William Cole Campbell (born February 20, 2006) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. A former Iceland youth international, his one-time switch of international affiliation to the United States was approved by FIFA in March 2024.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Cole Campbell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | February 20, 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Houston, Texas, United States[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Number | 37 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2020 | Atlanta United | ||
| 2020–2022 | FH | ||
| 2022– | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | FH | 2 | (0) |
| 2022 | Breiðablik | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Borussia Dortmund II | 5 | (0) |
| 2024– | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021 | Iceland U17 | 7 | (2) |
| 2024– | United States U19 | 2 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:33, November 9, 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:34, August 12, 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early life
editCampbell was born in Houston[2] to American-born Iceland international and University of North Carolina soccer player Rakel Karvelsson[4] and pharmaceutical executive Lance Campbell, himself a soccer player at Texas Lutheran University.[5] In 2015, his family moved to Peachtree City, Georgia,[6] where his father drove more than an hour each way so he could train with Atlanta United FC's youth academy.[2] Campbell regularly visited Iceland during the summers and trained with the professional side Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar (FH) starting at age 8.[4]
Club career
editIn January 2020, Campbell moved to Iceland, joining the Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar youth team.[4] He made his first-team debut in 2021, coming on as a substitute for Jónatan Ingi Jónsson in a 5–0 win over Leiknir Reykjavík, becoming the second youngest player in FH history after Logi Hrafn Róbertsson.[4]
On May 16, 2022, following another appearance for FH, it was announced[by whom?] that Campbell would join the German side Borussia Dortmund that summer.[7][8] The following day, he joined Breiðablik on a short-term deal, effective until his move to Dortmund in July.[9][10] He left Iceland in June 2022, following one appearance with Breiðablik.[11]
In January 2024, Campbell was one of several Dortmund youth players who joined the senior team's winter training camp before the second half of the 2023–24 season in Marbella, south Spain.[12] At the camp however, the club disciplined Campbell and Paris Brunner for leaving the team hotel after their midnight curfew.[13]
On 26 October 2024, Campbell made his professional debut for Borussia Dortmund, coming on as a substitute for Donyell Malen in a 2-1 loss to FC Augsburg.[14]
International career
editEligible at birth to represent both Iceland and the United States, FIFA approved Campbell's one-time switch of nationalities to play for the United States after previously playing for Iceland's under-17 team.[3][4][1][15] In March 2024, Campbell accepted a call up to the United States U19, where he debuted on March 24, 2024, against England U19, where he marked his debut with a match winning brace which resulted in a 3–2 win for the United States.
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of November 9, 2024[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FH | 2021 | Úrvalsdeild | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Besta deild karla | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Breiðablik | 2022 | Besta deild karla | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Borussia Dortmund II | 2024–25 | 3. Liga | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career total | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
- ^ Includes Icelandic Men's Football Cup, DFB-Pokal
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
References
edit- ^ a b Cole Campbell at WorldFootball.net
- ^ a b c Ortmann, Jonas (January 25, 2024). "The Duranvilles and the Campbells – Siblings at BVB". bvb.de. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "Dortmund U19 forward Campbell switches to U.S. from Iceland". ESPN.com. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Eiríksson, Valur Páll (August 16, 2021). "Velur Ísland yfir Bandaríkin til að feta í fótspor móður sinnar" [Chooses Iceland over the United States to follow in his mother's footsteps]. visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ Maines, Don (October 11, 2011). "He was drawn to compounding pharmacy". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ MOBA Soccer Academy (March 17, 2017). "We are excited to add Lance Campbell to our team! Lance will be an assistant coach, as well as a mentor for our Youth Program!". Facebook. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Westerschulze, Sven; von Eichmann, Jesco (May 16, 2022). "Aus Island! BVB schnappt sich Top-Talent" [From Iceland! BVB grabs top talent]. sport.sky.de (in German). Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ Þórhallsson, Runólfur Trausti (May 16, 2022). "William Cole frá FH til Borussia Dortmund" [William Cole from FH to Borussia Dortmund]. visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ Guðjónsson, Hjörtur Leo (May 17, 2022). "William Cole æfir með Blikum þar til hann heldur til Dortmund" [William Cole trains with Blikum until he goes to Dortmund]. visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ "FH-ingurinn æfir með Breiðabliki áður en hann fer til Dortmund" [The FH player trains with Breiðablik before he goes to Dortmund]. mbl.is (in Icelandic). May 17, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ Jónsson, Hörður Snævar (June 28, 2022). "William Cole Campbell yfirgefur Kópavoginn og er mættur til Þýskalands" [William Cole Campbell leaves Kópavogur and has arrived in Germany]. dv.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ "The BVB squad for the training camp in Marbella". bvb.de. January 2, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Honigstein, Raphael (January 10, 2024). "Dortmund's bleak midwinter: Curfew breakers, delayed transfers, Terzic uncertainty". The Athletic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. youth star Cole Campbell makes Borussia Dortmund debut". ESPN (via the Associated Press). October 26, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
- ^ Cole Campbell at the Football Association of Iceland (in Icelandic)
- ^ Cole Campbell at Soccerway