Christian is from Hershey, Pennsylvania. Heś a midfielder in Dortmund, as well as an active player on the US Menś National Team.
The Bundesliga Season is just getting underway, and our German Program has been selected as one school among 60 across the nation to compete in a monthly Bundesliga challenge. I expect that we will be coming to learn more about other strong players in the Bundesliga throughout the school year.
Meanwhile, let us focus on this US Soccer tweet about Pulisic and his goal Aug. 23, 2016 in a Friendly v. Croatia
Moritz Boehringer's
last competitive football came as a member of Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns
of the German Football League. The next time he suits up, it will be as a
member of the Minnesota Vikings.
We saw some history in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft on Saturday when Boehringer became the first international player to go straight from a European league to the NFL.
It was fitting that Boehringer landed with the Vikings. His interest in football began just five years ago, when he stumbled upon highlights of Adrian Peterson running past defenders on YouTube.
"I searched for a team in Germany and found one in my hometown,
but we only had seven players," Boehringer (6-foot-4, 227 pounds) said
during a recent studio appearance on the Move The Sticks Podcast
with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks. "We just practiced a bit, and
after half a year we (found a full team) about 25 miles from my hometown
and played there."
Boehringer, 22, was an immediate star in the German Football
League, the highest level of football in Europe. He arrived in America
on Feb. 29 and put himself on the NFL radar with a head-turning
performance at the Florida Atlantic pro day. That performance, in
addition to his dominant Unicorns game tape, made him a buzzy Day 3
pick.
"That's kind of what the draft is all about -- making dreams come true," Vikings
coach Mike Zimmer said. "He's a really smart kid ... he understands
football and is able to repeat the different routes to us and things
like that. Obviously, he has a lot of work to do, but it's been fun."
After the Vikings
made their selection, Boehringer found himself on the NFL Network draft
set for the second time in an hour. During his first appearance, NFL
Media's Mike Mayock looked into the camera and implored Zimmer and
general manager Rick Spielman to select the big German. The plea might
have been enough to move Boehringer to the top of Minnesota's board. In a
related story, Boehringer owes Mayock a Krombacher.
Mayock asked Boehringer how it felt to suddenly be on the same
team as Peterson, the legendary player whose dominance on his tablet
kickstarted his football dreams.
.......................................................................... Und vom Dr. Kuhn-Osius, hier ist mehr ueber das Deutsche Footballbund -- German Football League = GFL
American Football in Germany
Statistics on the relative size of American Football and soccer in Germany. I summatize some and quote some other sources (usually GermanWikipedia or the associations themselves):
Average spectator attendance during the regular GFL season: 1373 / game Saison Gruppe Nord (more popular) 1831 / game Saison Gruppe Süd 1027 / game Playofffs attendance on average 2519 / game
Thetotal number of clubs is 15, and they are in their 37th season. They had their high point around 2000 when the NFL tried to expand Football worldwide (but their businesses collapsed for lack of spectators). Some German teams had over 30,000 spectators occasionally (partly boosted their numbers by combining with concerts by Nena or Herbert Groenemeyer). The NFL pulled out in 2007. Now it is a German affair. The German Association for American Football is the 10th largest team sport association of Germany.
In Deutschland gibt es 7 Spielstufen (7 levels of play) für Herrenmannschaften (for the mens' teams). ......+ Die höchsten (= highest level) beiden Ligen sind die German Football League (GFL) und die German Football League 2 (GFL2). Darunter folgen die Regionalligen, Oberligen, Verbandsligen, Landesligen und Aufbauligen, die alle durch die jeweiligen Landesverbände organisiert werden. ... Mit 46 Mannschaften spielen in der fünftklassigen Verbands-, beziehungsweise in Hessen und Rheinland-Pfalz in der Landesliga, die meisten Vereine. Currently there are 32.000 football players, and approximately 300 clubs registered with the AFVD and the state organizations. [1]<https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Football_in_Deutschland#cite_note-DOSB_Bestandserhebung-1 Nearly half of all European players are in Germany.
Alternatively, here are some statistics on the Deutscher Fussballbund;' "Soccer" as we know it.
As opposed to the 32K registered Football playlers, in the DFB there are close to 7 million registered soccer players throughout Germany's 21 various state organizations. [Aktuell 6.889.115] There are over 25K registered clubs [Aktuell 25.324]. The number of teams (based on age and skill) is 161.727 different teams..
The current number of registered junior players from ages 15-18 years old is 515.364.
The current number of registered girls up to 16 years old is 336.464..
German Soccer spectator numbers: Borussia Dortmund has almost 81,000 spectators per game The Bundesliga club with the lowest number of spectators (FC Ingolstadt -- newcomer to the Bundesliga) has 14,778. The team's Audi Stadion has under 10K seats, and the balance are in the cheer section (standing only).
