Cole Campbell, the breakout American star in Germany, has affirmed his commitment to the United States and is pushing for his first senior national team call-up.

Campbell's mother, Rakel Karvelsson, was a pro in the U.S. and played for Iceland. He played briefly for Iceland's U-17 team but switched to the U.S. in 2024. "I've already made my decision to switch to the U.S. It was for a lot of different reasons, but my future is with the U.S., so that's set," Campbell said. "I have no second thoughts or anything, so that's the thing for me that's set in stone."

The 20-year-old joined Bundesliga newcomer Elversberg as the club's record signing in July after his career stalled at Borussia Dortmund. He scored on his first league start in an upset win over Bayer Leverkusen. Campbell, friends with U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna, has been in contact with U.S. coaching staff for two years. After seeing the "amazing" World Cup crowds, he hopes his form can open the door to an international debut. His next chance is Sunday against Schalke. The U.S. will play friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada later this month and into early October.

"I'm just focused on trying to perform the best that I can and I'm praying that I get my first call-up, hopefully soon," he said. "That would be a dream come true for me to represent my country."

A nimble winger, Campbell fits a young Elversberg team that pushed Bayern Munich hard in a 2-1 loss last week. From a town of 13,000, Elversberg plays "brave" soccer. "The bravery for me as an offensive player is to not be afraid of going one against one, going and trying something instead of being scared and not trying it because of the reputation," he said.

Campbell is one of the first active players whose mother had a pro career. Karvelsson was in the WUSA in 2001, won two national titles at UNC, and scored seven goals in 10 games for Iceland. "My mom knows so much about football," Campbell said. "Having a mom also that played football, it's great. I can also train with her, which is fun. ... She challenges me to a two-touch battle. She doesn't win anymore but in the past, when I was younger, she used to beat me."