Sports make cautious return to play in Germany
By Noah Zimmerman
The referee’s whistle echoed around an empty Signal Iduna Park as Borussia Dortmund kicked off against rivals Schalke 04. Soccer had finally made its long awaited return to Europe, seeing its first top-league play in 2 months.
For the first time ever, the Revierderby was held in an empty stadium, creating a never-before seen atmosphere for a rivalry match between two of Europe’s most passionately supported clubs. Dortmund attacked with an empty southern stand behind them, typically occupied with 25,000 singing supporters in the famous Yellow Wall.
In the heart of Schalke’s midfield stood American youngster Weston McKennie. McKennie came to the Bundesliga in 2016, making the move from the FC Dallas academy where he turned down a chance to sign as a homegrown player. After just one year in the Schalke academy, McKennie found his way into the first team and settled into a key role.
Dortmund newcomer Giovanni Reyna was another young American to follow a similar path. The winger made the move this winter from NYCFC’s academy, where his father Claudio Reyna was the club’s first Sporting Director. Like his father, who made his senior debut with Bayer Leverkusen, Gio turned to Germany to kick off his career. Reyna made his professional debut in January at age 17, coming on as a substitute against Augsburg to become the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga.
A leg muscle injury in warmups unfortunately sidelined Reyna for the derby against Schalke, where he was set to make his first start. Still, at such a young age and with a contract extension through 2023, there should be plenty to see from Gio in Germany.
Norwegian phenom Erling Haaland was the most fascinating young star on the field. After an excellent season at RB Salzburg, the 19-year-old continued his prolific goalscoring at Dortmund. Haaland found the net 9 goals in his first 8 matches, with another pair against PSG in the Champions League.
In a flash, Haaland brought his Bundesliga goal count to 10. After a quiet start to the match, a fancy flick by Julian Brandt sent Dortmund on a quick counter attack. Thorgan Hazard sent a ball into the box, knocked home by the foot of the Norwegian striker. Haaland wheeled around in celebration and danced 6 feet apart from his teammates, staying in line with the Bundesliga and FIFA guidelines.
The Dortmund attack was relentless, holding their foot on the gas with a high press and strong counter attack. Under pressure, Schalke goalkeeper Markus Schubert surrendered possession with a weak clearance. Quick passes allowed Raphael Guerreiro to sneak behind the Schalke defense and tuck his first goal of the night past the young German keeper.
The barrage continued right after halftime, as Brandt again liked up with Hazard, who this time fired the ball into the net. Guerreiro’s second goal of the night put the game away, with Dortmund walking away 4-0 winners in the derby.
It wasn’t easy to ease the sports world back into action after it screeched to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic. Resuming play is a looming task still faced by all other top sports leagues worldwide, and Germany looks to set a precedent by safely getting back on the pitch.
Germany is largely able to begin play due to swift actions to control COVID-19, such as high testing rates, medical availability, and social distancing initiatives. Despite over 150,000 cases, the nation has seen under 10,000 deaths. With a successful restart to the Bundesliga, there may now be a roadmap for a sports world waiting for a chance to take the field again.
(Published 5/21/2020)
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