Eckhard Kuhn-Osius German Department Hunter College, CUNY
Sebastian Elney and Mauricio Pineda Each Tally Goal as USA and Germany Split Two-Game Set
MARBELLA, Spain (Dec. 19, 2014) – The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team
fell 3-2 to Germany’s U-18s at Marbella Stadium. The USA split its
two-game set,
having previously earned a 2-1 victory against Germany on Dec. 17.
On Friday, the USA's Sebastian Elney and Maurico Pineda each scored a
goal. For Pineda, it was his second goal in back-to-back games.
Germany built a 2-0 lead heading into halftime with goals from Erik
Wekesser and Tim Galleski in the 19th and 35th minutes, respectively.
Elney quickly cut into that lead after the break with a 48th-minute
goal.
However, Galleski recorded his second goal in the 69th minute, which proved to be the game-winner.
Pineda's 90th-minute goal tightened up the match, but Germany held for the victory.
The U-18 MNT finishes off its 2014 campaign with a 5-7-1 international record.
- U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team Match Report -
Match:
U.S. U-18 MNT vs. Germany U-18 MNT Date:
Dec. 19, 2014 Competition:
International Friendly Venue:
Marbella Stadium; Marbella, Spain Kickoff:
2:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. ET) Attendance:
35 (very little interest; stadium empty!) Weather:
65 degrees Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA 0 2 2
GER 2 1 3
GER – Erik Wekesser 19th minute
GER – Tim Galleski 35
USA – Sebastian Elney 48
GER – Tim Galleski 69
USA – Mauricio Pineda 90
(What are the Bayern Müncheners doing differently?)
Bayern München - Excerpt - Soccer America
So from all over the world they come looking for a piece of the American pie -- and an especially enticing point of entry into the U.S. market is youth soccer.
Chelsea’s partnership with the 9,000-player CASL ended in 2012, but it sold lots of replica jerseys to Americans. This year, we’ve had two European clubs venture into the U.S. market that actually do have an impressive record of graduating players from its youth academy to its first team: Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Barcelona has launched an academy in Florida. (La Masia, Barcelona’s famed academy in Spain, doesn’t charge kids. This U.S. version is, surprise, a pay-to-play venture.)
Credit to Bayern Munich for being honest about why it has forged a partnership with Global Premier Soccer. “Our main objective is that we brand build and get in touch with our fan base,” Rudolf Vidal, CEO of Bayern Munich in the USA. Despite its long history as a superclub, Bayern has lagged in U.S. popularity behind English Premier League clubs, which have gotten far more television exposure in the USA than Bundesliga teams, and behind the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Bayern, a Bundesliga record 23-time champion, has been on a particularly good roll recently, reaching 3 of the last 5 Champions League finals. And Germany’s 2014 World Cup title-winning team included 7 Bayern players and 5 players from Bayern’s youth academy.
The quest by Bayern, which opened a New York City office and a U.S online store earlier this year, to build its American fan base is perfectly understandable as its global rivals have been doing the same. Kids, of course, are a prime target. “Part of the brand-building process is definitely the grass-roots approach where we can bring our know-how to the States,” says Vidal. “We want to build the brand, get in touch with the people who are interested in Bayern Munich and go into the youth soccer structure and try to help wherever we can. It’s not like we can reform the whole system. We want to help, add something.” He says he’s very confident this will be “a win-win situation for everybody. That means for the kids, for Bayern Munich, and for GPS.”
“We’ll send the best coaches coming from Germany,” Vidal says. “We’ll bring GPS coaches to Germany. We’ll give them our curriculum and principles to tell them how we work, what is the secret behind that.”
Much of Bayern’s success in youth development is not so secret. It fields one team at each youth age group comprised of the best players it can find from mainly southern Germany, but also from throughout the country and abroad. And each year players are cut and new talent comes in. Bayern coaches have the luxury of coaching the very best players at a particular age group. They coach players whom their scouts assessed as having the potential to become pros. The American coaches (whom Bayern coaches will be advising) coach in a very different environment. Will Bayern guidance help them become better coaches to young Americans? Perhaps. Will Bayern be selling lots more jerseys? For sure.
Here, from Sports Illustrated, under topic: Planet Futbol is certainly the most technical reporting I've ever read on any sports topic. Enjoy!
Mario Götze lines up his World Cup-winning goal in the 113th minute of Germany's 1-0 triumph over Argentina. (So what, if I had to add the umlaut myself to Mario's last name --rsb.)
The
2014 World Cup final offered a perfect contrast of modern football
tactics: the attack-minded possession machine of Germany against a
defensively organized, deadly-on-the-counter Argentina. Germany won, 1-0
in extra time, but not before being frustrated by Argentina, which
missed chances of its own to win.
