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Unable to crack the first team at Hoffenheim, Joe Gyau went on loan to St. Pauli for the season and on Tuesday, he made his debut for the 2.Bundesliga side. The 20-year-old came on at halftime and according to reports, did not look out of place and had a couple bright moments. Unfortunately, St. Pauli lost 1-0 to VfR Aalen.
The loss dropped St. Pauli to 13th in the league with just one win from seven matches. It also marked the end of Andre Schubert's tenure at the club as St. Pauli fired him after the match.
"Recent sporting developments made this a necessary measure," explained club president Stefan Orth. "The match against Aalen was a low point. The things we discussed with Andre Schubert to improve the side in may haven't had the desired effect."
Three coaches from Schubert's staff will stay on and lead the team in the interim as St. Pauli look for a new manager.
With Schubert out, Gyau's place in the team up in the air. He is not established at the club, nor does he have much of a pedigree so he could end up on the bench if a new manager goes the safe route. It's also possible that the new manager just doesn't rate Gyau since he didn't bring Gyau in anyways. But it is also possible that the new staff decides to take a chance on exciting young talent, handing Gyau a chance to make an impact.
It really is a toss up right now, which isn't exactly comforting. A day ago, Gyau's manager was the man who saw enough in the young American to bring him in. Now, it is completely unknown.
The United States really need Gyau to get some regular playing time. He played for the U.S. at every youth level and is considered one of the brightest young American talents. Primarily a right winger, he can also play on the left and has the skill to go with great pace that many other quick Americans have lacked.
But he is 20 years old now and before long won't be able to ride potential. Performance will have to start kicking in soon and that means playing time. Hopefully he can find that at St. Pauli with the interim staff and then with whoever takes over permanently.