Union Berlin surprised themselves last season when they prospered in the Bundesliga and clinched UEFA Champions League qualification.
The players had a hard time believing their success as they soared past their pre-season target of mere survival to finish fourth and reach Europe’s premier competition for the first time.
“It’s surreal,” Union coach Urs Fischer said after the final game of the season.
Photo: AP
“We can really be happy about finishing fourth, but it’s important we stay true to ourselves,” Fischer said in typical manner. “Yeah, Champions League, it can change things a little bit, but I believe we have to keep this humility and stay modest.”
With Union in the Champions League, few know what to expect from a club that has been exceeding expectations and improving every year since Fischer’s team won a playoff for Union’s first ever Bundesliga promotion in 2018-2019, but excitement is building in the German capital, where Union are the only team playing top-flight soccer following city rivals Hertha BSC’s relegation.
Union’s own stadium, Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, holds only 22,000 fans, so the club opted to play their Champions League games in the 75,000-capacity Olympiastadion traditionally used by Hertha.
Union’s Web site crashed and all 40,000 season tickets for the group stage were sold out in a day, long before anyone knows which opponents the team would face.
The Champions League draw takes place on Aug. 31. Members who did not get a season ticket would be able to get individual match tickets after this date. Demand is again likely to exceed supply.
Union are the only team in Germany’s top division to have played in the DDR-Oberliga, East Germany’s Bundesliga equivalent. Their biggest achievement before promotion was winning the East German Cup in 1968.
The Kopenick-based club have thrived since reaching the Bundesliga. The team finished 11th in the 18-team league in their first season in 2019-2020, then seventh in 2020-2021, fifth in 2021-2022 and fourth last season, when they were leading up until the 13th round of matches. They also reached the round-of-16 of the UEFA Europa League and the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal.
While Union have been trying — and failing — to keep expectations down despite their success on the pitch, managing director Oliver Ruhnert’s transfer dealings reveal an ambition that appears beyond the club’s modest resources.
Ruhnert saw off competition from Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg to sign Germany international Robin Gosens in a club-record transfer from Inter on Tuesday, then followed up on Thursday by signing former Germany forward Kevin Volland.
Among others this summer, Union signed US international Brenden Aaronson on loan from Leeds United, Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana on loan from Chelsea, France midfielder Lucas Toussart from Hertha BSC and Czech Republic midfielder Alex Kral from Schalke 04.
Union in January signed Croatia rightback Josip Juranovic, Guadeloupe rightback Jerome Roussillon and Tunisia midfielder Aissa Laidouni. All three have become key players.
Union were also linked with Spanish star Isco, but that transfer broke down amid disagreement on the last day of the window.
Missing out on the technical brilliance of Isco might have proved to be a stroke of fortune for Union, who profit from a hard-working team effort and less on the increasing quality of individual players.
Defense has always been a key factor, but Union are no longer content to cede possession and hit on counterattacks. Fischer, who has built his team on getting the basics right, constantly pushes his players for improvement, even after a comfortable win. They have become increasingly proactive, forcing the initiative in games.
Meanwhile, it has turned the tightly packed Stadion An der Alten Forsterei into a fortress. Union are unbeaten in a club-record 23 consecutive Bundesliga games at home.
Fischer’s team warmed up for the season with a 4-1 friendly win over Italian club Atalanta BC before a 4-0 victory at fourth-tier Astoria Walldorf in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
They begin their Bundesliga campaign at home to FSV Mainz 05 tomorrow. If Union make another good start, fans will again sing about winning the league — no matter how much Fischer and his players try to keep expectations down.
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