Looking at the USA TV schedules just now, and it says ESPN+ will stream *all nine* 2.BL match this weekend and next. Last season, it was typically only 3 matches available per matchday. (But with Hamburg now in the 1.BL, will anyone care? )
Of course, we care about our 2.Bundesliga in Germany. Way more drama at the top than in the top tier and still a lot of big clubs in it like Schalke, FCK, Hertha... Here's the actual crowd average of the 2024/25 season of our 2nd tier. On average nearly 31.000 saw every one of the 9 matches of the matchday (so nearly 280.000 per matchday). Only Premier League and 1.Bundesliga have a higher average in Europe, not bad for a 2nd tier league: https://www.weltfussball.de/zuschauer/2-bundesliga-2024-2025/1/ btw: I can't wait for the start of 3.Liga and 2.Bundesliga tomorrow (1.Bundesliga has to wait 3 weeks). The several 4th tier leagues (Regionalligen) already playing.
Of course. I should stop my poor attempts at light humor here (as it is frequently misinterpreted.) No doubt went into the ESPN+ decision to expand 2.BL coverage
We Germans take only 2 things very seriously: Our Football and Humo(u)r Nah, seriously, I knew that you made a joke (and I also noticed the at the end). So don't worry and go on with light banter, always welcomed. Just wanted to show the new season average crowd record of the 2.Bundesliga. Of course this will go down next season with Köln and HSV promoted and Kiel and Bochum coming down with way smaller stadiums. But the love for 2.Bundesliga football is still there in Germany. That said, tomorrow we have the opening matches of 3.Liga and 2.Bundesliga. And both matches involve clubs that won German Championships back in the days (but only 1860 won a Bundesliga title, the other clubs titles were in the pre-Bundesliga era): 3.Liga: German Championships: RWE: 1955 1860: 1966 Both clubs once household names in 1.Bundesliga, although this is long ago (RWE last played in 1.BL in 1977 and 1860 in 2004). They even know football in 4th tier, too. 1860 is considered this season as one of the big favourites for promotion to 2. Bundesliga. Some prominent new players like Kevin Volland (ex-Bayer, Union Berlin and AS Monaco and also ex-German International) and Florian Niederlechner (ex FC Augsburg, Hertha BSC). If not this season, when...? ************** 2.Bundesliga: German Championships: Schalke04: 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1958 (3-0 win in the final against HSV) Hertha BSC: 1931, 1932 Both are among the favourites for promotion this season. But as chaotic as both are I wouldn't be surprised to see them another season in the 2nd tier ( and I know about a chaotic club in management all too well )
There has been an air of optimism around the Verein lately. Extremely early days to get excited so I'll wait and see and refrain from doing my usual stupid prediction (like Germany beating England in the U21 final). The away trip of the season will be at newly-promoted Schweinfurt on May 1st weekend. Hopefully to celebrate promotion... In other news, glad to announce I'll be ticking off Viktoria Köln's ground on Pokal weekend when they host Paderborn.
So this reminded me to check USA viewing availability for Germany Tier Three. They’ve (ESPN+) expanded this too, up from 3 contests per matchday, to 5. That’s as many 3.Liga matches available to me per week as the 5 American pro football games (NFL) available on standard cable TV channels !! Is there no end in sight to German Fußball mania taking over this country ?!
6 Home wins, no draws, so far. Some very interesting results right at the start of the new 2.Bundesliga season. Seems it's like always, anyone can beat anyone. Friday already Schalke beat promotion favourite Hertha with 2-1 in front of a sold-out 62.000 crowd in the Veltins Arena The 2 relegated clubs, Bochum and Kiel, lost their away matches. Welcome back to 2nd tier football New promoted Arminia Bielefeld just hammered another one of the promotion favourites, Fortuna Düsseldorf, with 5-1. Tbf all went downhill for Fortuna after Tim Oberdorf (brother of Germany's woman international, Lena Oberdorf) was sent off after 2 stupid fouls. Before that Fortuna led 1-0 and only 1 min after it Arminia made it 1-1. And in the 2nd half they couldn't be stopped anymore. btw: I have rarely seen corners shot so effectively like Arminia did in this match. They were a real weapon. Sunday the last 3 matches of the opening matchday. Special interest for me, of course, Eintracht Braunschweig @1.FC Magdeburg. ****************** edit: And here the results of the opening matchday of 3.Liga ( 3 matches to be played on Sunday) 6 draws and only 1 win so far. edit: Sunday 2.BL results: Fürth vs Dresden 3-2 Hannover 96 vs 1.FC Kaiserslautern 1-0 1.FC Magdeburg vs Eintracht Braunschweig 0-1 So, overall, 8 home wins and 1 away win. Perfect debut for new Eintracht coach Heiner Backhaus (he came from Alemannia Aachen), even though Eintracht played with one man less after the clear red card for Ehlers after 54 mins.
