Cavalry FC’s newest international signing Julian Buscher didn’t expect to end up in Canada.

Drafted by D.C. United out of Syracuse University in 2016, the now-25-year-old went on to play a significant role with Ben Olsen’s outfit, making 20 appearances – mostly off the bench – in his debut season.

However, his time was reduced as D.C. United reformed its midfield, and he was loaned out to the Rochester Rhinos, before making the switch to the LA Galaxy II.

It’s a pretty typical story, as far as young MLS hopefuls go – bounce around here and there, try and stake a claim, and hope to find the right fit … the sort that gives you meaningful minutes to improve and perform.

But as 2018 came to a close, Buscher, who is no stranger to embracing the unknown, heard of another venture, up in Canada. With an assist by his college coach, Buscher became one of a handful of former MLS players to join the Canadian Premier League.

“It’s like jumping on a wave – you don’t know where it’ll take you exactly, but at least it takes you forward,” Buscher told CanPL.ca, when asked about his decision to join a new league.

“It’s something new and exciting and you don’t know really in which direction it will go,” he continued. “If I’m honest, I got a little stuck in MLS towards playing time and having a big impact on the team. I’m 25 right now and the most important thing for me is to be meaningful to a team and to play.”

Canada is not entirely unfamiliar territory for Buscher. He had previously spent time in the ‘Great White North’ with KW United in 2015, after all. And it was that positive experience in Canada that convinced him a move to Cavalry FC would be worth making.

“One thing about Canadians is that they’re very nice people, and when you look at their political decisions, they’re pretty smart as well,” Buscher said, when asked about his impressions of Canada.

“They’re also very welcoming. Just a quick example – Canadians always say ‘Pardon?’ instead of ‘What?’ It’s different to other countries.”

A conversation or two with Tommy Wheeldon Jr. also helped.

“Tommy really believed in me, and what I thought was interesting was that he was the first coach who didn’t just call me – he FaceTimed me,” Buscher said. “I talked with him for an hour, and he was just sitting at home on his couch, and it all felt very familiar. It felt good. It made my decision really easy.”

Buscher has never shied away from making those big, life-changing decisions, though. A German youth international coming through the system at VfL Bochum, Buscher featured for lower-league German outfits Preuben Munster and Sportfreunde Lotte, before making the switch to Syracuse.

It was there that he met and played alongside fellow CPLers like Chris Nanco of Forge FC and Skylar Thomas of Valour FC – players who Buscher is looking forward to playing against in this new venture.

Small world, right?

For Buscher, the opportunity to suit up for Cavalry FC ultimately comes down to changing perceptions of soccer on a global level, too.

“When I was growing up, all the big talents came from Germany, and, if you were a really, really good player, you wouldn’t leave Europe anyway,” Buscher said. “I decided to go to college, which put me on a different path to North America.

“The greatest part of the future is that the world becomes smaller, regardless of soccer. It’s very easy to fly to Calgary nowadays – it’s a nine hour flight away from Germany, even. So these opportunities now exist for players around the globe.”

He added: “We all know the world will be watching in 2026 (for the World Cup). This is a massive chance to prepare for it. Whatever you have then, you show the whole world. People will be excited about it. And I think Canada will catch up quicker than people expect, too.”