fck news recap - 1. FC Kaiserslautern

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In Teufels Namen
fck news recap
WEEKLY TRAINING ROUNDUP
RED DEVILS READY AND RARING TO GO
Franco Foda and his men are primed
and ready to kick-start the 2012-13
campaign when they host 1 FC Union
Berlin in their season opener on Monday, August 6, 2012.
FCK head coach Franco Foda pushed his
players to their early-season limits in
numerous sweat-inducing pre-season
training sessions. The Red Devils worked
on coordination, fluid movement, and
quick transitions between offense and
defense. They practiced effective crossing, shooting on goal, tactics, precise
passing, and possession play, with the
coaching staff analyzing their players’
every move, criticizing and praising the
players’ actions.
Despite heavy legs, the Red Devils stayed
unbeaten in eleven friendly games and
rounded off their pre-season campaign
with another tough test, hosting FC Bayern Munich at the Betzenberg a few days
before the season kick-off.
1. FC Kaiserslautern has been busy in the
transfer market this summer. While Kevin
Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt), Marco Knaller
(Wolfsberger AC), Thanos Petsos (Bayer
04 Leverkusen), Nikolai Jörgensen (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Sandro Wagner (Werder Bremen), Dorge Kouemaha (FC Brügge), Oliver Kirch (Borussia Dortmund),
Clemens Walch (SV Josko Ried), Olcay Sahan
(Besiktas Istanbul), Richard Sukuta-Pasu
(loaned out to Sturm Graz), Jakub Swierczok (loaned out to Piast Gliwice), and
Christian Tiffert (Seattle Sounders FC)
have bid their goodbyes to the Betzenberg,
the Red Devils have bolstered their ranks
with the likes of Mimoun Azaouagh (VfL
Bochum), Albert Bunjaku (1. FC Nuremberg), David Hohs (Alemannia Aachen),
Enis Alushi (SC Paderborn 07), Andrew
Wooten, Hendrick Zuck, Denis Linsmayer
(all FCK Under-23), Marius Müller, Dominique Heintz (both FCK Under-19), Chadli
Amri (FSV Frankfurt, returned from a loan
spell), Ilian Micanski (FSV Frankfurt, returned from a loan spell), Gil Vermouth
(De Graafschap, returned from a loan
spell), Enis Hajri (Henan Construction),
Kwame Nsor (FC Metz), and Mohamadou
Idrissou (Eintracht Frankfurt). The summer
signings have already settled in brilliantly
and are now raring to go in front of a roaring home crowd at the Betzenberg.
The Red Devils will be without Rodnei
(training deficit), Pierre De Wit (meniscus injury), and Kwame Nsor (rehabilitation training) in their season opener,
but Franco Foda and his men are ready
to kick-start their campaign and pick up
the first win of the season when they
host 1. FC Union Berlin at the Betzenberg on Monday evening.
‘PLAY EVERY GAME TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY!‘
INTERVIEW WITH FRANCO FODA
Franco Foda, you have been working
with the squad for two months now.
What is your impression of the squad
and the club?
The support we receive from our fans is
simply sensational, especially after we
were relegated last season. The fans are
ready for a fresh start and so are we.
The players are raring to go. They are
determined to give their all and exceed
their limits on Monday evening. I am
very satisfied with our pre-season preparations. We worked our way through
the program and every single player
was motivated and committed right to
the end, despite the obvious effort.
Are you aiming to make an immediate
return to the top flight?
We set ourselves ambitious goals and
work hard to achieve them. There is
hardly anything more beautiful than
clinching promotion at the end of the
season. We know it won’t be easy. We
will have to fight tooth and nail. We
need to believe in ourselves and simply
be better than our opponents. If we succeed in doing so, we will win promotion.
The Red Devils host Union Berlin in
their season opener. What are you expecting from the team from the German capital?
Union Berlin has bolstered its ranks
with some strong players. They are a
strong unit. However, there are no easy
opponents in Bundesliga 2. The second
division of German soccer is the best
second division in Europe. We will have
to play every game to the best of our
ability, but we are primed and ready for
the challenge.
sure its dominance. Based on this very
emotional rivalry with BFC Dynamo in
former GDR times, the club is widely
recognized as one of Germany's nonconformist "Kult" clubs.
