Inter Miami forward Jerome Kiesewetter began his professional career playing in Germany, the country of his birth. Kiesewetter, however, rose through the ranks of the United States national team program player as the son of an American. From Germany to the United States, his career as a soccer player has taken many interesting turns.
The Berlin native played a number of years in the Hertha BSC academy system before breaking through professionally within the same organization as a member of Hertha BSC II, the reserve team for the club.
In that time, he was noticed by the U.S. national team program, first receiving the call to make his debut for the country with the U-20 team as a 17-year-old in a tournament in Peru. He caught the eye of the program thanks to his versatility and promise as an attacking player capable of playing both out wide and centrally.
Through the next years of his career in Germany he played in several different tiers of the German soccer landscape, representing Hertha BSC, VfB Stuttgart and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Kiesewetter began in the fourth division of the country and made stops in each division on his way up to the Bundesliga, the country’s top flight.
While he transitioned between clubs and leagues, he continued to capture the attention of U.S. national teams. He scored two goals in just three appearances for the U-18 side and received more call-ups to the U-20 team, reaching eight in total. He played for the team at the 2013 Concacaf U-20 Championship, making two appearances in the tournament despite his age and relative inexperience.
Kiesewetter really began to stand out for the country with the U-23 team. He displayed his potency with the squad, scoring six goals in 17 appearances at the U-23 level which eventually earned him consideration for the senior team. Kiesewetter was the top scorer in 2015 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying with four goals.
After several years in Germany’s lower divisions, he achieved a significant career milestone by making his Bundesliga debut in 2015 with VfB Stuttgart. He appeared in two Bundesliga matches playing as a winger for the club that season.
Things continued to improve for Kiesewetter, as he made his U.S. Men’s National Team senior debut in 2016. He was called up by then head coach Jürgen Klinsmann for friendlies against Iceland and Canada. Wearing the number 17 shirt, he came on as a substitute in both matches and impressed fans with his explosiveness on the pitch.
In the 2017-18 season he helped guide Fortuna Düsseldorf to a 2. Bundesliga title and promotion to the Bundesliga for the subsequent season, though he departed the club before making a personal return to the league.
After that season, however, Kiesewetter was left without a club for about six months. Naturally, he decided to make the move to play domestically in the country he has represented with such frequency on the international stage.
In April 2019 Kiesewetter took an offer from El Paso Locomotive, a team making its debut in the USL Championship, where he bounced back and excelled for a season in the division. He scored 12 goals in his one season with the club, playing primarily as a center forward. He led the line for the team and also led them in goals, helping the club reach the playoffs. The team made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals thanks in part to his efforts.
Kiesewetter worked his way back up to another country’s top flight, signing for Inter Miami on November 18, 2019, making him just the ninth player signed in the history of the Club. Now, he is getting another chance to kickstart a first-year team and stick around at the top levels of the sport.
