The University of Virginia product has encountered a fair share of turbulence since moving overseas, but he is now settling into a steady role with 2. Bundesliga side Frankfurt.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

November 20, 2015

2:25 PM SHARE THIS STORY



DEDICATED FANS OF THE UNITED STATES men's national team are familiar with several American players in the 2.Bundesliga at this point. Union Berlin’s Bobby Wood has scored some important goals in 2015; Sandhausen’s Andrew Wooten made his international debut in October.

Floridian Shawn Barry, 25, is hoping to soon join them.

The versatile midfielder/defender, who had previously spent his entire professional career with LASK Linz in Austria, made a surprising move to FSV Frankfurt over the summer, signing a three-year contract. Despite playing at a low level because of LASK Linz’s increasing financial difficulties, Barry caught the eye of head coach Tomas Oral—who just so happened to be considering a job there before ultimately choosing to coach FSV Frankfurt job instead.

Oral watched Barry play, and he found himself impressed by the American’s versatility, hard work, and determination. He then quickly made an offer.

“From his first day here, Shawn Barry gives everything he has got,” Oral told American Soccer Now. “His mentality and his character are outstanding. Shawn puts himself completely at the service of the team. He exceeded all expectations.”

At first Barry was stuck on the bench but he gradually began to earn consistent minutes and has now settled in as a starter. Typically he’s deployed on the right side of the midfield but the University of Virginia product can also play across the backlin—including a recent performance in central defense.

Barry’s best moment so far came on September 25, when he scored a 55th-minute goal in front of his home crowd at the Frankfurter Volksbank Stadion in a 3-2 win over Union Berlin.

“When I first came here, I knew it was going to be a big difference with the quality and the atmosphere,” Barry told ASN from Frankfurt. “But the coach talked to me and didn’t put that much pressure on me. He knew it was a big transition and I just needed to work my way into the new team and the new style of play.

"I think I’ve adjusted to it pretty well.”

Barry is playing at the highest level of his professional career, but it comes just months after his lowest. LASK Linz was in the Austrian Bundesliga when Barry joined after two years at Virginia. Then, struggling to pay its players, the club was quickly relegated to the 1.Liga. In 2012, its license withdrawn, it was sent down to the third-tier Austrian Regionalliga.

“I knew it was a down point in my career, but I knew I would come back up,” Barry said. “I am always optimistic that someone would give me a chance or that if I played well, people were watching. It was a hard time for the team, but we got through it together. We made a pact that we would finish the season even though we weren’t getting our money. It brought me here.”

Now at FSV Frankfurt, Barry is once again hoping to help bring stability. Last season, the 2.Bundesliga side needed a win on the last day to avoid relegation; the club’s top priority is to avoid facing that situation again. FSV has been inconsistent so far this year—often looking strong one game and lost the next.

Barry is enjoying himself at the club, though, with his recent success even earning him a spot on the cover of the October 23rd matchday program against Bochum. Fluent in German, he is affectionately known as the team’s “Ami” despite speaking German with an Austrian accent and sometimes letting his English get mixed in.

Through all the difficulties that brought him to this point, Barry is happy to have remained in Europe. When he was an early teenager, he’d attracted the interest of Glasgow Rangers but was too young to make the move. But when he was older at UVA and the opportunity in Austria presented itself, he jumped.

Still, Barry is very much a product of the South Florida youth system, having come up with other top local players—including national team regulars Alejandro Bedoya and Jozy Altidore. Should his improvement continue at this rate, Barry might just catch Jurgen Klinsmann’s eye too.

“I am just hoping I get a chance," he said. "I played for the U.S. U-17s and U-18s. It’s a whole different thing when you’re representing your country and playing for a whole nation. It’s different when you put on U.S. jersey and hear the anthem. It’s a whole different feeling.

"It brings back memories.”

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.