Meet Noahkai Banks, 19, the outside pick to make USMNT's World Cup squad

The first time Marko Mitrovic saw Noahkai Banks play, it was August 2022, and Banks was suiting up for FC Augsburg's under-17s against their counterparts from mighty Bayern Munich. Mitrovic, then the manager of the United States under-19 men's national team, was hoping to find a future prospect for then-U.S. U17 manager Gonzalo Segares.

It was not Banks' best day. Bayern were up two goals inside of five minutes, on their way to a 5-1 win. Asked to recall the performance of the then-15-year-old Banks, Mitrovic said that Banks was like "Bambi on ice," in that the player hadn't yet grown into what would become a 6-foot-4 frame.

"His hands and legs were from four different bodies," said Mitrovic, now the manager of the New England Revolution.

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The goal of such a trip wasn't just to gauge what a player was in that moment, but where he could end up, and there was plenty that Mitrovic liked about the young defender. He was impressed by how Banks could hit a pass, as well as the way the defender thought the game. Banks had an exceptional soccer brain. That boded well for the future.

"Everything that [Banks] did in that game was maybe not executed well because his body didn't support his decisions in that moment, but all his decisions were the right decision on and off the ball," Mitrovic said.

Mitrovic ultimately recommended Banks for the U.S. U17s. Good thing, because 3½ years later, the now 19-year-old is a regular with Augsburg and is on the cusp of earning his first cap with the U.S. and perhaps even making the FIFA World Cup roster. Banks was called into a USMNT camp back in September, though he didn't see the field. That didn't stop U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino from referring to Banks as "a massive talent."

As Banks settles into a chair at Augsburg's stadium, one can see in the background that it's one of those cold, dark winter days in Germany -- a time perhaps better suited to watching movies, which is one of Banks' favorite off-field pursuits. But even as Banks has enjoyed a breakout season and been a ray of sunshine for Augsburg, it's clear his mind is far from the World Cup. Augsburg currently sit in 11th place in the 18-team Bundesliga. Their first-division status isn't secure just yet.

"We have a lot of games left here, so I just really try to focus here, and then let's see what happens in the summer," Banks said in an exclusive interview with ESPN. "But I don't think it's the time right now to think about the World Cup or anything else than our games because we are in a different position and that's more important at the moment."

The making of "Noki"

Banks was born in Honolulu, the son of a U.S. serviceman, Sedrick Banks, and a Spanish-German mother, Nadine. According to Nadine, the family moved back to Germany when Noahkai was 7 weeks old and split time between Washington, D.C. and Germany. Nadine and Sedrick split up soon thereafter, with Nadine returning to Dietmannsried, a small town near the Bavarian Alps with a population of around 8,500. Noahkai would still make regular visits to see Sedrick who, according to Noahkai, now works as a volunteer with youth groups in the nation's capital.

Nadine's sister, Nicole, is responsible for Banks' nickname, "Noki." She liked how Noki rhymed with "schoki," which is German for "chocolate bar," and the nickname stuck. Now, Banks says that only his mother calls him Noahkai, "when she's mad at me."

Banks was smitten with soccer from an early age, always having a ball at his feet. Whenever Nadine would tell her son it was time to go for a walk, he would be by the front door with three soccer balls. Whenever soccer was on television, the game had Banks' undivided attention.

"[Noki] was just hypnotized by soccer," Nadine said. "I don't know what it was."

By age 8, Banks had progressed enough to attract attention from Augsburg, and he went there for a tryout. What happened after was one of those "sliding doors" moments, any one of which can sidetrack -- or end -- a career. There was skepticism from some on the Augsburg staff about Bank's talent. But one of the youth coaches, Daniel Pawlitschko, saw something in young Noki.

"The scouts were like, 'Oh, we don't know if he's got what it takes,'" Nadine recalled. "And [Pawlitschko] said, 'No, I know he's got it, and I want to keep him.'"

Pawlitschko went on to coach Banks through several age groups. At a later roundtable with reporters, Banks said of Pawlitschko, "Because of him, I'm here. So I'm extremely thankful to him."

What followed from that tryout was an experience similar to that of many youth players in the U.S., namely lots of long drives to practice. Augsburg was a 90-minute drive from Dietmannsried, and Nadine would make the trip with Banks -- with his baby sister in the back seat -- three times a week. "My friends always said to me, 'You must be crazy. Why are you doing this?'" Nadine said.

Later, Augsburg provided bus transportation, though that meant an even longer trek: three hours each way. But sports ran deep in Banks' household, so there was a willingness to make those sacrifices.

Nadine was an avid basketball player in her youth and even had an opportunity to play collegiately in the U.S., only for her third ACL tear to end those plans. She had since married Thomas Kinkel, who played and coached handball for 35 years. Banks' work ethic did the rest. The Augsburg coaches would give the players homework when they weren't practicing with the team. The young defender was an absolute perfectionist, spending hours in the backyard until he got things right.

"There were many tears in our garden from Noki," Kinkel, Banks' stepfather, said.

