Player Spotlight
Josh Gatt: "My Goal Is to Make U.S. Soccer Notice"
A rising star who was struck down by multiple knee injuries, Josh Gatt is healthy again and highly motivated to repay Molde for its support—and catch the eye of Jurgen Klinsmann.
TWO YEARS AGO Joshua Gatt was one of the fastest-rising stars of American soccer. Thanks to his blazing speed and tenacious nature, the Michigan native rose from relative obscurity in the second tier of Austria to becoming a champion in Norway and a member of the U.S. national team.
Then it all came crashing down.
Following a June 2013 match against Saprsborg, Gatt was scheduled to meet up with the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup. During that contest, however, he was on the wrong end of a tackle and was forced out of the game. The post-game evaluation revealed terrible news: he had tears in both his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments.
After surgery, Gatt spent the rest of 2013 rehabilitating his knee. The following March he was back on the field training with Molde but disaster struck again when Gatt reinjured his ACL again and was forced into surgery in May. The injury meant another grueling rehab as well as another lost season. In fact, when Gatt learned of the diagnosis, Molde’s trainer said that he would understand if Gatt decided to quit soccer. That conversation triggered an intense reaction from Gatt.
“As he said that, I was devastated and I wanted to quit,” Gatt told American Soccer Now. “I didn’t want to go through it again. I didn’t think it was fair. I didn’t understand why. But as soon as he said those words—which made it a reality for me that I could quit—the very next words out of my mouth were, ‘When can I get the surgery?’"
As rehabilitation began, the shock eventually wore off and Gatt started to learn more about himself. Quitting, he realized, was never an option.
“The first time was tough but I was a little more accepting,” Gatt explained. “The second time, it was devastating. You can ask any athlete going through this: How many times do you want to quit? They’d probably say 40, 50, or 100 times they want to quit but they never do because that’s not who we are or what we do. We never do. "Quitting is not in my nature. Being a soccer player is who I am to the deepest depths of my core. No amount of knocks or knee problems are going to stop me from doing what I want to do—and that’s to play.”
Gatt, 23, is currently in Florida working on the final stages of his rehabilitation. He is set to return to Norway and rejoin Molde in early March. The past nine months have been brutal, both mentally and physically, but Gatt insists he is in a good place right now. The most recent rehab has been easier for him since it was strictly an ACL surgery as opposed to a combined ACL and LCL repair.
One of Gatt’s most important attributes is his speed and in 2013, he was so intriguing to American fans and members of the national team coaching staff because he was one of the fastest American players ever to wear the Stars and Stripes. Despite the recent surgeries, Gatt said his speed appears largely unaffected.
“I feel fantastic—physically, mentally, emotionally—just all around,” Gatt said. “I am moving great. I can dribble and I can cut. I can balance and bend. I have no pain. Today I actually just did a 300-yard shuttle and I did that in 52 seconds even after I tripped and fell on my last turn. I was pretty happy about that.
“Now that my new ACL is healed, I have no pain, no fatigue, no swelling,” he added. “I can go full training sessions weekly and not have any problems. When it comes to being able to sprint, stop on a dime, move, cut and everything, after this surgery it is so much more of a natural feeling. I have no worries when I run. "There isn’t anything I feel restricted at doing at this point.”
The coaching staff at Molde are also looking forward to getting Gatt back in the mix. The plan right now is to not rush him back quickly although he should be ready in the early part of the season. Between league games, Norwegian Cup games, and Champions League qualifiers, Molde’s depth will be tested and Gatt knows he will get his opportunities.
The relationship Gatt has with Molde remains very strong. In 2010 he was 18 and had just signed his first professional contract with SCR Altach. As a teenager with no youth international experience and playing in the second tier of Austria, he was not hyped or considered a top American prospect. He managed to catch the eye of former Norwegian and Manchester United great Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was hired to coach Molde after a brief stint coaching Manchester United’s reserve team.
Gatt ended up helping Molde win consecutive Norwegian titles in 2011 and 2012—the first two titles in club history. Solskjaer left Molde in 2013 and Gatt still remains very close with him. He also has a positive relationship with current Molde coach Tor Ole Skullerud who visited Gatt at his house in Norway following his 2014 injury to reassure him that he still had a place on the team when he returned.
“Ole left and my knee when out but Tor Ole Skullerud was just as understanding,” Gatt said. “He watched me play before I came to the team and he knows what type of player I am and how I play. He’s been nothing but supportive of me even after I tore the second one.”
Discussing the U.S. national team can be difficult for Gatt, who has seen injuries take him out of U.S. Soccer’s plans several times. Club commitments prevented him from playing in qualifying games for both the 2011 U-20 World Cup and 2012 Olympics—and both times the teams failed to qualify.
A hamstring injury in 2013 prevented him from receiving a call-up to important World Cup qualifiers and his first ACL surgery prevented his involvement at the 2013 Gold Cup. He has managed to earn two caps under Klinsmann and his strengths seemed to fit well into a U.S. team that lacked both speed and wide players.
Gatt has watched every U.S. game while rehabilitating and the World Cup was particularly difficult knowing that his injuries prevented him a chance at making the squad. Instead he watched the games with a fan's mindset.