Nicht so bescheiden, zippy, hättest ruhig das Ergebnis posten können. Gratulation! Erster Schritt für ein erneutes DFB Pokalspiel?
That's sad. I read it a few months ago that he had a heart attack while in Italy. But I thought he had recovered yet. He was one of a kind, although I always compared him with another Dortmund player, Manni Burgsmüller (already dead too) because they had a similar attitude which we call in German "schlitzohrig" (have no transl. available atm). World Champion in 1990 (although he never played in the tournament). RIP, Frank Mill. edit: Some highlights of him (includes the "legendary" failure against Bayern in 1986)
The love of an o(h)riginal Schlitz beer can contents (might be like the one below; the eponymous brewery went defunct in 1999) is a fine-enough ‘translation’ for me. In any event, changing gears, it’s an early Sunday wake-up for me to view the intriguing 2.BL matchup between the newly relegated (Kiel) and the newly promoted (Bielefeld).
Interesting form of the can. Brewed in Milwaukee? Isn't that the City where some Breweries were founded by German immigrants? Or do I mixing this up? btw: Strange HSV story concerning our striker Königsdörffer (who was a vital part last season). He was already at a medical at French club OGC Nice but failed it (something with his knees apparently). Now he's back in Hamburg. Don't know what to make of this now. He's kind of "burned" now. Damn it, this preseason is totally shit, nothing works out so far. OK, it's only preseason but hopefully we can sort this shit out before the first match.
No, you’re spot on. After New Englanders first settled Wisconsin in the early 19th century, I think they got out-numbered by heavy German and Scandinavian settlement around 1850-1900. I recall reading that German pioneers often ended up where no decent beverages were concocted, so they frequently established many breweries over here. In this case, Joseph Schlitz of Mainz emigrated in 1850, age 19, and became head of Schlitz Brewery in 1856. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is known as the place in USA for brewing beer. A commercial jingle from my childhood went I’m from Milwaukee, and I oughtta know, it’s draft-brewed Blatz beer, wherever you go! (Valentin Blatz, from Bavaria, a rival Milwaukee brewery.) Frederick Pabst, of Saxony Prussia, namesake of another Milwaukee brewery, eventually subsumed Blatz.). And there are more. Side Note: on my mother’s side, my immigrant ancestors were Germans and Swedes, settling in northern Iowa, just west of Wisconsin, around 1880. (They were not terribly religious, they played a lot of cards, but were teetotalers nonetheless!)
Yeah, I remembered reading something about it but I wasn't sure anymore. That's why Milwaukees Major League Baseball team is called "Brewers", isn't it? Tbh I had to look up the word first (no joke). Ironically the German word for it "Abstinent" sounds a bit like "Absinth(e)" which is an alcoholic beverage. First words that every German baby speaks is : Mutter (resp. Mutti/Mami), Vater (Vati/Papi) , Bier (beer) (joke) **************** 2nd matchday of 2.Bundesliga: The 2 teams who beat the 1.Bundesliga relegated teams in their first match back in 2.BL (Darmstadt (4-1 vs Bochum) and Paderborn (2-1 vs Kiel) ) now against 2 teams that lost their first match (Preußen Münster 2-3 @Karlsruhe and Nürnberg (0-1@Elversberg). Will be interesting to see how they perform, especially Nürnberg with Coach Miro Klose (Germany's record goalscorer with 71 goals) who are one of the favourites of promotion this season (but nearly half of the league is )
I'm frankly fed up of hearing about this guy Woltemade, I'd never heard of him until 2 months ago and tbh hope we don't sign him.
1st round DFB Pokal, Friday results: Arminia Bielefeld did it again! Last season they went all the way to the final (where they lost 2-4 against Stuttgart), knocking out 4 straight 1.Bundesliga sides (Freiburg, Union Berlin, Werder Bremen and Bundesliga Champion Bayer Leverkusen) and one 2.Bundesliga side (Hannover) as a 3.Liga side. OK, this season it's not so sensational anymore that they beat Werder Bremen again, first because they're now in the 2.Bundesliga and actually after 2 matches even at the top with 6pts and 2nd because Werder didn't play a competitive match until Friday but remarkable nonetheless. ************ HSV today at Oberliga (5th tier) side FK Pirmasens. Tbh after the disastrous pre-season I'd be happy even when we score a goal. Surprisingly, HSV coach named new player Yussuf Poulsen as new HSV captain (the 32nd HSV captain in the Bundesliga) although he hasn't even played a competitive match for us yet (and is injured actually so can't play today). Reserve Captain is Jonas Meffert and Capaldo,also a new player (from Salzburg) Seems that is normal now at HSV because Sebastian Schonlau who was HSV Captain the last 4 seasons was also named Captain by (then) coach Tim Walter when he came new to the club. source: Polzin legt sich überraschend auf Poulsen als HSV-Kapitän fest
