The Interview: Joe Scally

19-Year-Old Gladbach Fullback Is Uncapped USMNT Player Most Likely to Make World Cup Roster

Joe Scally has made 23 starts for Gladbach this season (Photo by Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

Of all the uncapped USMNT players who could make the U.S. World Cup squad, the one at the top of the list for me is 19-year-old fullback Joe Scally, the New York City academy product who has broken through at Borussia Mönchengladbach this season, starting 23 games in the German league and cup so far. Early-season injuries gave Scally the chance to play a lot, and he has been toggling between his natural right back spot and the left back position depending on his team’s needs. He’s also very much a Long Island guy, as you’ll learn below in the fun interview we did on Wednesday.

The entirety of the written interview below is reserved for paid subscribers. As always, you can still get the entire free audio version of my podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you like to go for your pods.

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Grant Wahl:

Our guest now is Joe Scally, the 19-year-old American fullback who's having a breakout season at Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany. Gladbach is currently seven points out of a European berth in the Bundesliga and is hosting eighth-place Köln this Saturday at 12:30 pm Eastern on ESPN Plus. Joe, congratulations on everything you're doing and thanks for coming on the show.

Joe Scally:

Yeah. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Grant Wahl:

So you have been totally thrown into the fire this season from the start. You now have 23 starts in the league and cup and counting. How would you describe what the experience has been like for you this season in the Bundesliga?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, I mean, I didn’t even know it’s 23 starts, but that sounds very, very nice. I mean, it's been a dream start for me so far. It's been crazy to just be thrown into the league. I was with the second team last year, and I never would've thought that this season would go out like how it's been, but I mean, I'm very proud of myself. I'm very proud of everything, so it's been great.

“I was ecstatic when they qualified. The U.S. is in the World Cup, where we should be. I hope to be with the team. And this question blew up on social media. Oh, Joe Scally and Gregg don't have contact, blah, blah, blah. But of course we have contact. Of course I'm hoping to be with the team, but whatever happens, I'm a U.S. citizen, so I'm rooting for the U.S. always. And so I hope I'll be there. And if not, I hope for the best.” — Joe Scally

Grant Wahl:

So you're a natural right back, but you've been playing a lot of left back this season as well due to injuries for other players at times. How different are the skill sets for right and left back?

Joe Scally:

I mean, of course it's similar. A lot of people would say it's similar, but when you play you know the little differences, for example, receiving the ball. I'm not able to receive it on my strong foot with my right, so I have to switch to my left. Defending, you'll be always facing one way and then on the left side, you have to switch, so it's just different mechanics when sprinting, when defending, but I mean, when you get into the attack, it's nice because maybe you can cut in and have a shot far post, but that's the one nice part about it. But yeah, of course a lot of people would say it's similar, but those are the main differences.

Grant Wahl:

Okay. Interesting. So if you had to pick one sort of pinch me moment, it's wild for me to be in this situation moment, this season, what would it be?

Joe Scally:

One? I have two right off the top of my head. If I could say two.

Grant Wahl:

Okay.

Joe Scally:

But I'll say one, I'll say my Wolfsburg goal, definitely I would say is my one. This was the last minute, this is great. And what made it better was it was international break. I wasn't called in. So I was able to go home that week. The coach let me go home. So I scored and the next day I was able to go home and this was, oh, this is amazing. So this was, I would say the one pinch me moment because the whole crowd in Wolfsburg, we didn't win there in 16 years or something like that, just went silent and we won 3-1. 

But if I'm able to say two, when we beat Bayern [Munich] 5-0 in the Cup, this was crazy also. These are the two moments I would say by far that stand out.

Grant Wahl:

Is there any “moment in the moment” of beating Bayern 5-0 that you remember the most?

Joe Scally:

Usually you don't like to be subbed out, but in this moment I got subbed out. I forget when it was, maybe the 80th minute. And we were already winning 5-0, and we had a full stadium. I think it was 52,000, and I was just happy to be subbed out so that I can enjoy all of it. You could really soak it in, because when you're on the field, you're not looking at the fans, everyone's screaming and cheering all the time. So this was the one time I would say I was happy to be subbed out and just soak it all in. This is great.

Grant Wahl:

That's awesome. So you’ve got just five league games left this season, so you're almost at the end. What are you hoping to get out of these remaining games?

Joe Scally:

I mean, for the team, it's going to be tough five games. I mean, we have the derby on the weekend against Köln, which of course is going to be a very tough game, but we want to get redemption from last time. And I mean, the rest of the games are going to be difficult. Every opponent that we're facing I believe is ahead of us in the table. So we're just trying to collect as many points as we can.

Grant Wahl:

And it's interesting, I think, as well, I know you're close to Gio Reyna. I hope he's doing okay this week after his injury. Could you explain to our listeners how far back you and Gio go, and how often do you see each other in Germany?

