He has yet to score a goal as a Cavalier, but Wiese has 17 career assists. He led the team in that category in 2021, with six, and in 2023, with eight.
Other players are more proficient on free kicks, but Wiese’s “service in the run of play is as good as I’ve seen from a player here,” said Gelnovatch, who’s heading into his 29th season as Virginia’s head coach.
“It’s part of what escalated him to the level he was playing in Germany, the level of ball that he could whip in. Half of Stephen Annor’s goals last year were headers, and they were crosses from Paul. It’s not like Paul is just kicking the ball there; he can find you. He can drop the ball right on your head. Plus, he can pass. It’s not just aerial balls. He’s a good, technical player who understands the game, knows how to pass, knows how to move.”
The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Wiese said he believes “assists are underrated. An assist is as good as a goal. It’s the same with blocks on the goal line. It’s basically prevented a goal. I think that should almost be a stat for defenders. My role models growing up were always Messi and Marcelo. Messi obviously is a goal scorer too, but he was also a great assist guy, and the same with Marcelo.”
Growing up in Germany, Wiese said, before practices most of his teammates would be “in the box, trying to score, and I was always the guy asking the strikers if I could cross it so they could hit it. I just enjoyed that too.”
He’s majoring in global development studies at UVA, with a minor in social entrepreneurship. When he came to the U.S., Wiese said, he was determined to leave with a college degree, and he’s on track to graduate next spring.
“Even if I had had, let’s say, the opportunity to go pro last year, I wouldn’t have done it, because I want to finish my degree,” said Wiese, who turns 24 next week. “If I have a chance to [play professionally in the spring of 2025], obviously it’s a different situation, because I could finish it online. So I would certainly do that. But [graduating] was my main goal.”
He’d love to play professionally in the United States, but if an attractive opportunity doesn’t arise after this season, “I think I have to make the decision that soccer is over for me,” Wiese said, “because I wouldn’t finish my degree till May, which means I would essentially stop playing for like five, six months. And I think UVA presents so many good opportunities with networking and…