He understands that the hype around him two years ago was intense and that that level of interest no longer exists at the moment due to the injuries. But Gatt’s motivation right now is to make people remember.
“The national team is one of my key motivations in getting healthy,” Gatt said. “It’s difficult watching them as a player who wants to be there and fight with them. It’s hard to watch that as a player for 18 months. It kind of makes you wonder if they would notice if you came back. "My goal is to make them notice. I know I’ll be healthy but once I get into a rhythm, hopefully I can make a big enough splash where they’ll be interested in having me come back and join them again.”
Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.
“As he said that, I was devastated and I wanted to quit,” Gatt told American Soccer Now. “I didn’t want to go through it again. I didn’t think it was fair. I didn’t understand why. But as soon as he said those words—which made it a reality for me that I could quit—the very next words out of my mouth were, ‘When can I get the surgery?’"
As rehabilitation began, the shock eventually wore off and Gatt started to learn more about himself. Quitting, he realized, was never an option.
“The first time was tough but I was a little more accepting,” Gatt explained. “The second time, it was devastating. You can ask any athlete going through this: How many times do you want to quit? They’d probably say 40, 50, or 100 times they want to quit but they never do because that’s not who we are or what we do. We never do. "Quitting is not in my nature. Being a soccer player is who I am to the deepest depths of my core. No amount of knocks or knee problems are going to stop me from doing what I want to do—and that’s to play.”
Gatt, 23, is currently in Florida working on the final stages of his rehabilitation. He is set to return to Norway and rejoin Molde in early March. The past nine months have been brutal, both mentally and physically, but Gatt insists he is in a good place right now. The most recent rehab has been easier for him since it was strictly an ACL surgery as opposed to a combined ACL and LCL repair.
One of Gatt’s most important attributes is his speed and in 2013, he was so intriguing to American fans and members of the national team coaching staff because he was one of the fastest American players ever to wear the Stars and Stripes. Despite the recent surgeries, Gatt said his speed appears largely unaffected.
“I feel fantastic—physically, mentally, emotionally—just all around,” Gatt said. “I am moving great. I can dribble and I can cut. I can balance and bend. I have no pain. Today I actually just did a 300-yard shuttle and I did that in 52 seconds even after I tripped and fell on my last turn. I was pretty happy about that.
“Now that my new ACL is healed, I have no pain, no fatigue, no swelling,” he added. “I can go full training sessions weekly and not have any problems. When it comes to being able to sprint, stop on a dime, move, cut and everything, after this surgery it is so much more of a natural feeling. I have no worries when I run. "There isn’t anything I feel restricted at doing at this point.”
The coaching staff at Molde are also looking forward to getting Gatt back in the mix. The plan right now is to not rush him back quickly although he should be ready in the early part of the season. Between league games, Norwegian Cup games, and Champions League qualifiers, Molde’s depth will be tested and Gatt knows he will get his opportunities.
The relationship Gatt has with Molde remains very strong. In 2010 he was 18 and had just signed his first professional contract with SCR Altach. As a teenager with no youth international experience and playing in the second tier of Austria, he was not hyped or considered a top American prospect. He managed to catch the eye of former Norwegian and Manchester United great Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was hired to coach Molde after a brief stint coaching Manchester United’s reserve team.
Gatt ended up helping Molde win consecutive Norwegian titles in 2011 and 2012—the first two titles in club history. Solskjaer left Molde in 2013 and Gatt still remains very close with him. He also has a positive relationship with current Molde coach Tor Ole Skullerud who visited Gatt at his house in Norway following his 2014 injury to reassure him that he still had a place on the team when he returned.
“Ole left and my knee when out but Tor Ole Skullerud was just as understanding,” Gatt said. “He watched me play before I came to the team and he knows what type of player I am and how I play. He’s been nothing but supportive of me even after I tore the second one.”
Discussing the U.S. national team can be difficult for Gatt, who has seen injuries take him out of U.S. Soccer’s plans several times. Club commitments prevented him from playing in qualifying games for both the 2011 U-20 World Cup and 2012 Olympics—and both times the teams failed to qualify.
A hamstring injury in 2013 prevented him from receiving a call-up to important World Cup qualifiers and his first ACL surgery prevented his involvement at the 2013 Gold Cup. He has managed to earn two caps under Klinsmann and his strengths seemed to fit well into a U.S. team that lacked both speed and wide players.
Gatt has watched every U.S. game while rehabilitating and the World Cup was particularly difficult knowing that his injuries prevented him a chance at making the squad. Instead he watched the games with a fan's mindset.
He understands that the hype around him two years ago was intense and that that level of interest no longer exists at the moment due to the injuries. But Gatt’s motivation right now is to make people remember.
“The national team is one of my key motivations in getting healthy,” Gatt said. “It’s difficult watching them as a player who wants to be there and fight with them. It’s hard to watch that as a player for 18 months. It kind of makes you wonder if they would notice if you came back. "My goal is to make them notice. I know I’ll be healthy but once I get into a rhythm, hopefully I can make a big enough splash where they’ll be interested in having me come back and join them again.”
Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.