Joe Scally:

I mean, I just got a Snapchat memory in my phone, from when things pop up from six years ago with me and Gio. So that basically made me realize, wow, me and Gio, we've been close for about six years now, starting at the NYCFC academy to everything with the youth national teams. And then to be 50 minutes away in Germany. It's crazy. We try and see each other. We've been golfing a lot. We both play golf. So they just opened up a Top Golf here that is perfect. It's 30 minutes from the both of us. So I swear we're there two to three times a week. We've been there recently and yeah, it's been great. So we see each other a lot, but most of the time when we hang out at each other's houses he comes to me because in Düsseldorf, where I live, there's more things to do than where he is.

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Grant Wahl:

I have been to Dortmund and Düsseldorf. I would concur with that. And I'm sort of collecting over time stories about Gio being crazy competitive from his dad and his mom and other people. And maybe you're part of this, you might be crazy competitive yourself. Do you have a favorite story that you tell?

Joe Scally:

Wow, I don't know. I mean, even at Top Golf we play the virtual courses and it gets intense with match-play and stroke. So, I mean, we're both super-competitive. I think with the golf now it's gotten really fun because we can play each other in that. And yeah. I mean, a story, I don't know. I really couldn't tell you, but there's going to be some coming. So next time we talk, there's going to be one about golf.

Grant Wahl:

It's pretty crazy. The New York City academy has recently had you, Gio Reyna, James Sands, all of you are playing in Europe now. What was special about that academy to produce those kinds of talents?

Joe Scally:

If you look at our starting 11 in the national championship against LA Galaxy, even for LA Galaxy the players on the field, it was crazy. I think every single player is a pro now. So to be playing with Gio, James, Andres [Jasson], all these guys who are now pros, Tayvon, Justin Haak, I mean, it was a great place to develop, I would say. We even had a great coach, Matt Pilkington, who was the second team coach now for New York City. And I mean, we just, we've learned so much from him. And I mean, when you're playing with all these good players at such a young age, you're going to get better. It's not like you're going to drop because you need to, if you want to keep playing in this youth team, you need to really step up with the players like this. So I would say it was a great development for me and for all the other players.

Grant Wahl:

I mean, back in 2019, you were on this extremely talented U.S. Under1717 World Cup team with Reyna, Gianluca Busio, George Bello, Ricardo Pepi. All five of you are in Europe now, four of you in Germany. What is it about Germany that's so attractive to young Americans like you guys?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, I think most young Americans who come to Germany, you see they have good outcomes and they've been given a chance. And Germany is a great league for young players and young Americans, I mean, [Christian] Pulisic has led the way and he's shown that the Americans can do it in Europe. And then Gio came over, Tyler [Adams], everyone just came and has done really well. So I think it just attracts the young American.

Grant Wahl:

No, that makes sense. So I know both your parents played sports, your mom played soccer, your dad played basketball. Could you share their names and what their backgrounds were in their respective sports?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, my dad is John Scally. He played basketball in where we live now at the high school. And yeah, he was a good basketball player. He played at Concordia College and he always likes to tell us that he set the scoring record there, but it's funny, the school is closed down. So we tell him that he didn't even go to college. So it's funny. 

And then my mom, my mom's Margaret Scally. She played soccer for the local, just the local school team. And my grandpa was her coach. So he always likes to say that he started all the soccer in the family. Every time he says the same story. So it's funny. But yeah, that's their background in sports. I would say my dad is probably the better athlete than my mom. But she won't like to hear this, but I have to pick, so. [laughs]

Grant Wahl:

And did you have any choices that you made early on? Were you into other sports besides soccer, or how early did you decide to focus on soccer?

Joe Scally:

Yeah. I basically tried every sport besides football and baseball. I played lacrosse when I was younger, and I just didn't really like to have all the equipment on me during the summer. I thought it was the worst thing ever. So I hated this. And since my mom and dad, my dad played basketball, my mom played soccer. These are the two sports that I just played and I loved. And my sister plays soccer and basketball. My brother plays soccer and basketball. So we've all basically played these two sports and I've loved it. It was the worst thing giving up basketball. I hated it.

But it was so cool, I was in eighth grade. My brother was in 12th grade. I was, I'm not going to say I was good at, I was okay at basketball. And I was lucky enough to be on the school team with him, the varsity team. And I started, this was my favorite year of sports playing with my brother. It was so much fun. We would joke around. It was amazing. He likes to tell me that we had the worst season. I think we won two games out of 20. And he says I wrecked his senior year every time, because I would always get turnovers and stuff, but it was so much fun.

