Stuttgart Shows Confidence in U.S. U-20 Prospect Jerome Kiesewetter. As the season has now drawn to a close in Europe's major leagues, many players will be looking for new clubs, but United States under-20 team forward Jerome Kiesewetter is already ahead of the curve: he just signed a four-year professional contract with Stuttgart. Kiesewetter, 19, has spent most of his youth career at Hertha Berlin, but when Stuttgart began to show interest, he said the decision to leave Hertha was easy. "I'm so excited to play for such a big club like Stuttgart," Kiesewetter said. My decision was pretty clear from the very beginning when I heard about their interest because it is one of the biggest clubs in Germany and for me it is a pleasure to play for them. Kiesewetter's contract with Stuttgart is an impressive accomplishment for the young forward, since a contract of that length is generally viewed as a major sign of confidence from the club. Kiesewetter drew interest from Stuttgart because of his combination of size (6-foot-3) and skill with the ball. Last season he was a consistent contributor with Hertha Berlin's under-23 team, but he did not see any Bundesliga minutes for the club, which was mired in a relegation fight that was ultimately unsuccessful. Kiesewetter said it will be difficult to break into the first team for Stuttgart next season, but he does hope that it will happen. Either way, he is assured of playing at a high level. Even if he plays for Stuttgart's U-23 team, it will still be a professional environment. Stuttgart is one of the few Bundesliga clubs whose U-23 team plays in the 3.Liga, the third tier of German soccer. "I signed for four years and I am looking forward to play for the first team," Kiesewetter said. But I have to improve myself to get into that spot. It is a contract for both teams because their Under-23 team plays in the third division and this is professional soccer in Germany. It's just up to me how I'm performing. My goal is, of course, to play for the first team, but if I need more time for this step I will take it. When Kiesewetter signed with Stuttgart, there was some speculation about what position he was going to play. Near the end of his time at Hertha, he was moved to the back line to see how he would fit either as a right back or central defender. While he said he enjoyed that experience, since it added versatility to his game, Kiesewetter insisted it was not a permanent positional switch. He plans to return to his natural forward position at Stuttgart. "I would say that I'm still a forward," Kiesewetter said. But for me it was good to see the game from another perspective and for me it's good to play several positions. Kiesewetter's new long-term contract with a prestigious Bundesliga club makes him one of the more high-profile teenage prospects in the American system. He is also one of the growing number of American players who were born abroad but have United States citizenship through a parent who served in the military. In this past week, U.S. Soccer has had to deal with the disappointment of the decision by a German-born player, Timothy Chandler, to turn down an invitation to play for the United States national team. The reasons for Chandler's turning down the invite are still unclear, but the most common speculation is that either his heart simply isn't with the U.S. team or that he wants to hold out in hopes that Germany will eventually call him. Kiesewetter, who speaks fluent English and makes frequent trips to the United States to see family, said he was enthusiastic about playing for the United States, to which he feels strongly connected. His international priority right now is centered on qualifying the United States for the 2013 U-20 World Cup in Turkey. "It's one of my biggest priorities; that's for sure," Kiesewetter said. It's absolutely amazing to play for the national team every time. But to make the U-20 World Cup is simply awesome, and to represent your nation in a World Cup is great. Kiesewetter made his debut with the U.S. U-20 team in August 2010, at a tournament in Peru. While he did not make the World Cup qualifying team in 2011, he is eligible for the team in 2013. All indications suggest he could play a central role. Last November, when the U-20 and U-23 teams held a joint camp in Germany, the new U-20 coach, Tab Ramos, singled out two players for having a strong camp. One was Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil. The other was Kiesewetter. But when Ramos released the roster for a training camp to prepare for two games in South America next month, Kiesewetter's name wasn't on the list. He had been hoping that Stuttgart would release him for the trip. While the under-20 team has struggled in recent cycles - and even failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup in 2011 - Kiesewetter said he had confidence in the current team in large part because of Ramos. Kiesewetter says he respects the approach Ramos has for youth development, and for getting his players to play to their potential. "I'm still in touch with our coach, Tab," Kiesewetter said. I think he is a great coach. He tries to improve every player every day. He is one of the coaches who knows how to play the game and how to win a game. I think we will do very well under Tab.