Three Marist men’s soccer players both current and former hail from Steenderen, Netherlands, a small potato-farming town of 2,000 people in the eastern rural ends of the nation, far away from the lively cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
A place less than half the size of Marist and not even a tenth of the size of Poughkeepsie halfway across the world. What are the odds?
Gijs and Chris Verheul arrive in Poughkeepsie as an unlikely freshman duo for Marist men’s soccer.
Gijs, a lanky, tall center-back, and Chris, a stout forward, are not your typical freshman. Chris is 22 years old and Gijs is 19, offering an abnormal amount of playing experience for freshmen. Due to their age difference, they have not played on the same team together until now.
“It’s a dream come true playing together,” said Gijs Verheul.
The brothers have a connection to Marist in former men’s soccer captain and center-back Huib Acterkamp, their cousin. Without Acterkamp’s move to America to play, the brothers would not have known college soccer existed, let alone be an option to continue their careers.
“No never, it just came about. We saw how amazing it was here,” said Chris Verheul when asked if they ever considered playing in America.
The two have quickly hit the ground running, starting in every game and playing tons of minutes right away.
“Gijs has surpassed our expectations because he’s a little younger,” said Marist head coach Viggiano. “Even his body type changed since I watched him play in January. I call Gijs baby-Huib because they are very similar in the way they are built.”
Gijs possesses other features similar to Acterkamp’s other than stature; they have a similar work ethic and a relentless intensity on the field.
“[Acterkamp] and his cousin are like brother and sister to us. We always grew up together and we are very close,” said Chris Verheul.
Viggiano brought the two in with his connection with Acterkamp, who captained a Marist side that won the MAAC Championship run in 2021. This connection is crucial in the recruiting process of international players, where coaches have limited time and resources to learn about the players on and off the field.
“That’s always the hardest thing with the internationals. If we go over and see him, how much time are we spending with them really?” said Viggiano.
Acterkamp’s understanding of the level of play in American colleges and youth/semi-pro teams in the Netherlands built trust in the brothers’ ability to contribute at Marist.
The play styles between America and Europe are notably different to the Verheul brothers, who cite the higher intensity in the US due to a condensed schedule and the chaotic nature of college soccer.
Soccer has always taken up a large part of their lives, and is ingrained in the fabric of the culture in Europe. The brothers have been trained by their father and uncle, and also trained with Acterkamp when he returned to Steenderen during the winter and summer breaks from Marist. Because the two Verheul brothers play opposing positions, their training takes on another level of competition.
“We always did 1 v 1’s against each other. We were always arguing with each other. It was nice because we made each other better,” said Gijs Verheul.
Chris describes Steenderen as a town where everyone knows everyone and happens to be one of the largest potato producers in the country. Soccer is the primary sport in the country; imagine all four major sports combined into one. The brothers are big Ajax fans, and Gijs loves to watch Virgil Van Dijk, a world-class Dutch centerback who plays for Liverpool.
Both of their careers in the Netherlands included high-level play in professional academies and youth clubs.
Chris played in De Graafschap’s academy beginning at age 15, where the senior team plays in the second Dutch division. Most of his games were played in the third division, Tweede Divisie, the highest semi-pro league in the country. Chris also played for De Treffers, AZSV Aalten and DOVO Veenendaal.
Gijs played for youth clubs facing pro teams’ youth players. Once he turned 19, he began playing and training with the senior team of DZC’68.
The brothers attended Rietveld Lyceum School, an institution specifically designed to make education easier for pro and academy players to function as an auxiliary to their football priorities. Rietveld Lyceum is a school with rich alumni, including several current and former professional footballers including Klass Jan Huntelaar, Luuk de Jong and Siem de Jong.
Chris and Gijs are still adjusting to the juggling act of classes and practice, but they lean on their teammates to guide them. The culture and language difference is another obstacle they face, trying to decipher what their professors are teaching and communicating with their teammates and coaches.
Despite being freshmen, both bring a type of maturity important to raising the level of a team with so much youth taking up the majority of the minutes. All four starting defenders are underclassmen and several of the Red Foxes’ key attacking players are too.
“They go about their business every day and push other guys to hold themselves to a high standard. That’s infectious,” said Viggiano.
Chris scored his first goal in the Red Fox’s first win of the season against Army on Sept. 5. Gijs followed with his first goal three games later in a nail-biting win over Long Island University on Sep. 21.
Marist managed a 3-4 non-conference record before MAAC play while facing some stiff competition.
Through games on Sep. 22, Wisconsin ranks as the ninth-best team in the nation and Cornell received votes in the top 25. Fordham was ranked 18th before Marist knocked them off in a 2-1 home win on Sep. 13, their first win over a ranked opponent since 2018.
Marist also dominated for much of the match and led 3-0 against an LIU team that won the NEC last season and made an NCAA tournament appearance.
Before MAAC play begins, Marist ranks as the highest MAAC team in the NCAA’s rating percentage index rankings at 95, the only MAAC team in the top 100.
“It’s incredible, I really love playing,” said Gijs. “It’s perfect, that’s why we came here. I think we have a very good team so to be part of it is exciting,” said Chris.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo; Photos from Marist Athletics
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