By Robert Collias 5 min read
Hofmann
Bailey Hofmann’s soccer odyssey has now landed him in Houston, Texas.
Hofmann, who led King Kekaulike High School to the Division I boys state soccer title as a sophom*ore in March, is now a member of the Houston Dynamo Academy.
Soon after Na Alii won the second boys state soccer title ever for a Maui Interscholastic League team, Hofmann moved to Germany to work with a former
Bayern Munich player in hopes of landing a spot with a Bundesliga team academy — that was a move that is rare for a current MIL player, if it has ever occurred.
“When I was in Germany, I was getting calls from (the Dynamo’s) sporting director and their academy director, as well,” Hofmann said via phone from Houston on Friday. “Their academy director (Paul Holocher) used to live out on Maui and coach our Maui United team when Maui United was still a thing. My club coach, Brent Nunes, is really close to Paul Holocher. I went out and tried out four years ago. … I would have been training with a team that was way older than me and they said I basically wasn’t ready for that.
“They said, ‘give it time,’ give me, like, a few more years and then come try out again. So, when I came back from Germany, I tried out again and I made the team.”
Hofmann was in Germany for two and a half months and returned to the U.S. in mid-June.
“I flew from Germany to Houston — after the first day they were basically like ‘Hey, we really want you, we like what we see. How about you give me like a few more weeks and then we’ll see about the timing of everything,’ ” Hofmann said. “Me and my family talked about it and we were, like, ‘Yeah, it sounds amazing.’ The whole development program and academy, that’s all I’ve ever dreamed of, so we all decided to go for it.”
Hofmann is the only child of Rene and Tracy Hofmann.
“I’m with the U-17s and today — they thought I’m an ’06, but I’m an ’05 (born player) — so I’m going to be moved up to the U-20s by next week,” Bailey Hofmann said. “I will be playing in a men’s league. Everything is going on right now.”
After making his decision to sign with Houston, Hofmann came home to Maui for three weeks and played with his Maui-based Albion SC team in the Surf Cup in San Diego, Calif.
After that he went to Spain and played an Albion tournament there before flying to Houston and settling in. He found out about his promotion to the U-20 level on Friday, his second week in Texas on a permanent basis — matches begin at his new level in September.
“It’s been exciting, but I do miss my family back at home,” Hofmann said. “They’re thinking of moving to here in October, so I’m staying with a host family right now.”
Nunes is a Baldwin graduate and now the technical director for Albion SC Hawaii, which is now on Maui and Oahu. He said Hofmann is the seventh Mauian to go to a Major League Soccer academy, but with his European experience, there are few like him ever from the Valley Isle.
“Bailey is the most recent, he is the seventh from Maui United/Albion,” Nunes said. “We’re super excited for Bailey — he’s obviously been a very talented player coming out of Hawaii, coming out of Maui, state player of the year. It’s a testament to the hard work he and his family have put in over the years. They are a pure footballing family — they eat, breathe and sleep soccer.”
Hofmann acknowledged that he will not be returning to King Kekaulike, the hardest part of the decision.
“Yeah, very much, I miss those boys, a lot,” he said. “It was a very fun experience and I really wish I could play another year with those boys, but everything is kind of moving so fast and I’m liking where I’m at right now, essentially being in an academy — that’s all I’ve dreamed about.
“So, being in a professional environment is really huge for me.”
The opportunity he is getting is something Hofmann does not take lightly.
“I think that especially with the Houston Dynamo and Brent Nunes’ connections we’re going to have a lot more players developing out of Hawaii,” Hofmann said. “I really want to be the role model for the younger kids. I know they look up to me. It’s a lot of weight on my shoulders … it’s been exciting, it’s been a journey and I want to keep going forward.”
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com
