Jürgen Klinsmann finally found another coaching job, for now.
Three years and six days after Klinsmann was fired by U.S. Soccer amidst a disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign (one that would only get more disastrous), the German was hired by Hertha Berlin to coach the Bundesliga side.
After getting hammered 4-0 by Bayern Munich before the international break, Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre was essentially coaching for his job during today’s Bundesliga match against Paderborn.
What’s more, Paderborn travelled to the intimidating Westfalenstadion in last place with only one win from 11 matches. Dortmund entered the match in fifth but the gap between BVB and surprise leader Mönchengladbach stood at only six points.
One look at the Bundesliga table — with Borussia Mönchengladbach currently on top — tells you that it’s been a wild season so far in Germany. But that adjective doesn’t come close to describing the scenes that unfolded at the end of today’s match between SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.
Robert Lewandowski, for all his goal scoring, might be one of the most underrated players in the world right now. And while his clinical finishing is well documented, his all-around footballing is often overlooked.
Lewandowski scored two more goals to lead Bayern Munich to a 4-0 rout of rival Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Der Klassiker at Allianz Arena, extending his run of scoring in every Bundesliga and Champions League match this season.
But we can’t get over the lovely bit of skill he pulled off to set up an opportunity, even if it didn’t result in a goal.
Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin faced off for the first time ever in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The momentous occasion will live long in the memory of Berliners, but it could have been memorable for the wrong reasons had it not been for a save made by Union keeper Rafal Gikiewicz — one made after the final whistle.
I honestly wasn’t aware until today, but the Swedish Allsvenskan is making a pretty convincing argument concerning the best league in Europe. First, it came to my attention that with only one match day remaining in the 2019 season, three clubs — Djurgården, Malmö and Hammarby — still have legitimate aspirations of winning the title.
The second division of Germany, the 2. Bundesliga, seems to be one of those leagues that no one really cares about outside of Germany. But after a few weekend incidents, maybe we should be watching it more.
The first incident was a substitute giving up a penalty. You read that right: A substitute for Holstein Kiel gave up a penalty.
If it’s a Benjamin Pavard goal, you know it’s going to be a brilliant volley. The two are becoming synonymous.
The French defender who scored the best goal of the 2018 World Cup was back at it on Saturday, making perfect contact with a half-volley to fire Bayern Munich in front on the way to a 2-1 win over Union Berlin.
Josh Sargent, like many of his USMNT teammates, will not have been pleased with how the international break went. Though the 19-year-old striker was on the scoresheet in a rout of Cuba, he struggled just like the rest of the team in the shock defeat to Canada.