Imagine moving across the Atlantic Ocean to a foreign country at age seven. Now imagine doing it again at age 16, all by yourself, and then moving back at age 19, all while maintaining the dedication necessary to be an elite-level athlete along the way. That's the simplified reality for new Crew midfielder Romain Gall, whose journey to Columbus brings new meaning to the word "adaptation."
Although Gall's soccer career has taken him to Europe and back, the United States youth international hopes he has found a home here in Columbus, where he is just starting to settle in. Fresh off of his debut, an exciting end-game spurt against Houston, Gall has underwent as many adjustments off the field as he has on it, but he credits the Crew organization and his teammates for helping make this transition easy.
"Things have been going pretty well," said Gall. "I'm still learning and getting to know the city, but people have taken me around. Wil Trapp has shown me around the Easton mall, all that stuff. I honestly really like it. Downtown is very nice, there is a lot of stuff to do. The Easton mall was very nice and filled with people. I'm liking the lifestyle right now."
Born in Paris, France, Gall moved to the Washington, D.C. area with his family when he was just seven years old. That's when he first started playing organized soccer. The French-American played for a club that was not officially part of D.C. United's academy, but had a licensing deal to wear its colors.
Gall rose through the ranks, obtained dual citizenship and eventually became a United States youth international. He also made regular training appearances with D.C. United, even though he never spent an officially rostered season in their Academy.
"D.C. took me in early," explained Gall. "It was U-16 at the time. I wasn't old enough to play U-16, but they let me train with them [when I was 14 or 15]. I was training with them for a year or so."
Gall's career progressed from there as he received an offer to head back to France to play for FC Lorient's youth setup in 2011. Moving away from his family for the first time, Gall went back to France to continue chasing his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
"Being French and going to France was definitely helpful because I knew the language, but being away from your family at a young age all the way across the globe was definitely hard in the beginning, especially because I didn't know anyone," said Gall. "I was with a host family at first. Times were a little difficult. I had to be strong mentally. As I got to know the players, it got better."
At one point, Gall was slated to return to the USA to play college soccer for Maryland, but opted to stay with Lorient. The move paid off, as continued good performances for club and country brought the midfielder to MLS, where he was allocated to the Crew via weighted lottery. Becoming a professional for the first time and making his club debut was a special moment for Gall, but settling in off the field has been just as important for the 19-year-old.
Gall's very first experience in Columbus was with Brand Ambassador Frankie Hejduk, who picked him up from the airport. Naturally a large part of the Black & Gold family, Hejduk is an influential presence for players like Gall who are getting used to the city, particularly at such a young age.
"[Frankie] told me if I ever needed anything to let him know," said Gall. "He's been very welcoming in getting me to adapt any way he can."
After living in a hotel initially, the midfielder has also found a place to live for the last few months of the season -- with fellow midfielder Fifi Baiden. Gall said that living with Baiden has been a blast and that the two frequently play FIFA 14 together, with his go-to club being Paris Saint-Germain, a nod to his birthplace. That might change quickly, however. A new update recently added Gall to the game on the Crew's roster -- just one of the many changes in the life of the first-time professional.
"I heard about [being added to the game]," said Gall. "I haven't used [the Crew] yet, but I will! [Being in a video game] is a dream come true. Those are the things that you dream about when you're a kid. To finally see it happen, it's a blessing."
Gall has slowly but surely found his way around the city, listing the North Market and Marcella's as two of his favorite stops for food. While he has had to familarize himself with Columbus, he came back to the USA knowing a lot about MLS due to his time with the United States U-20 side and knowing many current players scattered about the League.
"I have a lot of friends who play on other teams, so I like to keep up with how they're doing. I'm close with Kellyn Acosta of FC Dallas, Jordan Allen of Real Salt Lake and Marky Delgado from Chivas USA, just to name a few."
Now part of that fraternity of young United States internationals to join the MLS ranks, Gall is focused on becoming comfortable off the field and integrating with the Crew on it.
"Everyone in different aspects of how I'm settling in has been helpful. On the field, guys who are seeing things, they'll come up and talk to me. Regardless of who it is. Off the field, Wil obviously took me around, Tony [Tchani] showed me where to get my hair cut and showed me around as well -- guys have told me that if I need anything, they're there for me. It's nice."
