Sporting Kansas City’s midfielder and former U.S. National Team player Benny Feilhaber attended UMKC last year, and plans to re-enroll for the spring 2015 semester to continue studying Business and Economics.

Feilhaber was born in Brazil, but moved to the US at age six. He played soccer collegiately for UCLA in 2003, and later signed with professional German team Hamburg. Feilhaber represented the US in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and played in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

He spent six years in Europe, but the New England Revolution brought him back to the US in 2011, where he made 52 appearances and scored five goals. Feilhaber’s performance caught Sporting KC’s Head Coach Peter Vermes’ attention, who signed him to the team in 2013.

In 10 months, Feilhaber helped Sporting Kansas City win the 2013 MLS Cup Championship, where he put the ball in the back of the net three times and recorded four assists.

Feilhaber’s professional soccer career took off after only two seasons with UCLA, but playing professionally put his academic pursuits on hold until last fall when he enrolled at UMKC.

“Last year I took Intro to Macroeconomics classes, and this year I took Intro to Microeconomics,” Feilhaber said. “Eventually I will be transferring these units to UCLA with hopes of getting a degree in Business and Economics.”

Playing as a professional athlete involves a lot of traveling and allows little spare time, but Feilhaber still manages to dedicate his time and attention to college.

“I had an opportunity to take some classes here and not really interfere with my life outside of soccer,” Feilhaber said. “I thought it was a great idea to eventually get a degree in something that I love to do, and [to] get ahead of the curb and knock out as many units as I can.”

After spending nearly two years in Kansas City, Feilhaber said he chose UMKC over other schools because it is “the best option.”

“I live in Kansas City, and UMKC was the best option I had, along with it being nearby,” Feilhaber said.

UMKC became a sponsor of Sporting KC in 2013. The partnership has seen sweepstakes throughout the last two seasons and players have visited campus.

The US is one of the few countries where professional sporting leagues recruit players directly from universities, compared to other countries where young athletes have to decide between pursuing academics or pursuing athletics.

“I think it is great for people like myself who want to continue to learn and play sports at a high level,” Feilhaber said. “Very few countries give you that opportunity, Being from Brazil, I know that that doesn’t exist there – you have to choose whether to go to school or play soccer at a very early age.”

Feilhaber’s advice to student-athletes who may pursue a professional career in both sports and education is to work hard and to stay dedicated.

“If you want to become a professional soccer player, for example, you have to work hard at that – put more time into it than other players are willing to do,” Feilhaber said. “The same thing goes into every other area that you want to get into.”

After living in several different cities across the globe, Feilhaber said he has a special fondness for Kansas City, where his daughter was born in July.

“I love Kansas City. Out of all the places that I’ve played, it is definitely one of my favorites,” Feilhaber said. “It is the place where I’ve been the happiest, and I would love to stay here for a long time.”

Without a doubt, Feilhaber said he believes Kansas City is the soccer capital of the US, especially since Sporting KC, FC Kansas City and the Missouri Comets are the current champions in their respective leagues.

“Of course it is [Kansas City the Soccer Capital of America]. I think all the players will agree to that,” Feilhaber said. “It’s not just the fact that we are winning championships, but also the amount of fans that go to the stadiums every weekend.”

Feilhaber and the rest of the Sporting Kansas City team will host the UMKC Night at Sporting Park on Friday, September 26 at 7 p.m. against the New England Revolution.