Ewald Heuser

Ewald Friedrich Heuser (born January 19, 2004) is a Siovanija & Teusland professional footballer currently playing as a goalkeeper for FC Teussen Stelburg and the Siovanija & Teusland national football team. Regarded as his country's best goalkeeper, and one of the top players in his position in the world, Heuser's biggest achievements have been being part of the national team squads for the World Cup 84 and World Cup 85 Finals, as well as winning three league titles with FC Teussen Stelburg, including a league and Cup double.

Born in the city of Stelburg, Teusland, Heuser became well-known in youth footballing circles from a very young age playing in various youth leagues, and at age 10 was signed to the academy of FC Teussen Stelburg, the club he grew up supporting. Heuser quickly developed and became known as one of the best young keepers in the nation, although many questioned whether he could adapt to a starting role for the club at such a young age. When Teussen starter Julian Fehr became second choice at the club, Heuser was promoted from the academy and played his first professional season at age 21. He was immediately successful, playing a key role in FC Teussen Stelburg winning the league title, and secured his role as the first-choice keeper at the club, which he has been for his entire professional career.

Internationally, Heuser represents Siovanija & Teusland, and is a key player for the country, having earned 51 caps, the second most of all time for a goalkeeper. Heuser began his career with the youth team at Di Bradini Cup 45, putting in a strong performance, and after the national team faced a goalkeeping crisis was called up for World Cup 84 Qualifiers. Given an opportunity to take the number one shirt in his first run of games with his country, he performed exceptionally well, and has been the Goldhorns' first-choice keeper ever since, helping them qualify for World Cup 84 and 85.

One of the more famous athletes from Siovanija & Teusland, Heuser has been endorsed by sportswear brand Adler, as well as appearing in various commercials for companies based in the city of Stelburg. He is regularly listed amongst the best goalkeepers both in his country and in the world, and has been named in the KarlingSport Galacticos Longlist in Cycles 75 and 76. In Cycle 75, he was named among the 5 best under-21 players in the world.

Heuser's best skills are considered to be his size, his shot-stopping skill, and his ability to play as a sweeper keeper.

Early life
Ewald Heuser was born on January 19th, 2004, as the third child of Friedrich and Sophie Heuser. Both his father and mother were originally from Stelburg, and both of his great-grandparents fought in the Great War. Heuser's family contains two older sisters, as well as a younger brother Dietrich, who currently plays as a left back for 3. Republikaliga club TSV Tarnitz. The family grew up with divided Republikaliga loyalties. His father's side of the family were 1912 Stelburg supporters, while his mother was an FC Teussen Stelburg supporter. Heuser grew up closer to Teussen's stadium, however, and when taken to a match by his grandfather as a child became a supporter of the club. Through this, Heuser became passionate about the sport and grew up playing football.

Heuser played his first organized football with the Adler Stelburg youth club as a child, starting his career as a centre back. He later credited this as where he developed his skill on the ball, as Teus centre backs are trained to play the ball from a very young age. An injury to the club's goalkeeper late in the season led to Heuser being chosen to play goal, where he immediately excelled in the position. From then on, he remained in that position, quickly becoming well-regarded in the local youth leagues. At the age of 10, he was signed by FC Teussen Stelburg's youth academy.

Heuser was recognized throughout his academy days as a player with great potential, especially after going through a huge growth spurt during his mid-teenage years. He played a year-up for the later half of his academy career, and at the age of 17 was the starter for the Teussen U19 team, a great honour. Heuser grew up idolizing Julian Fehr, Teussen's starting goalkeeper, and eventually became tipped to be Fehr's replacement at the club.

The Golden Generation
Despite capturing a Republikaliga title in season two, and being one of the most successful clubs in the league for most of their history, FC Teussen Stelburg were undergoing turbulent times by the beginning of season 5 of the Republikaliga. Club legend Thorsten Kramer had left for Audioslavia and 1830 Cathair, while many of the core pieces that had helped win the title were getting older and declining. In season 4, the club finished a dismal 6th place, and there was some concern that the club may be falling behind their rivals in the new era.

FC Teussen Stelburg manager Kasper Knauer, however, was quite confident in what he called the 'golden generation' of youth players that were currently being developed at the club. Known for their strong development system, the club had their hands on plenty of talent at the youth level. Between seasons 4 and 5, Karl-Heinz Jager, Lukas Tauscher, Mario Kogler and Henirich Bahr were all promoted from the academy. Heuser remained mostly a starter for the youth team, but was often brought up to play in Cup games. Heuser started every President's Cup match except the semifinal and final, which included a clean sheet in the 1-0 Quarterfinal win over FK Pomorie. FC Teussen Stelburg finished a surprising second in the league that season and won the Cup, with Heuser making his first-ever senior appearances for the club.

