When it was announced that the German National Team would make the Graylyn Estate on the Wake Forest campus its home base for the 2026 World Cup, the soccer communities around Winston-Salem were elated – but also a little perplexed. Of all the places on the continent, this global soccer powerhouse chose Winston-Salem.
Why?
I understood — and I knew I had to see it. I am a former Wake soccer player; I was born in California, trained in Munich, and now I split my time between Germany and Los Angeles. This team’s presence in this town weaves together some profound personal threads in my life. I decided to hop on a flight from Germany to attend the open training session on June 8. It would be the team’s only public session during their stay here, and I wanted to be on hand.
Everyone I came across when I arrived was talking about the team, from the staff on campus to the camera gear rental store downtown. Ticket holders were out and about hours before the event, alongside others who just wanted to be part of the spectacle. I passed by Campus Gas to snag a custom Winston-Salem Base Camp Germany jersey, and the line was around the block. Tons of people of all ages from the community gathered. The buzz around the city was inspiring.
The exhibition was packed, even while storm clouds gathered nearby. The stadium filled with chants from the fans, face paint and vintage German soccer jerseys. This was a real soccer atmosphere.
It felt like being back at Spry during my playing days. I knew this electric atmosphere stemmed directly from the passion and community that Wake Forest soccer has created over the years.
The scores of excited young soccer fans made me remember the joy of the game as a kid. I channeled them as I took out my Polaroid to get these shots of some of the team’s biggest stars.
Soccer history will be made in the weeks ahead. But that Monday night in June, Winston-Salem got a taste of what the beautiful game is really all about: love of the sport and bringing people together.
The coolest part is that of all the campuses Germany could have trained at during the 2026 World Cup, they chose Wake.
