From Germany to South Carolina - Habel Feels Right at Home

“Welcome home” has been a tagline for South Carolina recruiting in recent years, but for South Carolina soccer senior defender Mika Habel, it has a little twist.

Originally from Munich, Germany, Habel came to the U.S. while in high school when his father’s job took him to Spartanburg, South Carolina for work in 2018. Habel would live in Greenville for a little more than a year and played club soccer in Charlotte. He eventually caught the attention of South Carolina coach Tony Annan, who had previously coached the Atlanta United team. Habel had actually moved back to Germany when he received a call from Annan who was in Germany at the time.

“He talked, and he met my family, and I decided it was time to come back home to South Carolina,” said Habel, who has a double major in finance and risk management and has already started an accelerated program for a master’s in international business. “We always loved it here. South Carolina has become our second home.”

Habel said he enjoyed coming to the U.S. right away, even if there were some challenges.

“My English was good, and at first, you don’t talk a lot. You just listen,” Habel said. “Soccer was always the one thing that got me closer to people. It allowed me to meet a lot of good people.

“It’s a different culture here, but I learned that if you adapt to a culture rather than try to stick to whatever you already know, you can make any place home. I believe that. The South is a very loving region. Germany is a little bit more cool in that sense. Here, I thought it was great when I would go to a store and people would ask how I’m doing.

“The Clemson game is always the best example of that for me. People who have no clue about soccer will come out when we play them to support us.”

That was on full display when South Carolina set a program record with more than 7,600 fans inside Stone Stadium in the Gamecocks 3-2 win over the Tigers earlier this season.

“That was incredible,” Habel said. “People know what that game means. To do it at home and win, and with all the alumni, fans, and young kids there, we tried to spend as much time with them as we could and go up into the stands after the game. We really appreciate that. It feels like you’re playing with a man up when you have a crowd like that. It makes a huge difference.”

Habel was drawn to soccer at a young age and recalls wanting to tag along with his older brother when he first started playing as the family spent some time in England due to his father’s work.

“Ever since I could walk, I would see my brother kick a ball, so I wanted to kick a ball,” Habel said. “I’m a team player. I love being with the team. I love seeing a team grow. I love getting the best out of people. I’m all for doing my job the best that I can while contributing to the team and also making others look good. Making progress with a team is so much more fun than when you do it alone.”

In addition to progress, Habel has also had some setbacks in his career, which included the need for a pair of surgeries, causing him to miss the end of his freshman season and most of his sophomore season.

“It’s called a core muscle injury,” Habel said. “It’s where your groins, hips, and pubic bone and everything around that sort of give up. It was all torn up.”

Following his initial surgery, there were still some issues, and they realized that not everything had healed the way it was expected. He tried to get through the next season despite a lot of discomfort, but it was decided to have another surgery which allowed him to play all of his junior season. For the “team player,” missing time on the pitch wasn’t easy.

“It was difficult because I had never had surgery before,” Habel said. “I thought that the moment you do surgery, you’d be fine and you go out and play. I realized the real work begins after. I love watching soccer, but watching your own team play when you can’t, that is more difficult.”

As a 23-year-old captain, Habel is one of the elder statesmen on the team, and he embraces his role as a leader.

“This is my third season as a captain,” Habel said. “I’ve been through a lot. It takes a lot to win in college. Having a strong foundation and culture and knowing the basics of the game are what matter the most. I’m trying to instill the discipline that I have into the team.”

Now in his senior season, things have been pretty good on the home front with the Gamecocks getting off to a hot start, which included three straight wins over ranked teams, propelling the team to a No. 1 national ranking. Habel is doing his part to keep the team focused over the long haul.

“The biggest thing we always talk about is progress,” Habel said. “If you focus on the little bits of training from game to game, that’s what matters. If you put in the effort and the hours, the rest takes care of itself. We’re not trying to focus on what this team can do in the future. We’re trying to focus on doing it right now.

“My goal is to just be a leader on the team and give back to the school.”