Joe Enochs: The Inspiring Story of an American coach in Europe you have never heard of

Those of you familiar with the blog recall our insightful look at German-American coach David Wagner. His Huddersfield Town squad continues to lead the English Championship and is on course for promotion to face the big boys like Manchester United, Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion. That feature is part of our mission to educate the American public on U.S. coaches succeeding in Europe.

Well there's another American coach we'd like to spotlight today. He's successful in his own right, guiding his side to second place in the German third division. He's a Californian by the name of Joe Enochs - and you have never heard of him!

The Joe Enochs story is one of the most uniquely American soccer stories around. And it's a shame that so few people know it. Well that's what the IMOTGP is here to do. A college soccer player at little known Sacramento State, he got a call from a former teammate playing in one of Germany's lower leagues and made the trip over to play for counterculture club St. Pauli.

That's right, Mark Baena was playing for TuS Hoisdorf and gave Enochs a call to come to Germany. The rest has become American soccer lore. He joined St. Pauli's amateur squad and was offered a chance to play for the first team.

But Enochs turned it down and joined VfL Osnabruck. The struggling team near the Dutch border allowed Enochs to play for such German coaching luminaries like Michael Lorkowski and Jurgen Gelsdorf, and he lasted 12 seasons for the Lily Whites with an astounding  359 appearances. A captain with the club, Enochs was so beloved by the Osnabruck faithful that he received a testimonial match in front of the club's die-hard fans at the Osnatel Arena. 

Well this fairy-tale football story has come full circle now that Enochs has taken over as coach, a move he discussed in this wide-ranging interview. Enochs has dreamed of the idea of bringing his German expertise back to the United States to help us - unlike the current idiot in charge. Meanwhile, we'll be keeping an eye on the German third division as Enochs, who received one U.S. cap under the great Bruce Arena, tries to write another chapter to his amazing history.

Joe Enochs - an American football legend and a friend of IMOTGP!