Opportunity knocks for U.S. prospect McKinze Gaines at Wolfsburg

Sitting 13th in the Bundesliga table, Wolfsburg doesn't exactly find itself with a rosy outlook at the halfway stage of the season. But for one young Texan at the club, the future’s bright.

Orrin McKinze Gaines II has been in Germany for close to a year, but now he’s back in the U.S. as a part of Wolfsburg's squad for the upcoming Florida Cup. A highly-rated member of Wolfsburg's development squad, the 18-year-old is a lightning-fast attacker able to play on either wing.

Originally from Austin, Texas, he had planned to attend UCLA before the offer arrived from Wolfsburg last year following a successful trial. McKinze Gaines and Co. touched down in Orlando on Wednesday evening before making their way to Sarasota, where they will prepare for upcoming matches against the USL's Tampa Bay Rowdies on Sunday and Brazilian side Bahia four days later.

McKinze Gaines is no stranger to the Sunshine State, having spent three semesters at the U.S. Soccer U-17 residency program in Bradenton prior to his move.

"It'd be pretty fun to play for my club in my homeland," he said before departing from Germany. "I think the club's popularity is rising and this trip will definitely help Americans learn more and more about us."

His talent has long been apparent — the 5-foot-11 winger played alongside Christian Pulisic in the U.S. youth national team setup — but he feels he has improved considerably in the past 12 months.

"Training at Wolfsburg is really tough," he said. "Especially from a mental standpoint. Everyone always brings their best every day, so mentally you always have to be sharp just to get a bit of an edge. Everyone's always competing here, trying to get better and doing their best, so it's a great environment."

Wolfsburg coach Valerien Ismael, a former Bayern Munich defender, is already impressed.

"Orrin is a young, talented attacker who regularly plays well in our U-23 side," Ismael said. "What sets him apart is his incredible pace. He's eager to learn — and still has a lot to learn in order to make it to the very top — but he's a very positive presence and has huge potential. He needs to keep working hard to take the next step."

McKinze Gaines cites his strengths as being "a good one-on-one player on the ball and getting in behind the defense." Those attributes have helped earn him opportunities to train and play with the first team on several occasions already.

Although he acknowledged feeling nervous before making his senior debut for Wolfsburg in a recent friendly, he adapted quickly.

"The pros made it really easy to train with them," he said. "They're really accepting and that was good for me coming in."

Now McKinze Gaines is relishing the chance to showcase his progress back on home turf at the Florida Cup with a view to becoming a permanent member of the first-team squad.

"I haven't set time-specific aims, but obviously to play constantly with the first team is the first goal I want to accomplish," McKinze Gaines said. "Hopefully I’ll do that sooner rather than later."