French Footballer Malo Blondeau’s American Adventure: From West Virginia to Manhattan College

Almost a year after leaving for the United States, Malo Blondeau has returned to spend the summer with his family and friends: “It’s important to come and recharge your batteries. I came back a little for Christmas but it was very fast, ”explains the young man. Aged 19 and from Lézardrieux (Côtes-d’Armor), he was trained at En Avant de Guingamp before flying across the Atlantic to pursue his project. And upon his arrival at the University of West Virginia, the differences with France are obvious: “The summer preparation is individual. You have to know how to be serious. The infrastructures are also much more developed and the equipment is at the cutting edge of technology”, he specifies.

When he arrived, Malo Blondeau was barely recovering from a meniscus injury and played three friendlies with West Virginia. During the season, he takes part in all the trips but does not play a single minute. “In December, I had a discussion with the coach. I was not in his plans. I made the difficult decision to leave West Virginia. It was very frustrating but it’s the law of sport, ”explains Malo, very lucid.

Malo Blondeau then had low morale, but did not lose his motivation. Le Breton joined Manhattan College in New York in January 2023. This time, the chemistry goes straight away with the coach. The native of Lézardrieux played all five of his team’s friendlies: “I didn’t travel 6,000 kilometers for nothing. I always believed in myself, I continued to work and I hope it will pay off. Now I want to play official matches,” he says.

The MLS or the USL Championship in sight

The language is not a problem for him, he quickly adapted to it: “In two months, I got used to English by dint of practice”. Even away from home, Malo has four French teammates. This sometimes gives rise to comical scenes in the field: “Sometimes we speak in Franglais. When we are in our match, it comes out on its own, ”adds Malo Blondeau. In the long term, Malo wants to be drafted in MLS or the USL Championship, the second division of football in the United States. But he continues to carefully follow courses in Business Management: “I have always been hardworking at school, then it is important to have a backup solution,” he says. He will now work in his parents’ bar, in Lézardrieux, before leaving at the beginning of August, to live the continuation of his American dream.