For young Kaiserslautern keeper Luis Robles, the twists and turns of an already winding career path boast plenty of trials and tribulations. The American goaltender, immersed in a familiar German lifestyle, has already weathered a storm as his club career now seems on the cusp of major breakthrough.

Despite the glaring differences between life in the American Midwest and Germany, surviving in the land of lederhosen, kartofeln and biergartens is a skill already germane to the Arizona native, who spent a good portion of his childhood living in the hometown of soccer icon Jürgen Klinsmann, Stuttgart.

"I used to live here," Robles told American Soccer Daily. "My father worked with the military, and did civilian work... (I) was born in Arizona, but moved shortly after, and lived in Stuttgart until I was six years old."

Overall, the experience left a fine impression on the budding keeper. Yet on his return to the land of Rhine and Ruhr, starting with a six-month stint with Kaiserslautern's then-Regionalliga reserve team starting in January, the food and culture became a bit overwhelming and monotonous.

"Schnitzel was all that I ate when I first came here, and I started to get a bit sick of it," admitted Robles "The culture shock wasn't anything too extreme, although I still haven't gotten used to the stores being closed on Sundays."

"Kaiserslautern, however, is not the full German experience. It has the largest concentration of Americans outside of the US. It's nice though, as I'm in a new place, but there are still the little subtleties of life back home. You can go to the supermarket and find Lucky Charms. It's a very unique city."

The welcoming surroundings happened not by design, but rather serendipity and chance, although Robles is thankful for the fate of winter trials, adding that, "It all started with a goalkeeping situation, and I was looking at Vienna, but hadn't played in a while, and was looking to get some match fitness."

"My agent set me up with a training session at the reserve team of FC Kaiserslautern. That actually went so well that they offered me a contract."

After a difficult six-month stint, FCK II was relegated from the Regionalliga South division, thanks to an astounding -44 goal differential and meager collection of just 10 points all term. The team that Robles entered one-way bound for the drop, but yet, the young keeper managed to showcase his worth and potential as a diamond in the rough in front of a porous backline.

"The coach really liked me, and he was eager to keep me," he asserted. "But the day that we got the contract worked out, and agreed on all of the details, it went to the board to be signed and the manager was fired."

"That made things difficult. I was a third keeper, and at that time, they had other needs and priorities."

With his future uncertain, the former Portland Pilot pushed forward the throttle, weathering some turbulence in the hope of finding clarity.

"I went on trial with Reutlingen and at St. Pauli," Robles reminded. "Both teams had a contract on the table, but I just felt that I wanted to wait for Kaiserslautern. (I thought that) if it worked out, it would be perfect."

"Things started to come to a close, and at this time, DC United came in and offered me a developmental contract. It seemed ideal, and the offer was tempting, but I came out here for a reason: I still wanted to prove myself in Europe."

Right into the final stretch of the summer transfer window, Robles was rewarded for his patience with a professional contract at FCK, with a view to the first team post.

"(The summer) was rough, one of the most trying times of my life" reminisced the netminder "But I love it here, and want to be able to look back on my career in 10 years, and say that I made the right decision in waiting for Kaiserslautern."

Robles now orients himself as an eager young keeper, ironically the eldest at his club at the still raw age of 23. With stern competition from Germany Under-21 international Florian Fromlowitz and 19-year old prodigy Tobias Sippel, FCK might lack experienced hands, but is hardly in deficit of talent or depth. In fact, eager character and young age has actually served to bring to group closer together in spirit.

"We're all in the same boat," proclaimed Robles. "We all get along great and have that same camaraderie. Right now, in this situation, we're all young and we all know that we've got potential. It's the first time that I've really gotten along with all of the keepers on my team."

"We're super young. With older teams, they already know how to deal with each other, but I feel like we're still trying to discover that."

Having plied his trade with the reserve team this past season, the precocious Portland grad has vied for playing time with Sippel on the now Oberliga-situated second team, something that serves as a nice balance for the pressures of the senior squad.

"With the reserve team, there are a lot of young players," added the burgeoning American. "The first team guys are a little more secure, and when I go back to the second team, I feel like I'm back in college. There is much more camaraderie, and I love all of the joking. It's really the best of both worlds."

Recently, a spike in injuries has opened new doors, and the young keeper's focus has shifted markedly from competing for minutes with the reserves to preparing for an approaching first team start. Although his club status is in flux, one constant remains: the aspiration to represent the US National Team.

"Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be on the National Team," remembered Robles, who partook in the player pools of both the Under-14 and Under-20 national team programs. "Just being in the pool - not even playing - and putting on the jersey was an amazing feeling. For any player that steps into this level, international soccer is the ultimate step."

With the Senior National team currently boasting a wealth of keeping talent, including the likes of Everton star Tim Howard, former Honda Player of the Year Kasey Keller and MLS standout Brad Guzan, any prospects of the #1 shirt might be intangible at the moment. Instead, there might be hope yet with the Olympic team, as it prepares to reach the Beijing summer games.

"If that's something that comes up," vowed Robles, "It's something that I'll be excited for, and work for."