Jeff CarlisleFeb 17, 2026, 10:24 AM ETCloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.Multiple Authors
Was Jesús Pérez right to criticise the USMNT’s previous structure? (2:57)The “Futbol Americas” crew debate if the USMNT assistant head coach Jesús Pérez was right to claim that the team “lacked the basics” before they started their managerial process. (2:57)
The first time Marko Mitrovic saw Noahkai Banks play, it was August 2022, and Banks was suiting up for FC Augsburg’s under-17s against their counterparts from mighty Bayern Munich. Mitrovic, then the manager of the United States under-19 men’s national team, was hoping to find a future prospect for then-U.S. U17 manager Gonzalo Segares.
It was not Banks’ best day. Bayern were up two goals inside of five minutes, on their way to a 5-1 win. Asked to recall the performance of the then-15-year-old Banks, Mitrovic said that Banks was like “Bambi on ice,” in that the player hadn’t yet grown into what would become a 6-foot-4 frame.
“His hands and legs were from four different bodies,” said Mitrovic, now the manager of the New England Revolution.
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“Everything that [Banks] did in that game was maybe not executed well because his body didn’t support his decisions in that moment, but all his decisions were the right decision on and off the ball,” Mitrovic said.
Mitrovic ultimately recommended Banks for the U.S. U17s. Good thing, because 3½ years later, the now 19-year-old is a regular with Augsburg and is on the cusp of earning his first cap with the U.S. and perhaps even making the FIFA World Cup roster. Banks was called into a USMNT camp back in September, though he didn’t see the field. That didn’t stop U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino from referring to Banks as “a massive talent.”
As Banks settles into a chair at Augsburg’s stadium, one can see in the background that it’s one of those cold, dark winter days in Germany — a time perhaps better suited to watching movies, which is one of Banks’ favorite off-field pursuits. But even as Banks has enjoyed a breakout season and been a ray of sunshine for Augsburg, it’s clear his mind is far from the World Cup. Augsburg currently sit in 11th place in the 18-team Bundesliga. Their first-division status isn’t secure just yet.
Nadine’s sister, Nicole, is responsible for Banks’ nickname, “Noki.” She liked how Noki rhymed with “schoki,” which is German for “chocolate bar,” and the nickname stuck. Now, Banks says that only his mother calls him Noahkai, “when she’s mad at me.”
Banks was smitten with soccer from an early age, always having a ball at his feet. Whenever Nadine would tell her son it was time to go for a walk, he would be by the front door with three soccer balls. Whenever soccer was on television, the game had Banks’ undivided attention.
“The scouts were like, ‘Oh, we don’t know if he’s got what it takes,'” Nadine recalled. “And [Pawlitschko] said, ‘No, I know he’s got it, and I want to keep him.'”
Pawlitschko went on to coach Banks through several age groups. At a later roundtable with reporters, Banks said of Pawlitschko, “Because of him, I’m here. So I’m extremely thankful to him.”
What followed from that tryout was an experience similar to that of many youth players in the U.S., namely lots of long drives to practice. Augsburg was a 90-minute drive from Dietmannsried, and Nadine would make the trip with Banks — with his baby sister in the back seat — three times a week. “My friends always said to me, ‘You must be crazy. Why are you doing this?'” Nadine said.
Later, Augsburg provided bus transportation, though that meant an even longer trek: three hours each way. But sports ran deep in Banks’ household, so there was a willingness to make those sacrifices.
It would be easy then to allow all of this new attention to get to Banks’ head — few 19-year-olds are Bundesliga starters, after all — but Banks remains rooted to both his club and his family. He insists there’s no danger of cockiness setting in.
“I think it’s pretty easy because my mom would kill me if I don’t keep my feet on the ground,” he said. “And yeah, it’s easy because here in the club, everybody is very humble. It’s like a family, so there’s no room for being arrogant or something like this. It’s pretty easy here, to be honest.”
It helps that Banks isn’t a consumer of social media, though that doesn’t stop Nadine from sending him posts in the family group chat.
“I think what’s very important is to not read too much stuff in the internet because when you play good, everybody hypes you up. When you play bad, you’re the worst player ever, so it can affect you,” he said. “So I always tell my mom, because she sends a lot of stuff from Twitter, ‘Mom, don’t read that because it can affect me.'”
