My Experience Playing Professional Soccer in Romania as an American

It’s been over 9 months since I played in Romania, so now I finally feel separated enough to write a fair review of my experience of soccer in Romania as an American.

I went to Romania during the winter 20/21 transfer window. I finished the 20/21 season, played Champions League Qualifications, and started the first half of the 21/22 season with U Olimpia Cluj.

After the first half of the 21/22 season, I decided to transfer to another team, which is when I headed to Turkey.

It was my choice to leave mid-season.

Why did I make that decision and how was my experience playing in Romania?

Here’s an overview.

The Country

There are plenty of nice things about Romania, but overall it has not been my favorite country to live in or travel in.

Here’s some of the things I liked:

• Beautiful outdoor scenery (lots of mountains).
• Some rich historical areas, especially castles.
• Very kind and helpful women.
• A couple of very big cities.
• Public transportation within a given city.

Personally, there was a lot I did not enjoy including:

• The attitude of many of the men I encountered.
• A lot of homophobia.
• The local cuisine.
• Pretty bad road systems, aka extremely long road trips.
• Public transport between cities is not great.

When it comes down to it, I’m not exactly itching to return to Romania for a visit anytime soon. I did enjoy exploring some hikes as well as quaint cities like Brasov, but overall it just was not a country I loved being in.

Safety

When it comes to playing your sport overseas as a female, safety is normal a concern. I really had no idea what to expect when it came to Romania.

Much like Turkey, I’d say there are some areas that are worse than others and you should always be cautious. I did have a less-than-ideal experience in Bucharest where a seemingly-intoxicated man approached me and tried to touch my face.

However, where I lived, in Cluj-Napoca, I did not fear for my safety. As I learned the area and the bus system, I felt comfortable. The city is large and used to tourists/students, so it was fairly easy to fly under the radar most times.

Culture

The culture I experienced in Romania is definitely different than what I’m used to. Religion in Romania seemed a lot more dominant in daily life than what I’m used to. Additionally, many people held “traditional” values regarding gender roles and the LBTQ+ community.

The abundance and treatment of stray animals was also shocking for me. In volunteering with an animal rescue, I saw and heard a lot of disturbing treatment of animals. Of course, animal welfare can be an issue in any country. I just found the attitude toward dogs and cats to be quite different than what I’m used to, and often hard to swallow.

League Setup

For the Liga Feminin season, the first half began with 12 teams. During the first part of the season, each time faces the other once.

Based on the table at the end of the fall portion, the top 6 teams will enter play-offs and the bottom 6 the play out. There is a break between the first part and the second part of the season. Then, in the spring, the top 6 teams each play each other twice (and the same with the bottom 6) to determine the final table/ranking.

Alongside the league, there are Romanian Cup games sprinkled throughout. These start with teams from the second and third league as well.

How My Team Did

U Olimpia Cluj are the reigning Romanian champions. Just like every other year of their existence, we won the league. We finished first in the table at the end of the 20/21 season. We also won the Romanian Cup in 2021.

The beginning of the 21/22 season was progressing much the same way. we were on track to win. While I left mid-season, the team did go on to win the 21/22 season and 22 Romanian Cup.

When it comes to Champions League, the story is quite different. We lost both of our first-round qualifying games, and thus did not progress in Champions League. While this was frustrating, it’s a pretty common experience for champion teams from smaller countries like Romania. It’s pretty hard to prepare for Champions League while winning multiple league games 10-0…

Competition

As I’ve alluded to, the competition was not strong in Romania and is much higher in Turkey. We won several games in the double-digits. Only 1-2 games per season had any hint of competition, and when it came down to it we were going to win.

We basically walked into the league games knowing we would win, it was only a matter of by how much. Realistically, it did not really matter who was starting, we would win the game.

This was pretty boring to be honest. The games did not feel difficult and I felt the team didn’t really need me there to win. Overall, this made it hard to stay motivated (and I could see this in other players as well).

Additionally, the level of Champions League qualifiers was WAY higher. It was therefore pretty hard to prepare given the competition of the leauge.

Style of Play

One thing I did really appreciate about my team in Romania was the style of play. My team had a lot of pretty savvy and techincal players on the team. They liked to possess the ball, play out of the back, etc.

Frankly, we didn’t need to defend much in games, so I was able to work a lot more on possession and attacking with the ball. The trainings were filled with a lot of passing and small-sided geams. Because of this, I do think I grew a lot in terms of ball-handling confidence and possession.

Pay/ Conditions

Based on my personal experience, the pay/ overall conditions in Romania aren’t great but they aren’t the worse. I make 2x as much in Turkey, and have found salaries are quite a bit higher here.

In terms of conditions, we did end up each having our own “dorm” kind of rooms on the property of the training facility. The rooms were decently-sized with private bathroom and mini fridge. There was a community kitchen and laundry. We also got one meal a day. Basically, the living setup was pretty good and arguably better than my shared room in Germany or Turkey.

However, we did not have access to a gym. If we wanted to use the gym, we needed to find it and pay for it on our own. This is pretty frustrating, as I believe at least a small gym is necessary for professional athletes.

In terms of treatment, we did have some access to a physio place, but only as needed. Basically, if you had a specific injury, they would set you up with a program at a clinic that sponsores the team. My programs never included any exercises provided, only ultrasound and stem. I basically did any strengthening rehab on my own.

Travel

One of my absolute least-favorite things about playing in Romania was the travel. The majority of the games were very far away, like 6-10 hours+. Some were about 4. And only a couple were under 4 hours away.

We took either a van or a “mini-bus” to the games. If you’ve never been on a mini-bus, it’s terrible. It looks like an oversized van, but it has tiny seats that hold about 20 people.

We’d often leave the day before the game, spending the vast majority of that day traveling. The hotel accomodations were also not great. The travels overall were definitely on my “cons” list.

Do I Recommend Playing Soccer in Romania as an American?

During my time in Romania, I would have absolutely said not to go. My answer now is a little more nuanced.

I really don’t think it’s worth considering most of the teams there. If you have an opportunity to play for the champions, there are some things to keep in mind.

Pros:

• Possession-oriented team with talented players
• Win most games/ potential to boost resume with championships
• Some games streamed by the leauge
• Big, accessible city
• Some nice sights to see around the country
• Can help you improve ball handling, passing, possession, etc.
• Likely to earn good playing time

Cons:

• Pay (depending on your options)
• Lack of competition in the league
• Cultural differences may be a factor
• Terrible travels/ traveling conditions
• No gym provided
• Unlikely to progress past 1st round of Champions League qualifiers

Basically, it comes down to your options. If you have other offers, I would carefully compare and consider them. If you don’t have a ton of options, then I would say it may be worth it to play in Romania.

I personally did grow as a player and loved winning 2 titles there. However, I find that the experience in Turkey is better overall, especially pay and competition.