Kai Wagner was confined to the bench as a late season surge propelled Wurzburger Kickers to safety in 2019. The Red Shorts looked poise to plummet into the fourth tier in Germany until a run of just one defeat in six helped them beat the drop.
Kickers boss Michael Schiele had reverted to a rigid 4-4-2 system and entrusted captain Peter Kurzweg to occupy the left-back slot. Wagner had fallen out of favour and the prospect of playing in the Premier League was merely a distant dream.
Amidst the bleakness surrounding his future, Philadelphia Union were plotting his rescue mission in the background and Wagner hasn’t looked back since.
“Going to the United States was the best decision of my career so far. Now I see that MLS is the perfect step for me to move forward,” Wagner told 90min in 2020.
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He had failed to make the grade at FC Augsburg but an impressive season in the fifth-tier with SSV Ulm earned him a lucrative move to FC Schalke. However, Wagner once again found himself confined to the reserves.
The three years that had preceded his transfer to the US consisted of a battle to survive. Now the left-back, set for a return to Europe, looks destined to thrive.
Wagner has amassed 106 MLS appearances with Union and has twice been named as an MLS All-Star alongside the likes of Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez.
Union are within touching distance of winning the Eastern Conference with the strongest defence in the MLS. Wagner has played every minute in an Union back line that has leaked just 22 times and his manager Jim Curtin has little doubt over Wagner's potential.
“He’s the best left back that we have in MLS, and we’re lucky to have him here in Philly,” Curtin told the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month.
Curtin added: “He continues to get better and better as the season goes. When there’s constant noise in and around, transfers and this and that, to be as professional as he’s been and just put his head down and play is not easy to do. He’s done a great job of that.”
Wagner’s move to the MLS provided him with the perfect opportunity to press the reset button on his career. His journey has only been on the up since his departure from Germany and even two years ago, Wagner had already set himself the target of proving himself and flourish at the highest echelons of European football.
“I think nothing can stop me,” Wagner declared in 2020. “If I can stay fit, I can be among the best. That’s my goal. I want to be one of the best in the world at left back.
“I not only want to prove myself to others, but also to myself. I’ve had two great seasons in MLS now. I’m right on track.
“Back to Europe? Definitely! My goal is to be the best that I can be and to achieve that I need to develop in Europe as well.”
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