Grant Wahl:

Pretty impressive you were playing for the varsity at that age, by the way. So that's what I would say to him. So the U.S. just qualified for the World Cup. If anyone asks me which uncapped U.S. player I think will be on the World Cup roster, you are the first name I say. How are you viewing things right now with the U.S. men's national team moving forward, and have you had any recent contact with Gregg Berhalter?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, I was ecstatic when they qualified. Of course that's great. I'm so happy. The U.S. is in the World Cup where we should be. I hope to be with the team. And this question blew up on social media. Oh, Joe Scally and Gregg don't have contact, blah, blah, blah. But of course, we have contact. So I’m not going to say we don't have contact. Of course I'm hoping to be with the team, but whatever happens, I'm a U.S. citizen, so I'm rooting for the U.S. always. And so I hope I'll be there. And if not, I hope for the best.

Grant Wahl:

You came into the U.S. camp in November, what was that experience like?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, it was great. It was great to pick up on other players, to have a full American environment. When you're in Germany, it stinks when you don't hear the American language like at home. But yeah, the camp was good, had a good camp. It was great to witness USA versus Mexico, one of the greatest rivalries, and win 2-0, dos a cero. So that was really cool. I thought it was great to be around the guys just to get to learn the system, get to know the coaching staff, the players, and become one of the group. So it was really nice.

Grant Wahl:

And where were you when you saw the U.S. clinch a berth in the World Cup?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, I was in Germany, so I had to stay up late and watched the game, so, yeah. That's great.

Grant Wahl:

Nice. Yeah. I mean, what time was that coming on? Probably fairly late your time.

Joe Scally:

Yeah. I think like three in the morning. I'm not sure, I forget, but it was late. I just know it was late.

Grant Wahl:

So I'm talking to you from New York City where I live. You're from this area. What do you miss the most from New York that you cannot get in Germany?

Joe Scally:

Wow. Bagels. I'd have to say bagels. I, wow, do I miss bagels. I always tell my mom to bring bagels when they come with my family. They're always stale. It's the worst thing. They're always stale. They're always stale. [laughs] They're never like you get them fresh. So the first thing I do when I go home, I get bagels and pizza. Pizza, always too. These two things are two things I miss the most.

Grant Wahl:

It's interesting because I hear those sometimes when I talk to guys in Germany, I also hear Mexican food. I remember Pulisic saying that he drove two hours to go to a Chipotle in Frankfurt, which sounded like the most ridiculous thing ever. Have you done any journeys like that for American stuff?

Joe Scally:

No, I haven't had any journeys like that. I do know that the one Chipotle in Germany is in Frankfurt. So it's funny you say that, but I haven't done anything like that.

Grant Wahl:

And then I guess one just overarching question I would ask, what do you want to achieve in your career?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, of course I want to play in Champions League one day. I want to play in a World Cup and I just want to continue to play in the top league in Europe, then go on to have a great career, establish myself in a team, be starting every game. And yeah, that's what I want.

Grant Wahl:

Couple more questions here and I appreciate the time. So you learned presumably a fair amount about Gladbach as a club. And what is that? What would you like people here in the U.S. to know about Borussia Mönchengladbach?

Joe Scally:

I mean, it's a great club. I mean, it's a great stadium. It's great fans. It's everything. It's a family culture, team environment with the fans. And it's great to say, they always told me, say, you make a mistake, the fans aren't going to start booing you and all this. I mean, it just goes to show you how great fans are. These fans cheer you on, these fans, really, they push you. So I would say this is a great family-loving club, and everyone supports you no matter what.

Grant Wahl:

And I'm going to give away my age here, because I remember covering Lilian Thuram when he won the World Cup with France back in 1998. Amazing player obviously. And now his son is your teammate, Marcus, and he's a goal scorer, so is completely different from his dad. Have you gotten to know him at all? Have you gotten a sense of what he's about?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, he's a great guy. Yeah. He speaks perfect English. So it's so funny. And he's so into the United States, he's always on vacation in the United States. So I would say he's the most American on the team, if that makes sense, out of anyone. So it's great to talk to him because he knows all the little slang and all these things that the young kids know. So it's great to talk to him.

Grant Wahl:

It's funny to me because his dad actually still, the one language he never learned, because he speaks a bunch, is English. And so his dad and I talk in Spanish together when we talk, and he's been in New York a few times, but that's interesting to me that Marcus…

Joe Scally:

Perfect. Perfect English.

Grant Wahl:

Interesting. So this is all good to know here about how it works inside the team. Are there other guys on the team who speak great English or that you enjoyed doing that with?

Joe Scally:

Everyone speaks English good enough to where you could hold a conversation. It's just, he knows the slang, the lingo. So it's funny to talk to him cause you really can just talk freely and not broken English. So it's fun, but I mean, yeah, everyone speaks good enough English.

Grant Wahl:

And are you planning on getting back to the New York City area this summer?

Joe Scally:

Yeah, I think directly after the last game, I'll be flying home straight to Long Island. So I’ll enjoy my time off there.

Grant Wahl:

Joe Scally is a 19-year-old American fullback who's having a breakout season at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Joe, thanks so much for coming on the show.

Joe Scally:

Thank you for having me.