The next season, two more members of the Golden Generation were promoted: Axel Richter, and Heuser. There were some questions before the season about if Heuser was truly ready to become a starter for one of the best clubs in the league at the age of 21. With one of the greatest-ever Republikaliga defenders in Karl-Heinz Jager in front of him, however, Heuser was exceptional in his first season. Teussen would go on to win the Republikaliga title, and posted the second-best defensive record in the league. Jager received plenty of credit for this, but Heuser was also awarded the Republikaliga's Best Keeper award for the season, and a place in the league's Best XI. To complete the excellent season, Teussen went on to capture the President's Cup title as well. The final wasn't the best day of Heuser's career, as Teussen defeated FC Rotmunde 1932 by a score of 7-5, but it was still a massive win. The club became the first team in Republikaliga history to win a league and Cup double, and they did it in Heuser's first season.

Defending the Double
In a similar shock to Thorsten Kramer's departure after season 4, prior to season 7 reigning Golden Ball winner Karl-Heinz Jager departed the club, heading to Raynor City United of the Vanorian Premiership. Replacing him was another member of the academy, a few years younger than the Golden Generation that had come up together through the ranks of the U19s, Gregory Scherwey. Heuser came up big for the club when needed. During the season's first Stelburg derby, Heuser made a save off the tip of his fingers that would turn into a counterattack and the Mario Kogler goal that won the derby for Teussen, a huge win in the title race. It was a rockier season for Teussen, however, as 1912 Stelburg proved to be strong opponents to their title challenge.

Going into the final matchday, FC Teussen Stelburg needed to defeat 1828 Pomen at home while hoping for 1912 Stelburg to lose to SW Stahlberg in order to win the league. Teussen would crush Pomen 6-3, while 1912 were defeated 3-2 by a strong Stahlberg team, and FC Teussen Stelburg took home a second straight Republikaliga title. The defensive record was not as good for the team this season, with Karl-Heinz Jager being an irreplacable loss, however, Heuser was still a top performer for the club and won his second straight Best Keeper award and Best XI nod. FC Teussen Stelburg could not accomplish a 'double-double,' however, as they lost in the President's Cup Final to derby rivals 1912 Stelburg, who got some vengeance for the way the season had ended.

Competition at the Top
Heading into the Republikaliga's eighth season, it seemed as if FC Teussen Stelburg's reign at the top would last forever. They had an incredible group of core players, including bringing national team midfielder Kurt Witzel into the mix, and had won two title on the trot. The quest for three, however, would face a new challenge. FC Felsenkirchen 1879, traditionally an upper-midtable team in the league, received a great deal of investment from its owner, and went out and made a great facelift to their squad, making the Blues a force capable of challenging for the title. One of the main purchases was Gentza Bedigax, the Astograth national team goalkeeper, who immediately became Heuser's competition for the title of best keeper in the Republikaliga.

Season eight would not go as planned for FC Teussen Stelburg. A difficult start to the season was capped off by a 4-2 home loss to 1912 Stelburg in the Stelburg derby, as the visitors scored three goals in the first half. The next week, Teussen again lost 4-2 on the road, this time to the title rivals FC Felsenkirchen 1879. Defensively, the club took a step back as Gregory Scherwey struggled in his second professional season, while even Heuser wasn't his best self in the early going. Teussen would, however, crawl back in the later stages of the season as the title race went down to the final day. Teussen gave up their worst goal total since Heuser joined the club, at 87, however, much of the blame for this lay on the poor defending from Scherway and Niels Kronthaler. Teussen also made strides in the Champions' League, advancing to the Round of 16 stage for the first time in the club's history. FC Felsenkirchen 1879, however, were the title winners, and they would face Teussen in the President's Cup Final. There had been bad blood brewing between the clubs all season, with shots back and forth in the press, and during the final tensions came to a head with a near-fight on the pitch in the closing stages. Teussen saved some pride, however, and won the Cup with a 3-1 win, setting up huge stakes for the league's ninth season.

The Teussen squad experienced some overhaul over the offseason. Both Scherwey and Kronthaler left the club, and were instead replaced by two of the top defenders in the league. Erich Thierse joined the club from Rotmunde, an experienced national team defender, while Arno Amstutz, a young prospect who had an excellent season for Marlesee 97, also joined the club. While the two would take a few matches to settle into the season, Teussen would get off to a great start, as they posted an 8-1-1 record in their first ten games of the year. Against Felsenkirchen on the road, the club earned a 3-3 draw, before Heuser kept an important clean sheet in a 1-0 National derby win over Olympia Borograd. Just two weeks later, however, the club suffered back-to-back losses, firstly against 1912 Stelburg 5-4 in the Stelburg derby, and a 2-1 loss the next week against Rotmunde, which had fans concerned about the title race.

