{"id":51722,"date":"2025-01-13T15:01:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T14:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandboxomgeving.nl\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T16:53:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T15:53:17","slug":"wouter-verstraaten","status":"publish","type":"success-story","link":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/","title":{"rendered":"Wouter Verstraaten"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Name:<\/strong>\u00a0Wouter Verstraaten <br><strong>Born:<\/strong>\u00a010 Mrt. 1996<br><strong>Sport:<\/strong>\u00a0Soccer<br><strong>University:<\/strong>\u00a0University of the Pacific<br><strong>Placed:<\/strong>\u00a0Fall 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The start of a unique adventure<br><\/strong>Wouter Verstraaten went through his entire youth training at PSV and played one year with the first team of FC Eindhoven. After obtaining his VWO diploma at Sint Joriscollege in Eindhoven, he decided to study at Tilburg University. Soon it became clear that it was almost impossible to combine professional soccer with a high-level study, so Wouter considered moving to America.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-en-Bobo.jpeg\" alt=\"Wouter Verstraaten and Bob Groenendijk, soccer players for University of the Pacific. Accompanied by Slamstox \" class=\"wp-image-46501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-en-Bobo.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-en-Bobo-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-en-Bobo-768x433.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Transfer to the USA<br><\/strong>Slamstox helped Wouter find the perfect place to pursue his soccer and study ambitions. Thanks to Slamstox&#8217;s personal connections with coach Ryan Jorden of University of the Pacific, a great deal was worked out in a short period of time. Coach Jorden even came personally to Geldrop to meet Wouter and his family. The goal was clear: Wouter wanted to continue playing soccer at the highest level and study at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together with his friend and former PSV teammate Bob Groenendijk, he began his adventure in California. Both boys quickly became key players at University of the Pacific and played a major role in the success of their team, the Tigers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Around &amp; About #9 - Wouter Verstraaten &amp; Bob Groenendijk -  University of the Pacific - Slamstox\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/556MoUA46HM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-4e3a8c6582c126f8ca1a12bba7c781e6 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>From maverick to college sensation<br><\/strong>Wouter and Bob performed exceptionally well with the Tigers. They took the team from 185th nationally to the top 20 in just a year and a half! They won the conference several times and reached the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wiki\/faq\/what-is-the-ncaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NCAA<\/a> national tournament. In one of their best years, they unfortunately lost in the second round after a thrilling penalty kick series against Stanford, the later winner. Wouter missed a crucial penalty, but that does not diminish his impressive college career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>From college to the MLS<br><\/strong>After his time at University of the Pacific, Wouter got the chance to prove himself at the MLS Combine, where the 60 best college soccer players were invited to play for MLS coaches. He eventually received an offer from the Portland Timbers, where he played for some time. Wouter was the first Dutchman to enter the MLS draft through the American college system!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-71bc7c7c4c8dd7d431b47fbf23192e8b wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Back to Europe &#8211; from soccer to society<br><\/strong>After his adventure in the MLS, Wouter returned to Europe, where he decided to continue his studies at Durham University in England. He continued to play soccer at a high level, and RTL News even wrote an article about his special journey:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rtl.nl\/sport\/voetbal\/artikel\/5194562\/psv-college-soccer-mls-aanbieding-van-sunderland-en-universitaire?redirect=rtlnieuws\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Read the article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After his time in England, Wouter returned to the Netherlands, where he decided to focus on a social career. He now works at ABN Amro&#8217;s headquarters in Amsterdam, where, as an ex-top athlete, he was welcomed with open arms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A valuable member of the Slamstox community<br><\/strong>Slamstox has accompanied Wouter every step of his extraordinary journey and is incredibly proud of him as an ambassador. He has always remained part of the Slamstox community and remains a great example for other players who want to get the most out of their sports and study careers. The fact that Wouter has always remained focused on his studies has now paid huge dividends for him. His story inspires others to get the best out of themselves, both on and off the field.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch videos about Wouter&#8217;s adventure here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Wouter Verstraaten - Voetballen en Studeren in Amerika\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hYqqx0OBcLI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-1448a70ca07a03e18d036ecc7654e9d1 wp-block-paragraph\">Are you interested in playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/sport\/soccer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">college soccer<\/a> in the U.S. just like Wouter? Schedule a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/getting-to-know-you\/?_gl=1*16oc61*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzQwMDE2MjEuQ2owS0NRaUFzT3E2QmhEdUFSSXNBR1E0LXpnenpCNmx0Qi1HQ1ZIVVM2aTNJNVZDb2hhYmpQa3g5SVBza1lwZHhZTTdnek5KVFNDbmRjc2FBcUt4RUFMd193Y0I.*_gcl_au*MzQ5NjE3MzY0LjE3Mzg1NzAxNjQ.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free introduction!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":51388,"template":"","sport":[],"class_list":["post-51722","success-story","type-success-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The success story of Wouter Verstraaten - Slamstox<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The success story of Slamstox athlete Wouter Verstraaten who played college soccer at University of the Pacific. Check out his story!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The success story of Wouter Verstraaten - Slamstox\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The success story of Slamstox athlete Wouter Verstraaten who played college soccer at University of the Pacific. Check out his story!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Slamstox\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-20T15:53:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"990\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"303\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/\",\"name\":\"The success story of Wouter Verstraaten - Slamstox\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-13T14:01:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-20T15:53:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"The success story of Slamstox athlete Wouter Verstraaten who played college soccer at University of the Pacific. Check out his story!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg\",\"width\":990,\"height\":303},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/success-story\\\/wouter-verstraaten\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Wouter Verstraaten\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Slamstox\",\"description\":\"The Student-Athlete Company\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.slamstox.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The success story of Wouter Verstraaten - Slamstox","description":"The success story of Slamstox athlete Wouter Verstraaten who played college soccer at University of the Pacific. Check out his story!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The success story of Wouter Verstraaten - Slamstox","og_description":"The success story of Slamstox athlete Wouter Verstraaten who played college soccer at University of the Pacific. Check out his story!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/","og_site_name":"Slamstox","article_modified_time":"2025-02-20T15:53:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":990,"height":303,"url":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/","url":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/","name":"The success story of Wouter Verstraaten - Slamstox","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-13T14:01:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-20T15:53:17+00:00","description":"The success story of Slamstox athlete Wouter Verstraaten who played college soccer at University of the Pacific. Check out his story!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Wouter-Verstraaten-.jpg","width":990,"height":303},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/success-story\/wouter-verstraaten\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Wouter Verstraaten"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/","name":"Slamstox","description":"The Student-Athlete Company","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/success-story\/51722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/success-story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/success-story"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"sport","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamstox.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sport?post=51722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}