Steve Cherundolo is absolutely thrilled to be competing at the pointy end of the German Bundesliga as well as in the Europa League with Hannover 96.
The 33-year old USA international has been with the Reds since 1999 and after a couple of seasons of struggling to gain promotion back to the top flight and then staving off relegation, he is now relishing playing in a European competition.
"It's great to be able to play these types of games toward the end of my career," the Hannover skipper told MLSsoccer.com.
"It's much more fun to play in the upper half of the table, and certainly to play in Europa Leagues. It's a great change of pace compared to a relegation battle every year."
Despite all of this, right-back Cherundolo is still eyeing a return to his homeland in order to play MLS before he retires but only after he achieves his 2014 World Cup target.
"This business is funny and works in mysterious ways," Cherundolo added.
"You never know what will happen, but it definitely is a goal of mine to play in MLS. I think the right time to go home would be in 2014, after the World Cup."