Hertha Berlin is training in Florida this January in preparation for the second half of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season.
Hertha, currently 15th in the Bundesliga, have four friendly matches planned in Florida in early 2023. On January 8, they will face United Premier Soccer League Club de Lyon Orlando. On the same day, Hertha plays The Villages SC of USL League 2. Three days later, they take on SIMA Montverde Academy, before finishing their tour against Colombian giants Millonarios FC later that night (US time). .
“We have grown together as a group in recent months,” Hertha Berlin head coach Sandro Schwarz said. “However, the additional days together will help us work together even better.”
The Hertha Berlin squad for the trip to Florida is as follows: Oliver Christensen, Tjark Ernst, Leon Cuk, Tim Goller, Peter Pekarik, Augustin Rogel, Filip Uremović, Suat Serdar, Jean-Paul Boëtius, Myziane Maolida, Dodi Lukébakio, Jonjoe Kenny and Maximilian Mittelstadt, Wilfried Kanga, Steven Jovetić, Marc Kempf, Marco Richter, Jessica Ngankam, Lukas Ullrich, Prince Boateng, Lucas Tousart, Marton Dardai, Ivan Shunjić, Deyovaisio Zeefuik, Derry Scherhant, Chidera Ejuke, Julian Eitschberger and Pascal Klemens.
Hertha Berlin returns to action on Saturday, January 21 in the Bundesliga.
Hertha Berlin in Florida aren’t the only Bundesliga teams in America
FIFA’s decision to move the World Cup from 2022 to November and December led to major changes to the club soccer calendar around the world. In Germany, this meant that the winter holidays became significantly longer than they otherwise would have been.
The Bundesliga sent the third-highest number of players to the tournament of any league (behind only the Premier League and La Liga). This still posed a strange dilemma for clubs on how to keep players fit when the vast majority of them would not have a competitive game between mid-November and late January. Generally speaking, the clubs mostly decided to continue training for long periods of time, while giving their remaining players time off when play was halted in November and again over the winter break.
There were also a handful of teams that decided to go on overseas trips shortly after the start of winter break. Some of them went to the United States.
Bayer Leverkusen stayed in St. Louis, Missouri. There they faced St. Louis City, a new local MLS expansion team, which they defeated 3-0 in what was the opening match at the stadium called CITY PARK. For their part, 1.FC Koln and VfB Stuttgart went to Austin, Texas, where they met and the latter won 4-2.
Even the Bundesliga 2 team Hamburger SV settled in California for the start of the winter break. They defeated the Orange County Soccer Club 1-0.
The DFL, which is the administrative organization for the Bundesliga, is trying to popularize the league in North America in particular, given the great potential for additional TV and sponsorship revenue there.
Photo: IMAGO / Kirchner-Media
