Bundesliga for Beginners

Live soccer is back!

On Saturday, May 16th, the first major European soccer league will return to play since the COVID-19 pandemic suspended all leagues. This will be the first match day in the German Bundesliga since Sunday, March 8th.  Even though there won't be any fans in attendance, these games will still be a pleasure to watch. To honor this, I figured I would post an introduction to this exciting league.

History:

The Bundesliga (BOON-des-ligah) was founded in 1963 after years of regional play. The original Bundesliga had 16 teams from West Germany which has since increased to 18 teams from throughout the country. During the German reunification, the East Germany teams were incorporated to fit the system in West Germany. Some of the founding members include Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen.

Structure:

Each of the 18 teams plays each other twice, with one match at home and one match away. A win warrants three points in the league table whilst a draw and a loss warrants one point and zero points, respectively. Whichever team is in first place at the end of the season is the Bundesliga champion, winning the league title.

The German system is one of promotion and relegation* where the bottom two teams are automatically sent to the lower league: 2. Bundesliga (the top two teams from this league are automatically sent up). The third-to-last team in Bundesliga and the third place team in 2. Bundesliga play each other to determine who will move up or down.

In terms of European competitions, the top four teams automatically qualify for the UEFA Champions League*, whilst the fifth place team automatically qualifies for the UEFA Europa League*. The sixth place teams qualifies for the playoff round of the Europa League.

In addition to the league title, there is the DFB-Pokal (the domestic cup*) and the DFL-Supercup. In the DFB-Pokal, all professional teams from all the different leagues play each other in one big tournament where the bigger teams join later. The DFL-Supercup is a one-off match between the domestic cup winners and the league champions.

Teams:

If there's one team that comes to mind when someone mentions the Bundesliga it's Bayern Munich. Not only are they the biggest team but they are also the most successful, winning 28 league titles and 19 and domestic cups in addition to a number of European competitions. In fact, they are currently in supremacy, having won the past seven league titles.

Borussia Dortmund is often considered the other big German team, but they only have five league titles and four DFB-Pokals. Other big teams include Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Schalke 04 and Red Bull Leipzig (who was only founded a decade ago!).

Style:

The Bundesliga is known for being an attack-heavy league, with goals coming quick and in great quantities. In fact, "since the start of 2018-19, Bundesliga matches have included 3.2 goals." These teams have a lot of firepower, making it an exciting team to watch.

American Connection:

The Bundesliga is known for being a haven for American soccer players, many of which have played in this league at some point in their career. This includes goalkeeper Kasey Keller, midfielders Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley and winger Christian Pulisic (arguably the most notable name in U.S. soccer right now). If you're a fan of the U.S. national team or plan on being one, this makes the league even more interesting to watch.

Here are a couple guys currently in the league who you should keep an eye on:

Tyler Adams: At 21 years old, this midfielder is one of the top prospects for the U.S. and for RB Leipzig. Just a couple years ago, he was dominating for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer (MLS)* but he has since made the jump to a bigger stage. Although he has been injured for a good part of this season, here's one of his best games so far (number 14). The best part? Even after being injured for some time, he walked right back into the starting lineup without hesitation.

Weston McKennie: Another 21-year-old, this midfielder has been a big part of Schalke's lineup. However, it hasn't always been consistent. After finishing 2nd in the 2017-18 season, they drastically regressed the next season by ending in 14th place, under the reign of Domenico Tedesco. This coach used McKennie as a utility player by moving him position-to-position which 1) stunted his growth and 2) contributed to Schalke's poor form. Since David Wagner took over last year, Schalke have improved and McKennie is back where he belongs. He had a great game earlier this season, scoring a goal  (he's number 2) against Hoffenheim.

Giovanni Reyna: Despite being just 17 years old, this young forward has a bright future. Son of U.S. soccer legend Claudio Reyna, he recently transferred to Borussia Dortmund from an American academy. Although he has not played too much for the first-team, he became the youngest American to ever appear in the Bundesliga, beating the record set by Pulisic at the same team. A couple months ago, in their league cup game against Werder Bremen, Reyna scored his first professional goal and it was a beauty. There's a lot to like about him and he's in a great place to improve his skills.

Alphonso Davies: He's not American, but he did come from MLS. Despite playing as a forward for the Vancouver Whitecaps, this Canadian 19-year-old now plays at left-back for Bayern Munich. This youngster has shown tremendous speed and skill (number 19), despite playing a different position. He has done quite well so far in the Bundesliga and like the other players mentioned, he has a tremendous amount of potential. Plus, he just signed a contract extension until 2025!

Notable non-Americans:

- Erling Håland, striker, Borussia Dortmund
- Jadon Sancho, winger, Borussia Dortmund
- Timo Werner, striker, RB Leipzig
- Robert Lewandowski, striker, Bayern Munich
- Kai Havertz, winger, Bayer Leverkusen

And there it is, my (long) introduction to the Bundesliga! I hope this piques your interest because this really is a phenomenal league to follow. There are plenty of goals, it's easy to access (available through FOX and FOX-related channels) and there are plenty of American connections. Cheers to what will be a great weekend of soccer and hopefully other leagues can come back soon.

Auf Wiedersehen!

*future topics