Banks is so cool he "pisses ice cubes"

Banks' persistence paid off and his frame filled out. Kinkel remarked that Banks' shoulders were so broad they were like a "kleiderbugel," or clothes hanger. Banks' confidence, born from often playing up an age group, grew too. By the 2024-25 season, Banks was in Augsburg's first team, and he made his debut on Jan. 12, 2025, in a home match against VfB Stuttgart. Defender Max Bauer was forced out of the match due to injury after just 29 minutes. Banks took his place and performed well in what would be a 1-0 loss.

"I think it was crazy, not only for me, but also for my mom. She was in the stadium. She cried. My grandpa was in the stadium. He cried as well," Banks said about his debut. "So yeah, I didn't expect to come on in this game, to be honest, because there was another center back playing ... And then it all went really fast, so I couldn't really think about it.

"But the day after, it was crazy. It was like a dream, to be honest."

More good tears were shed last October when Banks scored his first Bundesliga goal in what would be a 3-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg. This time both his mother and stepfather were in the stands. But among the indelible memories from the match was a quote from Augsburg sporting director Benni Weber, who was so impressed with Banks' overall composure, he said the player "pisses ice cubes." More importantly, it announced Banks' arrival as a Bundesliga performer, and he has been a steady presence in the Augsburg lineup ever since.

It would be easy then to allow all of this new attention to get to Banks' head -- few 19-year-olds are Bundesliga starters, after all -- but Banks remains rooted to both his club and his family. He insists there's no danger of cockiness setting in.

"I think it's pretty easy because my mom would kill me if I don't keep my feet on the ground," he said. "And yeah, it's easy because here in the club, everybody is very humble. It's like a family, so there's no room for being arrogant or something like this. It's pretty easy here, to be honest."

It helps that Banks isn't a consumer of social media, though that doesn't stop Nadine from sending him posts in the family group chat.

"I think what's very important is to not read too much stuff in the internet because when you play good, everybody hypes you up. When you play bad, you're the worst player ever, so it can affect you," he said. "So I always tell my mom, because she sends a lot of stuff from Twitter, 'Mom, don't read that because it can affect me.'"

Banks is well aware that he's not even close to being a complete player. He notes that he watches team captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw to pick up the kind of pointers that only experience can bring.

"When I see [Gouweleeuw] train, he does some things different than me," Banks said. "He's clever. Maybe don't take the run of the striker, let him go in the offside position. I think those are things which come with time and which I can improve as well, I think."

Will an early connection pay off for the USMNT?

Banks' connection to the U.S. national team program began innocently enough. Segares recalled being in a meeting with Garrett Biller, then the USSF's talent ID manager for the central region, when Biller piped up and said, "Hey, we got this kid from Germany that we need to take a look at."

Mitrovic's trip to Germany followed, and Banks began attending training camps for the U.S. U17 national team. Banks' passing caught Segares' attention, but then so did the player's progress from camp to camp. In every get-together, Banks showed Segares and the staff something new.

"All of a sudden, [Banks] comes into another camp and he's breaking lines on his dribble, and he's just opening up defenses," Segares said. "And for me, I'd never seen a center back that it was so easy for him, or just had that ability. He would go dribble through three guys and then make an incredible pass."

Banks was eventually named to the squad that competed at the 2023 FIFA under-17 World Cup. Segares recalled that Banks was one of the team's "best performers," though it came with disappointment. The U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16 by a 2-1 defeat to Germany, a match in which Banks was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Banks endeared himself to teammates in other ways. In Segares' squad, one punishment for being late was to sing in front of the whole team. Banks sang so often that Segares swore he was being late on purpose.

And what did Banks sing? "There was a lot of Justin Bieber in there," said U.S. U17 teammate Pedro Soma, who is now with San Diego FC. Segares remembers a version of the 1980s staple "99 Luftballons" from the German rock band Nena.

The USSF has for decades made a habit of exposing dual nationals to the merits of the U.S. program during their teenage years. It has helped cement the allegiance of players such as defender Sergiño Dest and midfielder Yunus Musah even when other countries expressed interest. It's clear that in Banks' case, the USSF has once again been playing the long game, and for the player, those experiences with the U17s left an impression.

"When I got my first invite [with the U.S.], it was clear for me that I want to go there," Banks said. "And then ever since, I was extremely happy with the U.S. because I have met a lot of friends there. To this day, we are still in contact. So yeah, it has been great. Also, the under-17 World Cup has been a dream. Marco has been a great time with the under-20s. So yeah, I was all, every time, very happy when I could go to the national team and meet my friends. So there was never really a thought about anything else, to be honest."

That hasn't stopped Germany from reaching out now. Banks admitted there has been contact. There is always a chance that the player could switch allegiances given he hasn't played for the U.S. in official competition.

But Banks' call-up back in September was another instance of the U.S. continuing the recruitment process. Banks called Damion Downs and Alex Freeman his "go-to guys" in terms of friends made, but he also marveled at how welcoming the team was, including the likes of Tim Ream, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah. Players made sure to include him team dinners. Pochettino, a center back in his playing days, gave Banks some tips on the game's finer details.

"I really enjoyed the camp, to be honest, because I thought as a young guy, maybe I will get treated differently," Banks said. "But how the guys helped me to get into the team and into the training, it was incredible, to be honest. Also, the big guys like Christian Pulisic or Tim Weah, we maybe don't expect it, but it has been great."

If Banks continues his progress, an even greater summer beckons.