The Westfalenstadion, commonly known as the Signal Iduna Park, will host Dortmund vs. Schalke 04 on Saturday.
Photo/Map: Arne Müseler / arne-mueseler.com / CC-BY-SA-3.0
We all need are fix of competitive football and it will come in the form of the Bundesliga in Germany.
Things kick off in big fashion with the “Revierderby” between Dortmund and Schalke (8:30 a.m. CT on FS1) which, for me, is the best match of the weekend.
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Who are you backing? #BVBS04 #Revierderby pic.twitter.com/rpXnMXdSbL
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 15, 2020
Here are a few things that I, like many, will be looking at:
1.) BAITED BREATH/ NATURAL SOUND
The big win of the day will be if the matches come off without a hitch in stadiums that are empty which are normally rocked to the core with some of the greatest sports supporters and fans in the world.
Remember, the Bundesliga, to the surprise of many that don’t follow the league, has the second highest attendance average wise in the world for games at 45,000. They are only second to the NFL.
So although the matches will be missing that VITAL element, the opportunity for us to sit at home and hear “natural sound” of players talking, the sound of the ball being struck, managers shouting and goal celebration will make this unique.
The real test will come in time and that will come through player testing to make sure no one tests positive for the virus.
The amount of protocol that has to be followed is more than most of us can imagine.
Fox will take feeds from Germany so from a TV perspective it is interesting. German TV will air all Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga matches free.
This will boost morale.
Everything to know about the hygiene protocol being implemented by the #Bundesliga ahead of this weekend. pic.twitter.com/kl7MBTCT6I
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 15, 2020
2.) EYES ON GERMAN BUNDESLIGA!
Unique viewers will be tuning in to watch this and it will include the top decision makers of leagues from around the world including the MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB, and on. The Bundesliga is the “Canary in the coal mine” and everyone stands to learn from this and it’s protocols.
Lets also remember that some players are hesitant to return to play mirroring all of us in our daily routines. Some like Neven Subotić,a former US U20 national team member, is one of them. Others will not speak out and will follow the protocol.
Form, sharpness, concern over injury all play a part in this and we will see how managers will use the available 5 substitutes.
With the action set to get underway again this weekend, here's a quick primer on where we left off ⚽️??
THREAD ? #BundesligaMD26 pic.twitter.com/Jk2NLDC7RL
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 15, 2020
3.) HOW WILL STARS PERFORM? HOW WILL AMERICANS PERFORM?
The Bundesliga is full of stars and some have had the time to heal injury.
Eyes will be on Jadon Sancho (14g 15 a) of Dortmund who made the wise decision to ply his trade early in his career in Germany. At 20 he is a legitimate start in a youthful league.
Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich is the leagues top scorer and will be in action Sunday against Union Berlin whose dramatic rise to the Bundesliga is well documented.
Bayern and Dortmund are the leagues highest scoring teams.
Weston McKennie will get his shot with Schalke against Dortmund and Americans have a rooting interest in him and others.
Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Gio Reyna (Dortmund), are all Americans I am pulling for!
To realize the degree of difficulty to get where these players have gotten is to understand their talent and work as young men.
Tomorrow whether we like it or not will be history in the crisis of COVID-19 and one has to expect the unexpected.
