The amateur scout unearthing Gold Cup gems

In this summer’s Gold Cup the United States will look to see off challenges from record winners Mexico and the burgeoning force of Canada.

The USMNT are ranked 13th in the world and boast 26 players in the top five European leagues. Canada can call on the likes of Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies and Lille’s Jonathan David, while Mexico will hope to add to their eight Gold Cup triumphs.

But the 24 teams involved the 2023 Gold Cup vary greatly and are drawn from right across North and Central America and the Caribbean. The initial 12-team preliminary stage will feature the likes of Saint Lucia, the island nation with a population of just 180,000, currently ranked 169th in the world.

For these tiny Caribbean sides, competing against genuine powerhouse opponents may seem like an impossible task. But the international underdogs are improving, thanks in some small part to an unlikely supporter more than 5,000 miles away.

A helping hand for soccer dreams

Pascal Panitzsch has what he describes as a “normal job” in his homeland of Germany, along with a keen interest in football. But unlike many fans, Panitzsch spends his free time helping young footballers make their dreams come true.

His journey began in 2014 when he approached Lenny Hewlett, then-coach of the Montserrat national team with an unusual offer. From his home in Germany, on the other side of the world, Panitzsch could help identify professional and semi-professional players with Montserratian heritage who might be eligible to play for the side, even though Montserrat is a tiny British Overseas Territory with a resident population of just under 5,000 (although some 8,000 fled after a major volcanic eruption in 1995.)

Hewlett accepted and within a year four players identified by Panitzsch were on the field for a World Cup qualifier against Curacao.

In 2016 Patitzsch began working with the Grenada national side, identifying dozens more players. His finds included some with considerable experience in England’s professional Football League. With former MLS All-Star Shalrie Joseph as coach, Grenada qualified for the 2019 Gold Cup after failing to qualify for the previous four tournaments.

“The view of the team in Grenada changed,” Panitzsch tells AS USA.

“In previous years the results were not always good and the fans were very critical of the team. But it changed under coach Shalrie Joseph, who built a good team with young local players and professionals from the UK and the USA.”

Such was his success with Grenada, Panitzsch was then contacted by Germain Hughes, captain of the Anguilla national team. Once again Panitzsch - still living in Germany, still working his normal job – took up the call.

Five years on from his first involvement with Anguilla, Panitzsch has added Anguillan club side Uprising FC to his list of Caribbean clients, along with the Barbados and Saint Lucia national teams.

“It’s something I’ll cherish for life”

Panitzsch’s tireless scouting has helped these Caribbean nations to make the very most of their limited resources, but has also brought new possibilities for dozens of players around the world.

Langley FC currently reside in the ninth tier of the English league system, usually a far-cry from the cut and thrust of international football.

But Calvin Morgan was playing for Langley in 2019 when he was presented with the opportunity to fulfil a lifetime dream. Panitzsch unearthed Morgan’s Anguillan heritage and the young forward was called up for a Concacaf Nations League game.

“My family were and still are immensely proud every time I put the kit on,” Morgan says. “It’s an honour and something I want to continue for a long time.”

“I’ll never forget my first goal against Puerto Rico. That was an amazing moment, watching the ball hit the net and the roar of the fans.”

“To say I’ve scored an international goal is something I’ll cherish for life.”

Morgan has now played 12 games for Anguilla and in his most recent appearance he played against another beneficiary of Panitzsch’s work.

Virginia-born Peter Pearson was playing for USL League One side North Carolina FC when he heard that he had been selected for Saint Lucia.

“It was amazing and so surreal,” Pearson tells AS USA. “It was a moment I’d been waiting for since I was a child, to play for my family’s home country. Everybody on my team, coaching staff, and club as a whole were very excited for me.”

In 2022 Pearson travelled to Trinidad for a training camp with the team ahead of two crucial Nations League fixtures and started in midfield for both games.

“My highlight with Saint Lucia has been winning both games in the Nations League and qualifying for Gold Cup preliminaries. Just being part of that was special, to do it in front of a huge crowd and my family was amazing.”

Bringing people together

This summer’s Gold Cup will begin with a 12-team preliminary stage, with the three victors joining the likes of the USMNT, Mexico and Canada in the group stages.

For 27-year-old Pearson, now playing in Germany for TuS Ennepetal, victory in the preliminaries could bring the chance to play against the country of his birth, facing elite stars in front of a raucous home crowd.

The tournament will draw the attention of football fans across the world and away from the limelight an amateur scout from Germany will be watching eagerly.

For Pascal Panitzsch, whose decade of work has been done on an entirely voluntary basis, this is just the start of the journey.

“I’m now working on several other projects, to help smaller countries,” Panitzsch says. “How I find the players is a little secret, but I can say that I have a great network.”

“I’ve never done it for any money. I want to help because I love the work I do, and to bring so many nice people together.”