In the end, however, those would be the last league matches the club lost all season in their first year at the Franz-Gorz-Stadion. Heuser and Teussen pieced together a 21-match unbeaten run to end the year, which included a 4-3 win over Felsenkirchen at home, and two important draws on the road in the National and Stelburg derbies. Teussen would win the league and set the all-time Republikaliga points record at 87, while the team also finished tied for the best defensive record in the league with runners-up Felsenkirchen. Heuser was considered a stand-out performer all season for the club, and he won the Best Keeper award again and finished second in Golden Ball voting behind teammate Lukas Tauscher. While Teussen crashed out of the President's Cup early, they reached the Round of 16 of the IFCF Challengers' Cup before losing to eventual winners Arlington City.

Youth level
Heuser's career for the national team began at the age of 18, when he was selected to the Siovanija & Teusland national football team for the 44th Di Bradini Cup tournament. Drawn in a difficult group which included teams like Mytanija, Banija and Baker Park, the Goldhorns crashed out of the tournament with an 0-0-3 record. Two years later, Heuser returned to the Goldhorns squad as the starting keeper for the team at the 45th Di Bradini Cup. This time around, the Goldhorns were much more successful. They won their group with a 2-1-0 record, including a clean sheet for Heuser in a 3-0 win over Darmen, before advancing to the Round of 16.

In the Round of 16, the Goldhorns overcame Tulize 1-0, with Heuser again putting in an excellent performance for the clean sheet. The Quarterfinal draw saw the Goldhorns facing Savojarna, who would end up defeating them 2-1. It was a strong performance from the national team, many of whom were players from the Teussen Golden Generation, and signalled that these players had the opportunity to go and make an impact for the senior national team.

Breaking Through: World Cup 84
At the end of World Cup 83, the senior national team faced a goalkeeping crisis. Legendary keeper Viktor Venev had retired from international football, and his expected replacement Yanko Zhelyaskov had severly underperformed during World Cup 83 Qualifying, and particularly in the playoff stage. This left the Goldhorns considering all possible options for World Cup 84's Qualifiers, and Heuser was called up to the national team for the Qualifiers. Heuser earned his first cap in the Goldhorns' opening match, at the Nationalstadion in his hometown of Stelburg against the Euran Oceania Territories. With his entire family in the stands, Heuser kept a clean sheet as the Goldhorns won the match 4-0.

Heuser earned 11 starts in his first Qualification campaign, and was chosen to the squad for World Cup 84 as the Goldhorns reached the World Cup Finals for the first time. Heuser started all three matches at the World Cup, including keeping a clean sheet in his debut as the Goldhorns defeated Sargossa 1-0 in their first-ever game. The Goldhorns would be eliminated after the group stage, however, Heuser had truly proven that even at such a young age he was able to be a leader for his country.

Heuser was also the Goldhorns' number 1 for the AOCAF 60 tournament, in Farfadillis in Krytenia. While the Goldhorns' tournament got off to a difficult start, with a 2-0 loss to debutants Muradil and an injury to forward Michael Ribbeck, the team recovered. Heuser posted two clean sheets, in the 3-0 win over Demot and the 1-0 win over Baker Park, as the Goldhorns won the group and advanced to the Round of 16. Here they defeated subregional neighbours Banija, 3-2, in an upset win, before falling at the Quarterfinal stage against Ko-oren.

Goldhorns' Number 1: World Cup 85
While going into World Cup 84, Heuser had been a bit of a wild card, by the start of World Cup 85's Qualifiers, Heuser was the number one choice for his country. There was expectation on Heuser and each of his teammates to keep up the strong performance from World Cup 84, and to once again qualify for the World Cup. In addition, given the struggles the country had had with starting goalkeepers in the past, there was some pressure on Heuser to keep up his strong performance.

As the starter for the Goldhorns, however, Heuser put in a very strong performance throughout Qualifiers. The Goldhorns had their best-ever campaign, with a 17-6-1 record that included a 21-game unbeaten run to the end of the qualifying tournament. Heuser himself played in 15 games, and earned 5 clean sheets as the Goldhorns won their qualifying group and advanced to the World Cup Finals again. While there was a great hope around the team that they might be able to pull off a few upsets at the World Cup itself, these quickly fell flat. A 3-0 loss to Eura on the opening day was followed by a 1-0 win over Baker Park that gave the team some hope, but a final-day defeat against Terre Septentrionale knocked the Goldhorns out. Heuser started all three games, posting a clean sheet in the Baker Park win.

