Jasper Löffelsend on German Roots, Sheep Farms, Being Team First, and Getting Traded From RSL

EDITORIAL – Colorado Rapids fans have seen plenty of their own transfer to the “fake” side as they put it in the past, with fan-favorites such as Kyle Beckerman, Nat Borchers, and even legend Pablo Mastroeni, crossing the Western Slope. However, they should take pride in a bit of a coup this off-season that brought midfielder Jasper Löffelsend east to Commerce City from Real Salt Lake as part of Head Coach Chris Armas’ rebuilding project.

Pronounced Yas-per Loaf-el-zend, the right back turned midfielder from Germany brings his high-energy and bulldog playing style to the Rapids to help return a dominant midfield to Colorado’s advantage in 2024, much in the style of one Coach Armas.

From pickup games with iced tea to falling out of love:

Like many youngsters in Europe, it was always soccer for Jasper, but not necessarily with an eye on becoming a professional over just having fun. “I’m from Germany, so basically what you have of football, NFL or baseball for us is soccer or fußball. I started at an early age going out with friends, not even a club, just go on some pitch with a ball so easy to play,” the good-natured transplant told Burgundy Wave after training last Thursday.

“I started at a young age in my little town and I just enjoyed playing. It was good times. You come back from school, you just hang out on the pitch, all your friends were there, just hang out, grab a big bottle of iced tea, then come back in the evening, mom and dad was cooking, and you put on the TV and it’s Bundesliga highlights. Every day just moves around soccer.”

His journey has taken him down some interesting paths you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a professional athlete. “I just fell in love with the game. At one point I was fortunate enough to join a bigger team and we had some great success early on,” referring to SV Union Rösrath.

That doesn’t mean he was singularly focused, however, and he found himself not wanting to take a path because it was expected, but rather the one he enjoyed. “You can fall out of love with the game as well, you know. Like sometimes it doesn’t work as well for you, sometimes you don’t have the right people around you, it’s just tough. So, I made the step back, joined my hometown team again just to play with my friends and have some good times,” referring to TV Herkenrath 09.

A gap year on an Australian sheep farm?!

Speaking to Jasper, you get the sense that he’s passionate about the game, but curious and open-minded enough to know it’s not the only way in life. “I even quit soccer completely for a year after high school,” he reveals about his younger days in Germany. 

“I went to Australia just to travel. I finished high school at 17 so I was like, I just want to see some of the world. I packed my things and went to Australia, worked on a sheep farm for 3 months to get some money, got a car and traveled the East Coast of Australia.”

Family support and a Team First mentality:

When he returned to Europe, school was still a priority, thanks to the advice of his parents while younger, but soccer was always there to reconnect with friends and provide an outlet, seemingly.

“Family always was super-supportive,” says Jasper when talking about who influenced him and his decisions made playing the game and making the moves he did. “The amount of time my mom ‘wasted’ on me trying to get me the opportunity to develop as a player, I’m super grateful for that. My grandparents came out to games supporting that way.”

Something which should benefit his new Rapids teammates this season, Jasper comes across as a very dedicated, supportive friend and teammate based on the weight those types of people had on his younger days. 

“One of the biggest motivations I had was my teammates. I was lucky enough to have in the first team a big group of friends, basically, and I still keep in touch with them right now. Every time they seem me playing it’s like hey, super excited to see you. Some of the guys stay up to watch the games so it was just a big family back there in the club and super nice to have that as a motivational piece where people say, ‘come on, you can do it, one of us made the step further’.”

In a squad whose central theme of “Team First”, as preached by Chris Armas, is paramount, Jasper has those qualities of doing his part in the squad’s bigger-picture goals.

“My parents were always like, ‘do whatever you want to do but focus on a degree as well’. I really thank them for that as well because it really got me through everything. (They) were always (saying), ‘do something on the side, because if soccer doesn’t work?’ There’s a lot of guys in Germany that played fourth division for example and you make decent money for the time you’re in there, but if you don’t do anything while you’re playing and once you’re done with one injury or you’re 35 and can’t play anymore, your life is basically starting and you missed the whole point of getting a degree.“

Promotion to the Germany third division while going to college:

Jasper figured out a way to keep his labor of love progressing on the pitch, while following through on the parental advice he was given. “Coming back, I know a lot of the guys in my hometown so they asked me to help out the (TV Herkenrath 09) second team who were doing a promotion tournament to go up. I said why not, all my friends play, and I scored a lot of goals in those two or three games we had and got promoted.”

“I was fortunate enough that the first-team coach was there and he said ‘do you wanna come on pre-season tour with us?’, and I said ‘sure why not?’ It was just fourth division, not a big deal, but for me it was like from not playing soccer at all to semi-professional level again, got some money on the side to pay for housing or whatever, so brought me through my Bachelor’s Degree. I lived by playing soccer.”

“I finished my degree in Business Administration, basically specializing in Accounting. I worked for KPG for 6 months and they offered me full-time for my Master’s. I was in-between quitting soccer and continue my education or keep playing and figure out work-wise later.”