Banks is well aware that he’s not even close to being a complete player. He notes that he watches team captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw to pick up the kind of pointers that only experience can bring.
“When I see [Gouweleeuw] train, he does some things different than me,” Banks said. “He’s clever. Maybe don’t take the run of the striker, let him go in the offside position. I think those are things which come with time and which I can improve as well, I think.”
Banks’ connection to the U.S. national team program began innocently enough. Segares recalled being in a meeting with Garrett Biller, then the USSF’s talent ID manager for the central region, when Biller piped up and said, “Hey, we got this kid from Germany that we need to take a look at.”
Mitrovic’s trip to Germany followed, and Banks began attending training camps for the U.S. U17 national team. Banks’ passing caught Segares’ attention, but then so did the player’s progress from camp to camp. In every get-together, Banks showed Segares and the staff something new.
“All of a sudden, [Banks] comes into another camp and he’s breaking lines on his dribble, and he’s just opening up defenses,” Segares said. “And for me, I’d never seen a center back that it was so easy for him, or just had that ability. He would go dribble through three guys and then make an incredible pass.”
Banks was eventually named to the squad that competed at the 2023 FIFA under-17 World Cup. Segares recalled that Banks was one of the team’s “best performers,” though it came with disappointment. The U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16 by a 2-1 defeat to Germany, a match in which Banks was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Banks endeared himself to teammates in other ways. In Segares’ squad, one punishment for being late was to sing in front of the whole team. Banks sang so often that Segares swore he was being late on purpose.
And what did Banks sing? “There was a lot of Justin Bieber in there,” said U.S. U17 teammate Pedro Soma, who is now with San Diego FC. Segares remembers a version of the 1980s staple “99 Luftballons” from the German rock band Nena.
The USSF has for decades made a habit of exposing dual nationals to the merits of the U.S. program during their teenage years. It has helped cement the allegiance of players such as defender Sergiño Dest and midfielder Yunus Musah even when other countries expressed interest. It’s clear that in Banks’ case, the USSF has once again been playing the long game, and for the player, those experiences with the U17s left an impression.
“I really enjoyed the camp, to be honest, because I thought as a young guy, maybe I will get treated differently,” Banks said. “But how the guys helped me to get into the team and into the training, it was incredible, to be honest. Also, the big guys like Christian Pulisic or Tim Weah, we maybe don’t expect it, but it has been great.”
Banks was born in Honolulu, the son of a U.S. serviceman, Sedrick Banks, and a Spanish-German mother, Nadine. According to Nadine, the family moved back to Germany when Noahkai was 7 weeks old and split time between Washington, D.C. and Germany. Nadine and Sedrick split up soon thereafter, with Nadine returning to Dietmannsried, a small town near the Bavarian Alps with a population of around 8,500. Noahkai would still make regular visits to see Sedrick who, according to Noahkai, now works as a volunteer with youth groups in the nation’s capital.
More good tears were shed last October when Banks scored his first Bundesliga goal in what would be a 3-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg. This time both his mother and stepfather were in the stands. But among the indelible memories from the match was a quote from Augsburg sporting director Benni Weber, who was so impressed with Banks’ overall composure, he said the player “pisses ice cubes.” More importantly, it announced Banks’ arrival as a Bundesliga performer, and he has been a steady presence in the Augsburg lineup ever since.
Was Jesús Pérez right to criticise the USMNT’s previous structure? (2:57)The “Futbol Americas” crew debate if the USMNT assistant head coach Jesús Pérez was right to claim that the team “lacked the basics” before they started their managerial process. (2:57)
The “Futbol Americas” crew debate if the USMNT assistant head coach Jesús Pérez was right to claim that the team “lacked the basics” before they started their managerial process. (2:57)
Jeff CarlisleFeb 17, 2026, 10:24 AM ETCloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.Multiple Authors
“[Noki] was just hypnotized by soccer,” Nadine said. “I don’t know what it was.”
“There were many tears in our garden from Noki,” Kinkel, Banks’ stepfather, said.
“But the day after, it was crazy. It was like a dream, to be honest.”
If Banks continues his progress, an even greater summer beckons.
CloseJeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.