|| FEATURE
We play against a variety of German teams on each trip . We want to introduce our team to the whole spectrum of German soccer . We play against lowest level “ town teams ” in small towns and against Bundesliga A-Jugend ( Youth ) teams . We usually play against FC Bayern ’ s U19s and Schalke U19s . We have contacts at each of these clubs and have played them many times . We also get a Bundesliga game or two in and , if lucky , the German Super Cup . The Super Cup pits last year ’ s Bundesliga champion against the cup winner . For two weeks the guys are immersed in a “ soccer culture ”!
But it is more than a soccer trip . It is a cultural trip as well . Years ago , a former OWU player went to a small German town called Baumholder . He played on the town team for two seasons . When he returned to the United States , he became my assistant coach . He suggested that we go to Baumholder on the next trip and stay with German families . Baumholder is ideally situated near Kaiserslautern . From there we go south to München and Nürnberg . Come back to Baumholder and go north to Gelsenkirchen ( Schalke 04 ) and Düsseldorf or Köln . It works out great and the players get to meet real German families . Many of our players stay in touch with “ their family .” When Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup , 19 players came to Baumholder to stay with “ their family ” before going to games !
This trip has become part of our team ’ s culture . Only one class has missed a trip ( COVID-19 ). The trip is a common denominator that holds alumni together !
GERMANY II
In June of 1971 I moved to Munich , Germany ( and later Düsseldorf ) to play basketball . Yes , basketball — I was never any good at soccer . But this move to Munich opened my eyes to soccer . Germany has a soccer-based sports culture . Bayern Munich was , for all intents and purposes , the German National Team-Die Mannschaft . Maier , Beckenbauer , Schwarzenbeck , Kapellmann , Hoeneß , Müller , among others , all played at Bayern and for the World Cup-winning 1974 team .
My basketball playing and coaching job did not start until late afternoon . I lived in northern Munich . The Bayern and 1860 training grounds were in southern Munich . Every morning I would take the tram south to the Bayern or 1860 training ground . I watched training and really got into soccer . After a month or two I noticed another man at every practice . Over time we got to talking to each other and became friends . It turns out he was Helmut Schön who , at that time , was the national team coach of Germany . In one of our discussions , he told me how to put a team together in soccer . He said there are three types of players :
1 . 2 . 3 .
The rules :
The personality player : A player who puts his stamp on the game . You walk out of the stadium and think about the contribution they made .
The creative player : I call these players pink shirts . They have a high level of creativity and are necessary for every team . Maybe they don ’ t defend or run as much as you would like , but they are important to the team .
The fighter : I call these players dirt bags . They do all the dirty work for the team . The shirts are stained in warm-ups . These players are necessary too .
• If you are lucky enough to have two personality players , do not play them side by side . They will both “ take away ” the play from each other .
• Play a fighter next to every creative player . The fighter will do the dirty work for the creative player .
• Spread the creative players around the field . That ensures different opportunities from different spots on the field .
My first team at OWU had two personality players . And a lot of good players to ensure a good season . Being the young coach who knew it all , I started the year in a 4-2-4 . The two personality players were in the midfield . I thought , with their great ability , they would control midfield , and we would be fine . We started out 0-3-3 , the longest non-winning streak we have ever had . Then I remembered what Helmut Schön told me . I put one of the personality players at sweeper and one at the attacking midfield spot . We switched to a 4-3-3 and won 123 games in a row . Your players and the coach should do what they can do . . . only ! n
34 | Soccer Journal