From Germany to the University of Pittsburgh:

Turns out he was able to do both and so began his road to the United States and MLS via Pittsburgh, PA.

“By the time I got my Bachelor’s, I played with a guy who went to the University of New Hampshire for his Master’s and he talked to me about going to the States and doing a Master’s program. So, I got together with my agency, it was COVID already, so you put the highlight tape online, and universities can look at you and (tell) this looks like a player profile that we look for.”

“(University of) Pittsburgh reached out because they just got rid of one of their right backs to the University of Indiana, so they reached out and said this is what we’re going to give you. My agency said it’s the ACC so if you want to go somewhere you should go there,” and the whirlwind trip to the East Coast began.

“I had a couple of calls with the head coach Jay Vidovich – great guy, one of the best coaches I’ve had learning-wise and developing me as a player – so the talks went really good. I had to wait a little bit once amnesty opened up because of COVID. I was there for a week and then played (current Rapids teammate) Calvin Harris at Wake Forest. It was quite a quick turnaround for me, but I loved every single minute of it.”

Taken by Real Salt Lake in the 2022 Super Draft, Jasper’s newest challenge wasn’t just a step up in competition, but in how he played the game to an extent as well. 

“MLS was a big change for me because my whole life I played right back, so it was a big transition for me coming from there into the middle, because as a right back your best friend is the sideline, nothing coming in from behind. Now you’re in center mid and you’ve got [expletive] coming from everywhere.”

Changing positions and crossing the Rockies:

A certain Rapids and MLS legend found a way to utilize Jasper’s energy and talent for pushing the pace even further:

“That was (RSL Head Coach) Pablo’s (Mastroeni) idea, because we played a very direct attacking way, so I wasn’t even a right back because I was just flying down the sideline. His idea was always if I can step high and their winger has to defend me, then I have a huge advantage because he can’t attack.”

“So, with the engine I have, he wanted to have me in midfield because I can close gaps and I’m running a lot and can support players. Ever since then I’ve decided to keep that engine running, help the guys in front, but also cover so much ground in the back that it makes it easier for us to predict plays, makes it easier to get in behind.”

Speaking of Colorado’s hated rivals across the Rockies, Jasper admits what most Rapids fans already know about their counterparts in Utah, saying, “They don’t have much love for you guys. I’ve been in touch with a couple of (RSL) fans closely, reaching out, they’re always texting me. They get it. I can’t do anything about the situation. The decision (getting traded) was made for me.”

Settling in (and down) on and off the pitch:

Speaking of his trade, the smiling Löffelsend admits what most players who think they’ve settled in would say:

“At the first moment you’re shocked because if something changes in your life, I have to deal with it and you don’t know what you’re expecting. (Before the move) For me, it was just going to Colorado, you have to win the game, it’s going to be a tough fight, and now you’re on the other side. I know what RSL is capable of, I know what they need to do, so it’ll be great.”

“Ever since I got the call with the GM and Coach Armas, I’ve been super excited to be part of this program to turn things around again. I’m happy to contribute to all that, see that vision, and I feel like a lot of the guys in the locker room do. I flew down to Mexico, so I wasn’t even here for the first couple of days, so I was real happy the guys are so welcoming and taking me in so quickly.”

As he transitions into this re-shaped Rapids team, Jasper is also still transitioning his game a bit as well and is putting some of the advice he received from Coach Armas to use.

“So, the biggest improvement I’m working on is the awareness because you need to have it. For me it was always 100% (effort) and Coach Armas says sometimes bring it down to 70%. Get into that spot and once you have that first touch then calm yourself down, look around, see what’s happening around you, then play the ball.”

This is a good thing to see about Löffelsend, in that he wants to learn, put his skills to good use in doing that, and helping those around him succeed during the 90 minutes. He even won a fitness test down in Mexico, beat Colorado born Cole Bassett and Sebastian Anderson.

“I just hope to bring that here as well: Cover ground, help both ways, be more aware of what’s around me, make better decisions with the ball and get that going.”

“It’s really nice working with these group because we have so many young kids as well as experienced players around,” he says after his first couple of weeks with his new teammates, some of which are in the same situation as he is. “Djordje (Mihalovic) is moving in these pockets and if he’s in that pocket, I just like pull away, let him get the ball, and then come back underneath and support him. Conor (Ronan) is super experienced, he’s so good on the ball, you always take little things from him. You see why he was in Premier League academies.”

The bottom line is that Jasper is not short on confidence nor the mindset of doing whatever is asked of him by the coaches. 

“I know what I can do and what I bring to a team and it’s really up to the coaches what they need in the moment. Sometimes it’s better to put two guys who are good on the ball, maybe it’s two guys better defensively on the ball, but I’m getting more and more comfortable in the pockets I take to get the ball and open plays. No matter what comes up I’m ready for the challenge because that’s exactly how I want to learn it. I don’t want to be in practice all the time receiving balls and turn, I want to be in the games and know under pressure I can work.”

Photo Credit: Colorado Rapids

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