Oct 03, 2016 by Alex Baker
Fans of U.S. soccer have been through all of this before so there’s understandably a bit of caution tempering the excitement around Christian Pulisic. After all, Pulisic, an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, is the latest in a long line of American teenagers who’ve been anointed as “the next, great hope” of U.S. soccer.
But there are some fundamental differences between the Hershey, Pennsylvania native who turned 18 last month and the likes of Freddy Adu, Juan Agudelo, Julian Green and others who’ve found themselves the focal point of American soccer hype.
For starters, Pulisic developed under the radar for the most part. Unlike Adu, who was dubbed the “next Pele” before he’d even signed a professional contract, Pulisic was a relative unknown to U.S. soccer watchers until... Read More
Sep 19, 2016 by Alex Baker
Unlike in England, midweek matches are not that common in the Bundesliga. Hence, with round four’s action sandwiched in for Tuesday and Wednesday, they’re having what’s known as an “English week” in the German top-flight this week.
It’s a full round of action with some tantalizing matches, including a clash between the two teams currently tied at the top of the table.
Here’s what to watch while you’re on lunch this week, or sneaking a stream on your tablet under the desk.
Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund
Having followed-up their 6-0 Champions League thrashing of Legia Warsaw in midweek with similar hammering of Darmstadt in the league Saturday, Borussia Dortmund is perhaps the in-form team in Europe currently. Next up for Thomas Tuchel’s men is a trip to Volkswagen Arena... Read More
Sep 08, 2016 by Alex Baker
Bayern Munich faces what looks on paper like it could be the first real challenge of the new Bundesliga season when they journey to the Veltins Arena to face Schalke 04 on Friday.
New Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti got his Bundesliga career off to a strong start with his team dealing Werder Bremen a 6-0 thrashing. Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick as Philipp Lahm, Frank Ribery and even Xabi Alonso chipped in with goals in a performance that made a strong statement to any would-be challengers to Bayern’s hegemony in the German league.
Despite arguably being one of the stronger teams in the Bundesliga, Schalke haven’t won a game against Bayern since December of 2010. Schalke’s new manager Markus Weinzieri is under no illusions regarding the difficulty in store for... Read More
Aug 24, 2016 by Alex Baker
The Bundesliga returns this weekend with the champions Bayern Munich in action this Friday against Werder Bremen. The match will be the debut of new Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti and will once again pit Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro against his former club.
The Italian manager has already got off to a flying start with FC Bayern, beating Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup and routing lower division side FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the opening round of the DFB Pokal Cup. Bayern are heavy favorites to win on Friday, as they are to win the league in general.
But although Bremen are a far cry from the force they were when they won the league back in 2004, Die Werderaner have proved themselves to be a stumbling block... Read More
Aug 10, 2016 by Alex Baker
While there have been some significant outs in Borussia Dortmund’s transfer business, manager Thomas Tuchel seems to be doing an admirable job of balancing the team’s losses with some smart acquisitions.
So while the loss of last season’s Bundesliga-leading assist-maker Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United is a blow, it’s one that’s been softened by the return of Mario Gotze from Bayern Munich and the acquisition of Andre Schurrle from Wolfsburg.
But ultimately Dortmund’s success or failure in this summer’s transfer market could hinge upon the Bundesliga runner-up’s ability to keep hold of striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese goal-getter was linked with moves to Real Madrid and Manchester City earlier this summer.
However, Aubameyang, who scored 25 goals in the Bundesliga last season, has made a very public... Read More
Jul 17, 2015 by Alex Baker
In an interesting development to the ongoing saga of Arturo Vidal’s impending move to Bayern Munich from Juventus, multiple reports have surfaced, indicating that the Bundesliga outfit may be prepared to offer Mario Gotze as a makeweight in the deal.
Earlier this week, it seemed Vidal’s transfer to Bayern was imminent. However club executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has insisted no deal has yet been completed for the Chilean. But Corriere dello Sport has now reported that one aspect of the deal could see Gotze headed in the opposite direction.
Since moving to Bayern from Borussia Dortmund, the World Cup-winning goalscorer has found it tougher than expected to nail down a regular spot in Pep Guardiola’s team. While it may not seem the most obvious move at first glance, leaving... Read More
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