Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Exchange student ‘real deal’ for Bonanza High School

For a few silent seconds, the slick 16-year-old Bonanza High striker squinted his eyes to seriously ponder the areas in which he's improved on the pitch since coming to Las Vegas in August.

"Actually," Arian Rehberg finally deadpanned in his hard German accent, "nothing."

The wunderkind meant no offense to coach Gerald Kearney or soccer in the area. He said the competition in Southern Nevada is much better than in Boston, where he participated in an April tournament.

Anyway, five years in the youth system of the famous Hertha Berlin club in Germany will provide most players with a strong fussball foundation. In his second game inside the 75,000-seat Olympiastadion in his hometown of Berlin, Rehberg collected four assists and a goal in an 8-0 rout.

"I know what I have to do," Rehberg said. "I'm not so good with my left foot; so I have to practice that more. We had good coaches at Hertha. They taught me most things."

He's blunt, telling it like it is. His English has improved considerably - the main reason he came to the United States via AYUSA, a nonprofit global high school exchange organization. He occasionally pauses to search for the proper word or meaning.

His mother, Katrin, and father, Jurgen, miss him more than he does them, he said, because every day in Las Vegas is so exciting for him and he has so many new friends.

"I have no problems," Rehberg said. "It's good. I like it."

Robert Caldwell, a Las Vegas attorney who specializes in business and sports law, is serving as Rehberg's host for his 10-month stay and has served his visitor a steady diet of American football, baseball, pasta and, much to Rehberg's delight, chicken and steak burritos.

Caldwell still cringes when Rehberg dips his filet mignon in ketchup in some of the city's finer restaurants.

"He tells me that's German style," Caldwell said.

Bonanza's German flair helped it go 12-5-2 in a season that ended Tuesday with a 2-1 defeat to Cimarron-Memorial. Rehberg scored the Bengals' goal on a nifty 20-yard flick, and he should play a prominent role in the club scene, possibly with the Premier Under-17 squad, this winter and spring.

The 5-foot-9, 150-pound junior has stood out on the pitch, and not just because of his deep tan and closely cropped and gelled blond hair.

His array of flicks and tricks stunned his Bonanza teammates from the start and regularly befuddled foes. He has the cool gait of a predator, moving with poise and purpose, often on the balls of his feet, amid chaos.

"He's the real deal," Kearney said. "You could tell within three minutes of that first practice. Yeah, I got lucky."

During the season, he caught a throw-in square on his chest, flicked it behind him, over a defender's head, in one easy motion with his right foot, spun back and effortlessly retrieved it - before it hit the ground - to pass it to his right with his right foot against Spring Valley.

He scored a goal and assisted on two others to sink Bishop Gorman. At Clark, the opposing goalie couldn't handle his rocket from the right side, and a teammate easily punched in the rebound. The whipping commenced.

"Some of his moves are jaw-dropping," said Caldwell, who played at Louisville Trinity High. "His knowledge of the game, precise passing, skills in evading defenders and shooting abilities are all remarkable."

A natural midfielder on the right side, Rehberg idolizes Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo and wears No. 7 as a tribute to the Portuguese star. He's a mirror image of Ronaldo at times, serving a series of feints and dummy moves on opponents.

Rehberg hopes to impress college recruiters - UNLV coach Mario Sanchez has taken a look at him - in the Las Vegas club system. He might return to Berlin, to play for Hertha or another club, upon returning to Germany next spring.

Rehberg's options seem plentiful, and he ultimately plans to play professionally.

"Yes," he said. "I hope. I think everything is possible. Why not?"

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