Joe Gyau carries on family name with Team USA, Borussia Dortmund
Special contribution from George Murphy of DMVSoccer.com
+Read on DMVSoccer.com: ‘Not Your Average Joe’
Last time we checked in on Joe Gyau, son of former National Team player and renowned coach Philip Gyau, he was in the beginning phases of carving his own legacy while on loan at Bundesliga 2 club Saint Pauli.
A lot has changed in the past two years, not just for Joe, but for his entire family.
His father Philip, who was elected into the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007, was named head coach of the Howard University men’s soccer team in 2014 and is working on rebuilding a program that has been on a downward spiral over the past few seasons. The Bison finished with 2 wins and 2 draws in Gyau’s first season, after registering only one win in the season prior to his arrival.
Joe’s sister, Mia Gyau who is a standout for the local Bethesda Lions club team, recently committed to Duke where she’ll enter her Freshman Season. She was also called into the U18 WNT Camp this month for a two-game series against Mexico, at El Tri’s National Training Center in Mexico City. The team drew the first match 1-1 and suffered a 2-1 defeat in the second game this past Saturday.
As for Joe himself?
Well, in June of 2014 he secured a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he made one appearance for the full team as a substitute against Stuttgart. He netted 2 goals in 10 appearances for the Dortmund II side, and has also since established himself as a young and exciting USMNT prospect after getting on Jurgen Klinnsman‘s radar and making 2 caps for the full United States Men’s National Team.
However, Joe suffered a serious injury in his second full appearance for the Stars and Stripes, a friendly which he started against Ecuador. In the 15th minute, Joe had to replaced after suffering what was initially believed to be a sprained knee. It was later announced that MRI’s revealed that Joe actually tore his lateral meniscus, and would be out for the 2014-2015 season.
In February of 2015, rumors began to surface that Joe was suffering setbacks during his rehab, and would require a second surgery. Recently, many speculated that he could miss the entire 2015-2016 Bundesliga campaign, rumors which Joe has recently addressed on DMVSoccer.com.
