LAFAYETTE   — Chris Bugay, a Harrison High School student and FC Indiana soccer player, has been selected to train with the academy program of German Bundesliga club 1 FC Kaiserslautern.

Bugay, 15, a sophomore at Harrison, currently plays for the FC Indiana men’s team and is coached by Eric Castro and Chris Castro. Last summer he played for the FC Indiana U18 Super Y-League boys team.

“We are delighted that Chris’s hard work and commitment has resulted in this opportunity to experience, first hand, a top German club”, said Eric Castro. “In Europe, there is a different mentality about the game. In the U.S., middle to upper-class kids play soccer. It is treated like a game, it is a recreational activity.

Over there it is a way to make a better life for you and your family. They approach it with a different commitment, one that is hard to duplicate in the U.S.”

“In the last year, Chris has grown as a player,” added Castro. “He takes training a lot more seriously and even demands more from his teammates. That comes from the experience he has had in with the FC Indiana Men’s team.
Chris Castro, who works with Bugay on individual technique, noticed him and saw that he had some potential. In the end we came to the agreement that the best thing for Bugay was to play at a higher level than he was used to and become more of an intense player in training. ”

"Chris is a steady force on defense," said Chris Castro about Bugay. "The bonus for us is that he now also brings the experience factor into play. His training with men introduced him to a higher standard of the game. He was forced to play at a higher level.”
Bugay will travel to Frankfurt and then to Kaiserslautern on Saturday, October 3rd and during his fourteen day venture will train with Kaiserslautern’s U-16 team.

When asked about 'the opportunity to go to Germany, Chris replied, ''I am very excited and to have this once in a lifetime opportunity. I am looking forward to competing with other skilled players in this prestigious club.”

Kaiserslautern youth academy is recognized one of the most successful youth soccer programs in the world having developed German international striker Miroslav Klose among others.