New Mountain Goat Ben Schieb relives horror US experience

With the autumn afternoon sun illuminating his friendly, bearded face at the Gipps Street playing fields, the new Mountain Goats signing recalled how the adventure of a lifetime turned into a nightmare.

In 2019, Schieb left his hometown of Newcastle and headed to the US to start a soccer scholarship at the College of the Siskiyous, located in the tiny town of Weed, northern California.

Intent on becoming a physiotherapist, the then 19-year-old planned to spend four years at the community college - combining his studies with soccer. His living expenses were covered under the scholarship.

But upon arriving on campus, Schieb discovered that the college's soccer coach had not filed his lodging application with the college. The coach found the application among his emails. It was never sent.

"I'd paid my deposit and everything," Schieb said, "but no application was there. And they didn't have any room."

Fresh out of high school, Schieb said his savings "went down the drain" because he was forced to pay for his own living expenses and he was not allowed to work in the US.

He said he "kept thinking positive". But with his mental health and his finances taking at battering, he decided to head home after spending three months there.

"A bit of a nightmare," the 23-year-old said of the experience, adding that on the plus side he did some travelling.

"He felt a bit guilty," Schieb said of the college's soccer coach. "He did help in getting the off-campus housing [for me]. But it was pretty rough: filled with mould, my toilet broke three times."

Back home, Schieb started a nursing degree at the University of Newcastle, but planned to switch to physiotherapy after two years.

That did not happen.

A month ago, Schieb arrived in Tamworth to start work at the base hospital - his first post-uni job. He was born at the hospital, with his family leaving Tamworth and moving to Newcastle when he was five.

"I'm here, and I'm loving it," he said of the Country Music Capital, adding: "Back working where it all began, funnily enough."

"I'm happy that my road ended up here," he also said. "I found my calling [in nursing]; I couldn't think of doing anything else."

That road also led Schieb to the Moore Creek Mountain Goats. And at Gipps Street on Saturday afternoon, the midfielder scored on debut in the Premier League as the Goats opened the season with a 2-0 defeat of South United.

"I think it's a great team environment here at the Goats," said Schieb, who for the past three seasons played first grade for the Wallsend Red Devils in the Northern League One.

"Some quality footballers here," he added. "I think we've got a really good shot [at the premiership]."

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