Temple midfielder Rocco Haeufgloeckner’s life has always revolved around soccer. The Kirchzell, Germany native spent most of his youth on the pitch and played on the U17 and U19 Bundesliga teams, one of the top leagues in Germany.
However, once he finished high school in Germany, he had to make a decision.
In 2022, Haeufgloeckner made the difficult choice of leaving his home country and moving to the United States to play soccer for Temple. He was in an entirely new place but still had his one constant that helped make Temple feel like home — soccer.
“[Soccer] always helps, I can’t live without soccer,” Haeufgloeckner said. “I can’t imagine that one day I’m not gonna play soccer anymore. I step on the field and everything that is in my head, it just goes away. I just focus on soccer in that moment. You make friends through soccer. All my childhood friends that I have, all my best friends throughout my life, all of them came through soccer.”
Now finishing up his third year on North Broad Street, Haeufgloeckner has become more accustomed to Temple and life in the United States. However, the adjustment wasn’t easy for him. But thanks to soccer, the resources Temple offers and his teammates, Haeufgloeckner found a new home.
Haeufgloeckner was one of 84 international student-athletes who competed on one of Temple’s varsity sports teams during the 2024-25 year. The strong international student-athlete base has led to increased support from the university’s athletic department.
“We get in front of every single team every year to talk about who we are, what we do and how to access our services,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Mental Health, Wellness and Performance Stephany Coakley. “And that’s the group that we highlight. I was an international student at Temple, so I have some awareness of what they experienced just being away from home, but then it’s a whole nother level being away from home and expected to perform in classroom and perform in their sport.”
Coakley was hired in 2017 as the first full-time mental health specialist in Temple Athletics’ history. She helped create TUWell, which offers mental health services like professionals student-athletes can talk to. She has grown her team since she was hired and now has three other full-time mental health staff members.
Multiple student-run organizations also work to help international student athletes with their mental health outside of the resources the athletic department offers.
Temple has its own chapter of Morgan’s Message, a program where student-athletes advocate for mental health through different initiatives. There is also an international student-athlete organization called the Global Owls, which was developed to help international student-athletes connect with each other and adjust to their surroundings.
Haeufgloeckner spent time with the organization but struggled to get involved with resources at first because he felt anxious about how to get involved.
“It was tough because Temple provides a lot and it’s very easy to get into different stuff,” Haeufgloeckner said. “But I think the first step is always the most difficult one. It was tough to choose for myself which resource I should consider and take advantage of.”
Haeufgloeckner joined the men’s soccer program while it was filled with fellow international student-athletes. There were 10 other foreign student-athletes during Haeufgloeckner’s freshman season in 2022, which helped him feel more comfortable at Temple.
Bryan Green was hired as head coach before Haeufgloeckner’s sophomore season and he has continued to recruit student-athletes from different countries. The Owls rostered nine international student-athletes this past season, with six being underclassmen. With such a diverse roster, Green plans different activities to ensure his players feel comfortable in their new environment and with their teammates.
“We spend a lot of time just together,” Green said. “We have three meals a day together. We spend a lot of time talking not just about soccer or the season but just getting to know each other and then getting to know their teammates. I think all of it together helps them get comfortable and familiar.”
Haeufgloeckner has experienced the transition of an international student-athlete now that he’s entering his final season donning the Cherry and White this upcoming fall. He hopes to use that experience to help his younger teammates adjust and assist them in finding their home away from home.
“I think that our team does a really great job of integrating new players,” Haeufgloeckner said. “That’s not just me. That’s everyone in the team that is very kind and helpful with those new players and every problem they have, they can always come to us and talk about it.”
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