Hello Adam, how are you? Have you already settled in at 1. FC Union Berlin?
What are your goals for the next
season?
I think so, yes. They are a very strong
unit. The lads have made it very easy
for me to settle in. It's fun to work
with the lads on the pitch. However,
I haven’t seen much of the city yet, as
we have been working very hard on the
training ground.
We want to finish in the top seven.
We know it’s ambitious, but the team
showed it has great potential. It’s important that we work well and give it
our all. If we do so, I am sure we can
achieve our aim.
1. FC Union Berlin has a strong fan base
and a large number of traveling fans.
More than 2,000 Union fans gave their
time to rebuild the club’s stadium when
it became clear the team could not afford
renovations itself. And they even gave
their money, buying 10,000 shares in
the Alte Försterei (Old Forester's House)
stadium to save their club from financial
collapse. Their fans may not appreciate
it, but 1. FC Union Berlin is the German
capital’s second club behind Hertha BSC.
After only six months in Ingolstadt,
you decided to leave FCI to join 1. FC
Union Berlin. What were the reasons
behind your decision?
You will meet your former FCK teammates in the first match of the new
campaign. What are you expecting
from the game at the Fritz Walter Stadium?
Union played very attractive soccer last
term and had a very successful season.
The Irons have great potential. We had
some good conversations and I am happy to be at the club. They have a really
strong team spirit and ambitious goals.
The Union Berlin team simply excites
me. We will have to work very hard to
achieve our goals, but everyone is ready for the challenge.
I’m really looking forward to meeting
my old companions. The atmosphere at
the Fritz Walter Stadium is absolutely
overwhelming and I have always loved
to play in front of the great FCK crowd at
the Betzenberg. I have had a great time
in Kaiserslautern. We have won promotion together. However, now I am a Union Berlin player and I certainly want to
win the game on Monday evening.
The Irons have been on a steady upward
trend since their promotion in 2009.
In terms of transfers, Union has had a
rather quiet summer. In fact, the only
player who left the Alte Försterei stadium is Chinedu Ede (1. FSV Mainz 05).
Moreover, Union Berlin has bolstered
its ranks with goalkeeper Daniel Haas
along with former FCK players Adam Nemec and Fabian Schönheim.
1. FC Kaiserslautern and 1. FC Union Berlin have met twice in the 2009-10 season,
with the Red Devils defeating the Irons
2-0 away from home before holding Union to a 1-1 draw on home soil.
masthead
Publisher:
1. FC Kaiserslautern e.V.
Fritz-Walter-Straße 1
67663 Kaiserslautern
Phone: +49(0)1805 - 3188 00
Fax: +49(0)631 - 3188 290,
E-Mail: [email protected], www.fck.de
Editorial staff:
Christian Gruber (person in charge of content),
Stefan Roßkopf, Trans-Language
Photos & images:
FCK, Nadia Saini, photo agency (Fotoagentur) KUNZ, Getty
Concept & design:
Timo Elflein, Nadine Grosch, Patrick Flörchinger
Marketing:
SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co. KG c/o 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Fritz-Walter-Straße 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern
Phone: +49(0)631 - 3188 5106
Fax: +49(0)631 - 3188 144
E-Mail: [email protected]
In Teufels Namen
1. FC Union Berlin clinched promotion to Bundesliga 2 in 2009 and “the
Irons”, as they are commonly known,
are well-prepared for their fourth consecutive season in the second division
of German soccer after finishing the
2011-12 campaign in a respectable seventh position - the second best result
in the club’s history. Situated in the
East Berlin district of Köpenick, this
club has an interesting and almost romantic history, as it positioned itself
as a fiercely anti-Stasi team, in comparison to its rival, Berliner FC Dynamo, which was openly favored by the
East German secret police – Stasi boss
Erich Mielke used to manipulate the
outcome of the team's games to en-
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