After the disappointing performance at the Finals, the Goldhorns entered AOCAF 61 with something to prove. Defensively, the Goldhorns were very solid, with the centre back duo of Karl-Heinz Jager and Raphael Klopfer leading the way, with Heuser also putting in a very good performance. The Goldhorns lost games to Farfadillis and the Busoga Islands, 2-1, which sent them to the Round of 24. In the match against Saltstead, Heuser again kept a clean sheet as the Goldhorns won 1-0. The AOCAF campaign would come to an end, however, as the Goldhorns lost to Valanora on penalties in the Quarterfinal.

Personal Life
Heuser was born at the Stelburg General Hospital, and grew up living in the south Stelburg district of Mariahilf. As a child, he was a supporter of FC Teussen Stelburg, and grew up attending matches at the Teussens-Arena with his grandfather. Heuser also grew up a supporter of the ice hockey team Eisbaren Stelburg of the Ehrenliga.

Heuser attended the Mariahilf Primary School as a youth, and while he played on the school's team as a centre back, his main focus as a child was on his career with local youth club Adler Stelburg, where he played as a goalkeeper. The club were one of the most successful youth programs in Teusland, and Heuser graduated to attend the FC Teussen Stelburg academy. Heuser was one of the club's best young talents, and during his time in the academy attended the Stelburg-Zentrum High School alongside his teammates.

Heuser is known for being a part of the 'Golden Generation' of FC Teussen Stelburg's youth academy. Other players in this group include national team players Karl-Heinz Jager, Lukas Tauscher, Mario Kogler, Heinrich Bahr and Axel Richter. The group are known for their closeness on and off the pitch, often being spotted together away from the pitch at events, restaurants and holidays. During his time at Teussen, Heuser was also mentored by former Teussen goalkeeper Julian Fehr. Heuser is known to also have close relationships with national team teammates Yanko Zhelyaskov and Todor Mihailov.

Heuser's family have played a big part in his success. Heuser's father, Friedrich, played semi-professional football as a youth, and was an assistant coach at Adler Stelburg in his spare time. Heuser's two older sisters played youth football, with sister Lara playing a few games with 1912 Stelburg's women's team in her career. His younger brother, Dietrich, also played for Adler Stelburg and is currently a left-back with TSV Tarnitz.

After graduating to FC Teussen Stelburg's senior team, Heuser moved in with Teussen teammate Axel Richter, who also broke through at the same time. The two shared an apartment directly beside the Teussens-Arena. After the success of his first season, however, Heuser rented an apartment in his old neighbourhood of Mariahilf. Heuser is known for sometimes being spotted on Stelburg's U-Bahn before matches, as he often chooses to ride the train to games - his neighbourhood being only a few stops from the Franz-Gorz-Stadion.

The vast majority of Teus footballers are quite private about their personal lives, and Heuser is no different. He was spotted, however, at national teammate Thorsten Kramer's wedding alongside Teus/Prinz-Eugens-Lander actress Stefanie Pichler. Pichler was born in the former Teus colony of Prinz-Eugens-Land, before moving to Siovanija & Teusland to pursue her career. Pichler has also been spotted at several Republikaliga and international matches during Heuser's career, fueling rumours of their relationship.

Heuser has earned the praise of many of his teammates, past and present. Former FC Teussen Stelburg defender Karl-Heinz Jager said that "When Ewald is in net, you just feel more comfortable." National team star Thorsten Kramer has said that Heuser serves as "The anchor of our team at the back, really - when you hear him yelling, everyone listens." Pundits have praised his ability to play the ball, making him useful as somewhat of a 'sweeper keeper,' while also being quite capable of using his size to block shots and take command of the area. Heuser has been named as a possible candidate to be the captain of both his club and his country in the future.

Honours and Achievements
FC Teussen Stelburg


 * Republikaliga: Season 6, 7, 9
 * President's Cup: Season 5, 6, 8

Individual


 * Republikaliga Best XI: Season 6, 7, 8, 9
 * Republikaliga Best Keeper: Season 6, 7, 8, 9
 * Republikaliga Golden Ball: Runner up, season 9
 * KarlingSport Galacticos Index: Longlist, cycle 75, 76
 * KarlingSport Galacticos Index: Young Player of the Season, shortlist cycle 75