Machtens said. “It was really nice to just play with my friends and talk German again. It reminded me that playing soccer is just really fun.”

Published on September 5, 2022 at 11:56 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu