MSUB SPORTS – Closing a Skype interview and bidding adieu to Montana State University Billings men's soccer coaches Alex Balog and Thomas Chameraud, Guillaume Kremer anxiously wandered away from the computer in his home of Metz, France.
 
It was March, 2016, and Kremer knew time was running out to make a decision on the fast approaching fall soccer season. He had never been to the United States before, and though the prospect of competing internationally piqued his interest he battled an inner voice of doubt that had him hesitant to leave his home.
 
The interview had gone better than expected, and the Yellowjacket coaches left the impression with Kremer that they already knew who he was as a person and a player. He had the support of his girlfriend, Noemie, who had urged him earlier to attend the very tryout in Paris that yielded the highlight video that came through Balog's e-mail inbox.
 
Still, the pressure of making an immediate decision coursed through his body. He left his room and computer, and walked pensively through the hallway.
 
"Si c'etait moi, j'aurais dit oui tout de suite," came the voice of his mother, Michelle.
 
"If it would have been me, I would have said yes right away," Kremer recalls the words as if they still resonate clearly in his ears. "I got back to them within a day saying yes. My mom convinced me."
 
Michelle recognized the opportunity presented to her son as one that rarely arose, and her words of encouragement wound up supplying the Yellowjackets with one of the best individuals the program has ever had.
 
Kremer will play his final career match on Saturday, when MSUB hosts No. 1 Simon Fraser University at 3 p.m. at Yellowjacket Field. In just three seasons he has ascended into the top-10 in MSUB history in goals (14), assists (16), and total points (44).
 
Beyond the statistics, he has been a three-year captain, an all-region selection both on the field and academically, and has never missed a game since making his debut in 2016.
 
Before the 54th consecutive start of his career on Saturday, he'll be flanked by his father Alain and girlfriend Noemie as he takes the field.
 
The late Michelle, who passed away in 2017 after a battle with cancer, will be on his mind and in his heart as he shares the game he loves with his teammates a final time.
 
ONCE A CAPTAIN, ALWAYS A CAPTAIN
 
The old couch in Kremer's house never stood a chance during a raucous 1998 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Brazil. "I don't remember it, but they broke the couch because they were jumping around in the room," Kremer said. "I remember hearing them screaming."
 
He was just two years old when his home nation blanked Brazil 3-0 to claim the world title, and though he has no vivid memory of the World Cup it solidifies the notion that soccer has been in his blood his entire life.
 
By the age of five he was grabbing the attention of coaches with FC Metz, his local academy where he wound up playing his entire career leading up to college. He cites the jump to playing on a full-size field for the first time during his U15 season as one of the pivotal moments in his playing career, as he also established himself as a holding midfielder under coach Bertrand Antoine. "That was a switching point for me, and it's when I grew up as a player and also as a man," Kremer said. "I have always been one of the leaders on my teams, and since I was five I have had the arm band on almost every game. That is thanks to the academy, which taught me that leadership."
 
Kremer advanced to the second-division side with FC Metz, and much of his development also involved watching players at the highest level from the club's top team. Though it was a requirement for all players in the club to attend first-division games at Stade Saint Symphorien, it was something Kremer always looked forward to the most. "Watching those guys play, I realized that the little details matter the most," Kremer said. "Sometimes on TV you get the impression that players are trying to do fancy stuff, but once you see them live the way they play is so fast and it looks so easy."
 
In 2005 came one of Kremer's fondest soccer memories, when he watched Liverpool overcome a 3-0 halftime deficit and defeat AC Milan in penalty kicks to claim the UEFA Champions League title. Just after halftime, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard headed home his team's first goal, and charged back down the pitch raising his arms and urging his teammates to start one of the most spirited comebacks in the history of the club. "I just loved the player he was, playing box-to-box and his ability to do everything," Kremer commented on one of his heroes. "I try to play his style of game, and his biggest strengths were his passing and shooting abilities."
 
Balog and his staff soon discovered that Kremer possessed the rare ability to replicate what he witnessed from professional players on the pitch when he played. Though he was recruited initially to fill a void on the team at the center back position, it became clear immediately that the 'Jackets needed to have him on the ball as much as possible. "He was so dominant on the ball that there was no chance we were going to play him at center back," Balog said. "He has become not just the best holding mid to ever play at MSUB, but one of the best I have ever seen in the GNAC."
 
While Balog awarded Kremer captaincy before the first game of the 2016 season, they endured a frustrating stretch early in the year when it took longer than expected for him to be cleared by the NCAA to compete. He missed all three of MSUB's exhibition matches, and by the team's season-opening trip to California he was still not cleared to play.
 
Balog was in the heat of an intense racquetball match against then-assistant coach Guido Riffeser shortly after the California matches, when Kremer pounded on the glass and burst through the door with an important interruption. He had been fully cleared to compete, prompting the coaches to launch their racquets into the air and burst into a celebratory hug.
 
"He had all this energy and frustration from not being able to play immediately, and the level he was training at made it impossible not to make him a captain," Balog said. "I remember vividly being on the racquetball court, and it was such an awesome moment."
 
PLAYING FOR MICHELLE
"If I wouldn't have come, she would have felt the responsibility for that. She knew I wanted to come and play soccer, and it has been amazing for me to come and study in the U.S. For her, there was no way I was not going to go." – Guillaume Kremer on his mother insisting that he attend MSUB in spite of her cancer diagnosis shortly after he committed.
 
It was not easy being away from his family in 2016, and at times Kremer second guessed whether he was doing the right thing as his mother fought for her life. "My first year it was very tough, because I was thinking about her every day," Kremer said. "It was hard not seeing her, because even if she told me she was fine I didn't know how she was. It was hard not being with her, but I knew that was what she wanted. It is still tough now."
 
Kremer returned to France to spend the final weeks of his mother's life by her side. Even in the face of tragedy she reaffirmed how proud she was of him pursuing his education and career abroad.
 
To this day Kremer wears No. 8 in honor of Gerrard, and with the signature moments of his career he has lived up to the moniker valiantly. Though he contributed a goal and six assists in his debut season, the impact he had on the defensive side and as a leader were most important to the team.
 
That changed in his second year, when a shift to a more attacking role elevated him into an all-region performer. Kremer scored nine goals and added five assists in 2017, while starting all 19 matches and playing upwards of 1,700 minutes. He had taken on the role of the team's set-piece specialist in his first season, but last fall he established himself as arguably the most lethal threat in the conference on dead balls in shooting range.
 

Rank	Player	Goals	Seasons
1	Sam Charles	69	2006-09
2	Dave Austin	27	1997-01
	Ricardo Palomino	27	2015-18
4	Thomas Pertuit	23	2001-04
5	Chris Andre	20	2007-10
6	Mark Cipolla	19	2001-02
	Garion Holian	19	2008-11
8	Jarred Weisen	17	2006-09
9	Thomas Sheets	16	2010-12
10	Chris Newton	14	1998-01
	Guillaume Kremer	14	2016-18

In one of the most remarkable displays of finesse, Kremer scored a set-piece goal in five consecutive games from Oct. 14-28, 2017. The fourth came in the 38th minute of a home game against No. 9 Simon Fraser, as he curled a low shot around a wall of four players and inside the near post from just outside the box. It was the equalizer in an eventual 2-1 win for MSUB, the program's first-ever victory over the perennial powerhouse.
 
"One other thing Gerrard was good on was set pieces," Kremer said. "I just focus every time, take the same steps and distance on the ball, and try to hit it hard. I focus on hitting the target. Set pieces are really gratifying, because it is a mind game between you and the goalkeeper."


 
Two days later came another flash of brilliance, when Kremer whipped a perfect shot from the right side of the box over a wall of Western Washington players and past a leaping goalkeeper into the upper-left corner of the far post. "The referee blew his whistle quickly, and I noticed that the goalkeeper was still moving his wall," Kremer recalled on what stands out as one of his favorite career goals. "I had already taken my steps, so I just took it quick to the far post. It is a good feeling when you win that game against the goalkeeper."


 
Teams are well aware of his prowess around the box, but that hasn't stopped Kremer from scoring four more goals and adding five assists so far in the 2018 season. In MSUB's home match against Seattle Pacific on Sept. 27, Kremer had another signature strike with a perfectly bent shot into the upper-right corner of the net from 21 yards away.


 

Rank	Player	Points	Seasons
1	Sam Charles	156	2006-09
2	Chris Andre	64	2007-10
3	Dave Austin	61	1997-01
4	Thomas Pertuit	60	2001-04
	Ricardo Palomino	60	2015-18
6	Jarred Weisen	45	2006-09
7	Garion Holian	44	2008-11
	Guillaume Kremer	44	2016-18
9	Mark Cipolla	41	2001-02
	Thomas Sheets	41	2010-12

 
"Having a set piece around the box is almost like having a penalty kick for us," Balog said, adding that his service on balls into the box and from long distances is equally impressive as his ability to score. "There is no one in our conference who is better than Guillaume in this area. He is probably one of the best set piece takers in the country."
 
Entering Saturday's game, Kremer is No. 5 in MSUB history with 16 assists, No. 7 in points with 44, and is No. 10 in goals scored with 14.
 

Rank	Player	Assists	Seasons
1	Chris Andre	24	2007-10
2	Sam Charles	18	2006-09
	Thomas Chameraud	18	2011-12
4	Scott Dixon	17	2007-08
5	Julian Toenges	16	2014-16
	Guillaume Kremer	16	2016-18
7	Thomas Pertuit	14	2001-04
8	Kyle Emerick	12	2011-14
9	Jarred Weisen	11	2006-09
	Jeremy DeHerrera	11	2007-09

 
A MAN OF CHARACTER
"If I had to describe him in one way, it would be that he is a true gentleman of character." – Alex Balog on Guillaume Kremer.
 
It feels like more than two years since Kremer's video interview with Balog and Chameraud, and he credits their guidance as being a major part of his positive experience in the United States. "We are lucky to have both of them as coaches," said Kremer. "Thomas was very helpful when I first got here, and he was someone I could talk to in French which was really important to have."
 
The fellow countrymen rejoiced when France once again rose to the top tier on the planet in 2018, winning a World Cup title that Kremer will remember for the rest of his life. "The feeling was amazing, and I don't have words to describe it," he said. "Time just stops and it brings everybody close. Soccer brings communities together and strengthens relationships, and it's unbelievable to see what the game can do."
 
Kremer will complete his business degree from MSUB this spring, where he carries a 3.54 grade point average. Far removed from his early days in Montana – when he would respond to the simple greeting 'What's up?' with 'Good, how are you?' – Kremer's now-fluent English has him well-equipped for a successful career internationally with a major sports brand.
 
"I am very lucky because I feel the support of my family, which is something that can motivate you," Kremer said. "My dad wakes up at 2 a.m. or whenever the games are on to watch the live stream. I am so thankful for that."
 
Whether they are in attendance or watching from abroad, the last thing Kremer thinks about before performing on the field are those closest to him.
 
Especially during the national anthem.
 
"That is an important time for me, and I think about all my family members then. I think about my mom and that gives me a big boost every time. I know she is still watching me, and that is extra motivation for sure."