James Routledge is the newest addition to the ranks of foreign-born players of the Marquette men’s soccer team, becoming the fifth such player on the team.
Does playing alongside so many other non-American students make the transition any easier?
It doesn’t hurt.
The 5-foot-8 central midfielder, from Auckland, New Zealand, enrolled at Marquette for the spring semester and is practicing with the team as it prepares for its spring season. In 2010, his final year at Auckland Grammar School, Routledge scored 17 goals and notched a team-leading 16 assists.
Freshmen Axel Sjoberg and Sebastian Jansson were in Routledge’s shoes last year. Both were born and raised in Sweden and opted to attend Marquette, enrolling for the spring semester.
Routledge said Sjoberg has gone out of his way to ensure Marquette’s newest midfielder is comfortable, since Sjoberg has had similar experiences.
“He talked to me about how it was the same thing for him and (Jansson),” Routledge said. “They weren’t necessarily struggling last year, but he said it was hard to acclimatize. That’s why he said it’s better to come in the spring. It definitely makes it easier going into the fall season.”
It’s not just soccer that Routledge has to adjust to. He also has to get accustomed with the American culture, something that has already begun.
“My math teacher used an example about the presidents of the United States, and I had to ask her to rephrase her example because I didn’t know what she was talking about,” Routledge said. “A majority of people hear the accent and know I’m not from here. They’re friendly, always ask where I’m from and how things are different.”
It was not always a given that Routledge would end up in Marquette blue and gold. Coach Louis Bennett first heard about Routledge when he went to scout another player in California in January 2011. At that time, Routldege was a member of New Zealand’s All Whites U.S. Tour, which competed against Division I teams and MLS youth academy teams.
Bennett said Routledge blew him away.
“He’s not a big player in stature, but he can be a big player in plays, and he can make big plays,” Bennett said. “I didn’t know if we’d be able to find someone like that and because he stuck out and he was a good student, I realized this was a good fit for Marquette.”
But Routledge said there was never any doubt in his mind that he would end up a Golden Eagle once he met with Bennett after a game during his time in California, despite interest from New Mexico, West Virginia, Seattle and North Carolina-Greensboro.
“I think overall there were no negatives at all,” Routledge said about his decision to attend Marquette. “This was the best decision for me soccer-wise, and its academic program is fantastic as well. So that sets me up and opens up a lot of doors in the future for me.”
In the present, Routledge will have many barriers to climb in order to get onto the field. The midfield is Marquette’s deepest position with junior Ryan Robb, Jansson and sophomore Bryan Ciesiulka returning.
“A player like James, three, four or five years ago would have walked straight into the team and played just by the sheer nature of his talent,” Bennett said. “Talent, now, is just a prerequisite for being here. It’s how you use that talent and how you fit in. He knows that, and that’s his immediate challenge to accept that day-in and day out.”