Wingers Enzo Pérez and Ezequiel Lavezzi switched sides
from where they played in the semifinal against the Netherlands,
allowing the more conservative Pérez to play closer to Javier Mascherano
to counteract Germany’s right side of Thomas Müller and Philipp Lahm.
Argentina’s midfielders dropped close to the defenders,
restricting space between lines for Germany. Benedikt Höwedes and the
rest of the back line slid to cover the gap created by Lahm’s forward
presence, allowing Argentina to break down the right through Lavezzi and
Lionel Messi. That created a couple important chances in the first half,
with Gonzalo Higuaín missing one in front of goal and finishing another
from an offside position. Jérôme Boateng also saved off the line from
Messi in the opening 45 minutes.
With Alejandro Sabella’s team in a compact shape, Germany
played primarily down the flanks. The ball traversed Zone 14 (the
central space on top of the penalty area) only glancingly and in transit
from side to side. Of Germany’s touches, 58 were in the attacking half,
aided by the team's usual high defensive line that includes center
backs willing to feature in the build-up and Golden Glove winner Manuel
Neuer prowling behind.
When Christoph Kramer left the match with a head injury, Mesut Özil
moved into central midfield from the central-winger type of role he
played for the majority of the World Cup. The early sub of Kramer, a
last-minute replacement for the injured Sami Khedira, turned out to be a
blessing for Germany and Özil, who was thrust into his best position as
a playmaker.
He still drifted wide as a result of Argentina’s shape and
Mascherano’s presence in his new starting position, but Özil created
two scoring chances, the most on his team. Both were cutback balls to
Toni Kroos making late runs from deeper in midfield.
Kroos’ delayed runs found space on top of Argentina’s
retreating midfield line. His most frequent pass was a diagonal ball
from left of center to the right flank, trying to spring Müller and Lahm
down the wing. Meanwhile, Bastian Schweinsteiger played as a
distributing holding midfielder.
All three German central midfielders completed nearly 90
percent of their passes, with Özil finding more success after switching
positions (88 percent) than before (76 percent). However, their ball
circulation slowed from the first half to the second, resulting in a
tempo that suited Argentina’s more defensive approach to the match.
With Sergio Agüero’s introduction, Pérez moved to a
central position next to Mascherano, further clogging space for the
German attack. Argentina moved to 4-3-3 with Messi as a false nine, and
it had the most control over the match between minutes 45 and 75, as the
match slowed down and stopped frequently due to fouls and injuries.
Germany created a false-nine attacking situation of its
own when Mario Götze came in for Miroslav Klose in the waning moments
before extra time. Germany tried to re-ignite the pace, but Argentina
succeeded in slowing the match down again — until Götze finally struck
late in the second period of extra time, in a similar period as Andrés
Iniesta did for Spain four years earlier.
It was Götze’s dynamic movement as the untraditional
center forward that created the goal, along with a brave run from fellow
substitute André Schürrle. Schürrle entered the match when Özil moved
to the middle, providing Germany with the same type of wide threat on
the left as it already had on the right with Müller.
That allowed Germany to stretch the field and, as a result, the Argentine back four.
On the goal, Götze began centrally, pulling to the left
flank as Schürrle retreated into midfield to find the ball. When
Schürrle dribbled toward the wing, Götze cut inside into the open space
in Argentina’s defense. Three defenders converged on Schürrle, leaving
space for Götze behind Martín Demichelis.
The gap between center backs Demichelis and Ezequiel Garay
grew larger as Demichelis was caught ball-watching, and Schürrle found
Götze with a chipped ball over the defenders. The ball was right on his
chest, but he still needed a world-class first touch and finish past
goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who seemed unable to decide whether he should
pressure or stay on his line.
The goal symbolized Germany’s success in Brazil, a team effort that
started on the right side in the back and finished in the back of the
net after an eight-pass sequence. The Germans again attacked the match
from the first minute, displaying the same ferocity that was in equal
parts rewarded throughout the tournament — with emphatic wins over
Portugal and Brazil — and nearly exploited for the gaps it left on the
counterattack — with a draw against Ghana and a narrow escape against
Algeria.
Nonetheless, rather than waiting for the opponent to
concede possession and attack against the run of play, Joachim Löw set
his team up to dictate terms and push the game. The early Champions
League exit from a possession-oriented, fluid-attacking Bayern Munich in
the spring showed teams in that mold don’t always win, as the margin
for error is smaller in a high-risk approach.
Germany did what Bayern couldn’t do, receiving just reward
for the nation’s positive approach that began with a developmental
system overhaul after finishing bottom of its group at Euro 2000. After
rebuilding from the bottom 14 years ago, when most of the current
squad’s players were still in the academies, Germany made history as the
first European team to win a World Cup hosted in the Americas.
