USA coach Chris Merritt

International Bowl, international buddies.

The 2012 International Bowl on Feb. 1 in Austin, Texas, will be the most globally diverse game in football history.

Broadcast to a national television audience through CBS Sports Network, this year’s game gathers coaches and players from 20 countries and reunites five friends from three continents.

U.S. National Team offensive coordinator Chris Merritt (Miami Christopher Columbus H.S.) and offensive line coach Kirk Heidelberg (Rockford, Ill., Christian H.S.) worked together and against each other in Germany’s top professional football league during the 1990s and early 2000s.

While both were on the staff of the Hamburg Blue Devils – Merritt was the head coach and Heidelberg the offensive coordinator – Max Von Garnier starred as a Blue Devil receiver.

Today, Von Garnier is Hamburg’s head coach and this week is in Austin working as the running backs coach for the 2012 IFAF World Team.

Team USA takes on the IFAF World team at 5 p.m. CT Wednesday at Kelly Reeves Memorial Stadium.

“Max was an outstanding player, a great possession receiver. He had tremendous hands,” Heidelberg said. “A team player, he’s always had a high football IQ. He was the quiet leader – he was the guy who rallied the troops.”

Von Garnier appreciates the direction he received from Heidelberg and Merritt.

“Both Coach Merritt and Coach Heidelberg had a huge impact in German football,” Von Garnier said. “The things they brought over: the plays, the philosophies, the mentality – it’s still all around Germany, even many years later. They are both very good friends of mine, and I am very happy to see them.

“Coach Merritt always had an answer. Now I have to try to beat the Jedi Master. But the problem here is I have two Jedi Masters.”

The football family ties don’t stop here.

World Team strength and conditioning coach Niclas Carlson played nose tackle on the Gävle Red Devils, a Swedish pro team whose head coach was Merritt.

During Heidelberg’s head coaching tour with of the Cologne (Germany) Crocodiles from 1998-2002, among his assistants was World Team defensive line coach John Leijten of Holland. Leijten is now a coach in the Australian National Team program.

“It’s fun to see the guys who were at the beginning of when football began to explode outside of the United States and see them involved in the sport,” Merritt said. “They are no less passionate about football than Americans are.”

Photo: U.S. National Team offensive coordinator Chris Merritt gives direction to quarterback Javelle Allen (Arizona) during a U.S. practice before the 2012 International Bowl.