Matthew Hoppe’s 2021 year was filled with ups and downs between spells at both the club and international level, but the American striker is riding high with confidence ahead of a new possible chapter as a professional player.
Hoppe is coming off his first inclusion into the U.S. men’s national team, featuring in six matches during the Americans run towards the Gold Cup trophy. The California native scored his first goal and registered his first assist on the international stage, several months after breaking into the first team fold at German side Schalke and becoming the youngest American ever to record a hat trick in the top flight.
Now with a Gold Cup trophy under his belt, Hoppe is eager to be a part of the USMNT’s World Cup Qualifying schedule starting this September.
“It was important for me to be able to come into the Gold Cup and show the coaching staff and my country what I can do,” Hoppe told ONE37pm in an exclusive interview. “I wasn’t able to show a lot of what I could do with my club because of the situations we were in, but I did get the chance at this Gold Cup.
"Now the goal is to keep this form high heading into qualifying and hopefully being able to represent my country again.”
The 19-year-old was one of four European-based players named to Gregg Berhalter’s roster this summer, joining Reggie Cannon, Shaq Moore, and Nicholas Gioacchini in that category. Hoppe’s six month spell with the Schalke first team saw the forward finish with six goals scored and one assist registered in 22 league appearances, although the club did suffer relegation to the 2. Bundesliga by season’s end.