WHEN JAMES SANDS, made the move two years ago to return to New York City FC from Rangers, he knew he eventually wanted to move back to Europe but needed to reset his career with his hometown team. The move to Rangers was successful in some respects as Sands played in some very big games, including the Europa League final, but he wanted to commit himself as a midfielder instead of a versatile swingman who also plays central defense.

Being a player that is primarily known as “versatile” can be a blessing and a curse. In one respect, it gives a player numerous ways to help a team. But on the other hand, versatile players are frequently used to “fill holes” and address weaknesses within teams as opposed to placed in a position where they can flourish.

Sands, 24, made this clear to New York City when he returned from Scotland and the two parties worked together and Sands made big strides in his development focusing almost entirely on midfield as opposed to the backline.

“I have a lot of experience playing both in midfield and at center back,” Sands said on Wednesday from Germany. “I feel like my best position is in midfield. When I made the move from Rangers back to New York, a big part of those discussions was about me featuring in the midfield on a consistent basis. Fair credit to New York, they held up their end of the bargain and that's where I featured for two years. I developed a lot. And New York was able to push me in all the right ways and ultimately helped me make this jump back to Europe. It's helped me establish a spot here at St Pauli.”

The results were there. Sands played very well for New York City in both 2023 and 2024. After last season, he felt ready for another opportunity. That came when St. Pauli expressed interest in Sands to help in their battle to remain in the Bundesliga after earning promotion last season.

A deal was struck for a loan through the end of the season with the ability to extend it through 2025/26. Unlike his loan to Rangers when it was unclear what role he would have with the club, it was clear where St. Pauli saw him. In the end, Sands felt prepared for the move.

“It's been extremely helpful to have that prior experience in Europe,” Sands explained. “Rangers is a very big club and during my time with them I played in a lot of very big games with very big atmospheres. So now when I'm in the Bundesliga, which has very similar types of atmospheres, it's helpful to have that experience already. When I was with Rangers, I learned really a different style of play than I was used to with New York. Having to make that adjustment and that adaptation once already will make the second time - adjusting to St Pauli - much easier.”

The early returns have been very promising, and Sands has played very well. He has already made six appearances with the Hamburg-based club with the last four coming as starts. The club has done well with him in the starting XI as they have two wins, a draw, and most recently a tough 2-0 loss to Leipzig where Sands still played well (winning 7/8 grounds duels, and 4/5 of his aerials). He has been a big asset on both sides of the ball with his passing, ball winning, and in defense.

As of now, St. Pauli has moved seven points clear of the relegation playoff position and their prospects of avoiding relegation have sharply increased.

There is also the issue of the national team for Sands, who currently has 13 caps for the United States. His best moments came during the 2021 Gold Cup which he helped the team win, and he played well in central defense once Walker Zimmerman had to withdraw due to injury. He was then part of the 2023 Gold Cup team which lost in the semifinal.

“Involvement with the national team is one of my goals for sure and being a part of the World Cup team next year would be an amazing achievement,” Sands said. “Having said that, whether you get selected or not for the team is out of your control. And the only thing I can control is how I perform on a day to day basis with my club. And I think being consistent and putting in strong performances will hopefully get my name back in the mix.”

Sands has always been on the edge of the player pool, but is now looking to take steps that move him into being a regular. The competition in central midfield is tough and there are a lot of names in the mix. Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Yunus Musah have been with the team for years. Luca de la Torre is rebooting his career in San Diego. Johnny Cardoso is also making strides. Lately, the pool has been boosted by Aidan Morris, Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, Lennard Maloney, and Jack McGlynn. Sands also points out that he was scheduled to play with the U.S. team during the recent January camp but had to withdraw because of the transfer.

Sands also insists that the national team is far from his only motivation with making his return to Europe with St. Pauli. Even if he never receives another call-up, this was a step he wanted to take in his career.

“Looking at the national team pool, there are a lot of talented players and a lot of them are playing in Europe,” Sands discussed. “I knew to have a realistic chance at the team, I would have to be competing at a very high level in Europe. Playing for the national team is one of my goals. But making this move to Europe was not only about the national team. If I play here for however long and I don't get called up once, I would still view this as successfully playing in Europe, challenging myself at the highest level.”

American players have had a prominent presence in the Bundesliga for most of the past two decades, but what also helps Sands is that there are a number of players from the New York area, many of whom he has known a long time.

A native of Rye, N.Y., Sands has known both Gio Reyna at Borussia Dortmund and Joe Scally at Borussia Monchengladbach since his early teenage years and all three came up together through the New York FC academy. Last month, New Jersey native John Tolkin made the move from the New York Red Bulls to Holstein Kiel - only about an hour drive from Hamburg.

“It's very cool that you see a group of players from the same region all making the move to Europe,” Sands said. “I think there's something about people who are from the Northeast that translates well to the Bundesliga. Maybe they have a sense of grit or determination. That part of the country seems to send a lot of players over here. It's also cool for me to see all the different journeys that we've taken to get to this point. Gio [Reyna], Joe [Scally] and I were all in the academy together. Gio left right away to go to Dortmund. Joe left when he turned 18 and went to Gladbach. I played with New York for several seasons and had a different experience in Europe and then and now in the Bundesliga. It's cool to see how everything comes full circle. Now when I watch them, it makes me very proud to see them doing so well. It makes me appreciate how long or how far we've all come as players and, more importantly, as friends.”

It is that friendship that has helped Sands hit the ground running as Reyna and Scally have given him advice on adjusting to life in Germany both on and off the field. While that doesn’t show up metrics, it has played a role.  

“They tell me how quick the speed of play is and one of the most important things in this league is just to be consistent because a lot of the squads have so many quality players, the minute your level slips or you don't perform, someone takes your spot,” Sands said. “Them sharing their experience with me has been probably the most helpful.”

The next few weeks will be critical for Sands and St. Pauli as games against Freiburg, Mainz, and then Reyna & Dortmund are on the horizon. Points in those games could go a long way towards ensuring St. Paul remains in the Bundesliga next year. It possibly could also earn Sands a spot on the U.S. national team for the final rounds of the Nations League in March.