UFV men’s soccer star Kevin Mailand is a third-year midfielder and talked with The Cascade about his soccer heroes, coming to Canada from Germany, and the arrival of soccer legend Thomas Müeller to Vancouver.
Moving anywhere in the world is a difficult task, especially when it involves leaving your home country and starting anew in an unfamiliar place. While growing up in Hanover, Germany, Mailand started playing soccer from a young age with his friends before joining a club at the age of six. With soccer-loving parents by his side, Mailand got to grow up not only watching icons like Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, and Neymar take over the soccer world, but also saw some of his soccer inspirations Marco Reus and Mario Götze play for his favourite squad, Borussia Dortmund. His passion grew even greater when at 10-years-old he watched Germany win the FIFA World Cup.
When the time came to go overseas and play for a North American collegiate program, Mailand opted to join the UFV men’s soccer program for the 2023-24 season, settling in the Fraser Valley to play for the Cascades.
In his first season with the squad, Mailand posted one goal and one assist in eight matches. Being on your own in a new country — combined with the added pressure of playing university-level sports can be a daunting task. Mailand noted how head coach Tom Lowndes got him in contact with two other German players in the Cascades system. Nicolas Burret and Kadir Yagci were both playing at UFV at the time, giving Mailand a sense of familiarity.
“[UFV] felt like a good place to go,” said Mailand on having German counterparts at UFV.
Locating classrooms, finding places to eat around campus, and getting into a new routine is especially difficult when English is not your first language.
“I was pretty comfortable speaking English back in Germany, but having to rely on that is the scariest part about it.” Mailand explained.
As Mailand’s comfortability in B.C. began to grow, his play on the field began to pay dividends. Mailand took a massive leap in 2024-25, tallying six goals and five assists while playing in all 18 of the Cascades’ matches on a squad that pushed UBC to the brink in the Canada West semi-final.
Now entering his third season with the Cascades, Mailand has taken on a mentorship role with the additions of German midfielders Lennart Moschke and Grischa Heider.
“It helped them a lot, [and] it also helped me a lot, having that familiar feeling again.”
Alongside the arrival of his new teammates, another German soccer player has made his way over to B.C. to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Thomas Müller recently signed with the local squad, and Mailand was happy to see other German players join clubs in B.C.
In his two years with the Cascades, Mailand has grown into one of the elite talents in the system. With a few years left of eligibility, Mailand is not only poised to lead the Cascades back to the semi-finals, but to land himself among the greats of Cascades soccer.
