Wrobel provides offensive guile, helps Pitt get off to great start

Nico Wrobel’s journey to Pittsburgh wasn’t a direct one.   Born in Berlin, the German…

Nico Wrobel (21) has helped sparked the Pitt men’s soccer team undefeated start.

Nicholas Vu, Staff Writer

Nico Wrobel’s journey to Pittsburgh wasn’t a direct one.

Born in Berlin, the German native found considerable athletic success at Gardner-Webb University in rural North Carolina before transferring to Pitt last year.

Throughout his travels, Wrobel has remained consistent and unfazed by the transition to American soccer, succeeding every step of the way.

Now a junior, the Pitt men’s soccer forward played for the Lichterfelder Football Club while growing up in the German capital, leading the club to the semifinals of the Berlin Cup in 2008.

After his impressive performances in that prestigious youth tournament, Wrobel decided that the United States would be the best place to continue his education and his soccer career.

He originally chose to attend Big South-member Gardner-Webb, but he knew moving to another country wouldn’t be easy.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge and a tough transition, but I knew that America was the place for me,” Wrobel said. Wrobel said that adapting to the style of soccer in the United States was his biggest challenge. “The culture and the game are much different here,” he said. “Back home in Germany, the game is a little less physical. But here in America, the game is super physical. So I think that has been something that I have needed to adjust to.”

As a true freshman at Gardner-Webb, Wrobel played in 19 matches, starting in 18 of them. He was named to the second team all-Big South and to the conference’s all-freshman team — all while trying to adapt to a new country and a new life

After starring at Gardner-Webb, Wrobel knew he could play major Division I soccer, so he decided to transfer to Pitt.

“I knew that the level of play was going to be the biggest difference here at Pitt,” Wrobel said. “Back in the Big South, there were a few good teams, but here in the Big East, every conference team is extremely talented.”

Pitt senior co-captain John Cordier, one of Wrobel’s closest friends on the team, remembers Wrobel’s arrival vividly.

“When he arrived here from Gardner-Webb, he had a lot of ability,” Cordier said. “However, he did also need a lot of refinement. So for Nico, the biggest thing was adjusting his game to our style of play.”

And adjust Wrobel did, starting in 15 games for the Panthers in his first season. He even led Pitt with 11 points last season, scoring five goals and two game-winners in the process. As last season ended and the 2012 campaign approached, the expectations for Wrobel increased dramatically.

“I put in a lot of work this offseason,” the Pitt forward said. “I went home and trained with my former club team, and then I trained a lot with John [Cordier]. I think that all the work I put in has made me a better player.”

Wrobel has lived up to all of the hefty expectations that were set for him at the beginning of the year, and he is a major reason why Pitt (3-0-2) remains undefeated early in the new season. He currently leads the team with four goals, including two game-winners and two penalty kicks.

Pitt head coach Joe Luxbacher claimed that Wrobel’s ability to consistently convert penalties makes a huge impact for the Panthers.

“Penalty kicks are not easy, but he finds a way to score,” the long-time leader of Pitt men’s soccer said.

Just this week, Wrobel’s early-season contributions led to him being named Big East Offensive Player of the Week after he scored three combined goals in victories over Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and Delaware.

Cordier believes that Wrobel’s maturity and work ethic have helped him become one of Pitt’s best players.

“Nico has grown up a lot this year,” he said. “He now fits into our system and has learned our style of play.”

As the season continues for Wrobel, who Luxbacher calls a “robot,” the accolades and success should continue. With a tough Big East schedule set to begin soon, the Panthers may need to lean hard on their goal machine.

But if last year and the first games of this season are anything to go by, Nico Wrobel will be ready.