ONE YEAR AGO, Tanner Tessmann walked off the field in Orlando having just made his international debut for the United States in a 7-0 win over Trinidad & Tabago. The call-up was a nice boost for the young midfielder after a promising first professional season with FC Dallas - but the ensuing months were tricky.

The Birmingham, Alabama native had hoped to be a key part of the 2021 U.S. U-20 team but COVID cancelled that cycle. He made the U.S. U-23 team for Olympic qualifying but was very young and was playing up a cycle. His minutes were sporadic and the team failed to qualify for the Tokyo games. When he settled back in Dallas, the team was struggling. He played, although wasn’t quite a regular starter.

In soccer, however, fortunes can change quickly. Tessmann, now 20, caught the eye of Venezia who noticed his skill and technical ability that went along with his big frame. The newly promoted Serie A team was able to strike a deal with Dallas for a surprising transfer.

After an adjustment period, Tessmann has grown into a role where he is seeing consistent minutes in a combination of starts and longer sub appearances. Thus far he has played in both the No. 6 as well as his preferred No. 8 position that allows him to be more involved in the attack. 

“I came in kind of knowing that it was going to be a step up and I would have to adjust myself and embrace everything. And I think that's what I've done,” Tessmann told ASN from Venice. “It is a defensive and tactical league. My positioning off the ball has definitely improved. I would definitely say on the ball as well. Decision making and speed of play has definitely increased and helped me get on the field more. My whole game's improved.”

Americans in Serie A are rare. In the past 30 years, only Alexi Lalas, Michael Bradley, Weston McKennie, Josh Perez (who now plays for El Salvador, and made just one Serie A appearances), Bryan Reynolds, Gianluca Busio, and now Tessmann have played in Italy’s top-flight.

For Tessmann, the big test will be helping Venezia remain in Serie A. His improvement and rise within the club are welcome news for the team down the stretch, but it still could be a close call. The club presently sits in the final safe spot but are just one point clear of the relegation zone. Momentum is also not in their favor as the club is winless over its last nine games.

In the most recent game, the club traveled to Milan to face leaders, Inter, in a matchup where Venezia was the heavy underdog. Tessmann started and was subbed out in the 66^th minute with the score 1-1 and Venezia playing well. Unfortunately, Inter found a late winner. Despite his performance earning high marks from the media, it was a bitter disappointment for Tessmann who realizes the difficulty of the battle that lies ahead – starting with second place Napoli on Sunday.

“We've had a few games where we gave up late goals and it really cost us,” Tessmann explained. “Those points are points we really need to stay alive. If you think about the game, Venezia away at Inter Milan, San Siro -  when you go play and you get in a position where you're up 1-0 and they score right before half and you're like, OK, 1-1. We can play well, we can get a point out of this game. We could have three points, but we could definitely get a point. It's not like everyone views it as we did well. That's B.S. We need points and we were in a position there to get points and we didn't. It hurts.”

The relegation battle will certainly test Tessmann but like any other American moving to Europe, the process of adapting to another country and another culture is also an important part of success. Like other Americans going to a non-English speaking country, Tessmann is learning the local language. He is proud of how far his Italian has come and insists that at Venezia it is “critical” to learn the language. Whenever manager Paolo Zanetti speaks to the group in team meetings such as on the sidelines or at halftime or pregame, it is in Italian.  

Playing in Venice, one of the tourist capitals of the world, is also far more different than other moves to Europe. He does not live on the island and is removed from the tourist scene but does enjoy making the journey to see the famous sights when his family is in town. Recently he took his first gondola ride with his American teammate Gianluca Busio when the two went to pick up residency documents and a team official set them up with a gondola ride across the Grand Canal (quipping: “it was a good experience, but I don't think I'll get back on one”).

“That's the beautiful thing, I can live that touristy life whenever I want,” Tessmann said. “Going to Venice is always touristy. But I also live here, so I know people. I can still get that homey feeling. I've met a couple of good restaurant owners and I have my spots. I trust them - good food, good places, good spots. But then also like when the fam comes or I'm just feeling a very risky I can go try something new and it's like I'm a tourist again in Italy. It's definitely I get the best of both worlds.”

The experience of being on Venezia’s team also doesn’t allow a player to escape the unique nature of the city as the gameday experience is different. Built in 1913, Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo is one of the smallest in Serie A having been renovated last summer to boost the capacity to 11,150 following the team’s promotion. It is on the southern tip of the Island. It is a long, but manageable walk from Piazza San Marco and most fans either walk or take a boat. This includes the team.

The team trains on the mainland but takes a long boat ride to the stadium the day before the game where they train. They then stay at a nearby hotel and walk to the stadium on gameday to play.

“The experience is unreal,” Tessmann said. “You're on a boat going to a game and you get to the stadium. And it's I mean, it's just unreal to think about you're playing on an island… The day before a game we take a boat from the mainland where we train. We take a boat to the stadium, which is at the bottom of Venice. It's about a 45-minute boat ride from Mestre and we get to the stadium and train.…It's definitely a different experience, one that I've never done before until I went to Venice.”

When looking at the path that brought him to Venezia, Tessmann acknowledged that that FC Dallas played a big role and he is not surprised that many of the top American players in the game have spent time at the Dallas academy – including national team players such as Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Reggie Cannon, Jesus Ferreira, Chris Richards, and Kellyn Acosta along with other players such as Justin Che and Bryan Reynolds who were sold or loaned to European teams recently. 

“Dallas, it’s the coaching staff there in the academy, the roots, everything about it,” Tessmann said. “I saw a tweet the other day of all the players that have been in the FC Dallas academy that are now over in Europe - it is a long list with a lot of good players. It's just the environment we set there. Everyone knows what the goal is. Everyone knows the attitude and the family we have there. So we're all on the same page and we were around guys that are always striving to do the same thing that we want to do, and that's really powerful.”

If Tessmann continues to improve in Italy, it seems likely he will rejoin the national team – but it is a question of when. This is a World Cup year and the team is still in a tough fight to qualify. If that happens, there will only be a few games this summer to break in. Tessmann, however, will be 21 at the start of next cycle and time is on his side. He knows that the path to the U.S. team starts with Venezia so that is his priority right now.

 “It's going to be tough to make the roster,” Tessmann said. “These guys have been together for it seems like three years now. It's tough to break in - but when the opportunity is right whenever that may be. I'm just focused on Venezia. I've been out here, focused on myself becoming a better player, a better teammate and a better person. I definitely will try to push for that. It'd be a dream come true… I've got to do well at the club level and help the team. That's as my number one focus. And I've always said the rest will come.”