Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Season Opener, DFB-Pokal -1
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***
Union Berlin was currently undergoing several construction projects at once.
Of those, the training facility renovations had progressed the fastest.
The players needed places to train, so they’d prioritized the repairs.
They’d had to use nearby training grounds in the meantime, which had been more than a little inconvenient.
Anyway.
Union Berlin’s training ground had been reborn spotless.
“Wow. Did the club finally splash some cash?”
The players marveled at the revamped Union Berlin training ground. They’d brought in cutting-edge equipment, too.
Park Chan-hyuk, now the manager, had chosen to invest in training facilities over new signings, putting his faith in the current roster.
‘The picks I made from the lower leagues since the start of the season all have solid potential.’
It was just a straightforward investment from Park Chan-hyuk’s view.
But the players training on the ground saw it differently.
‘At this rate…’
‘Are we actually pushing for the top flight?’
The players could feel in their bones that the club they belonged to was growing fast.
***
The Union Berlin training ground in the Köpenick district was thick with tension.
The season opener was right around the corner.
Players were pouring sweat into training, desperate for a starting spot in the first match.
Landing a start in the opener mattered a lot to them.
It signaled they were the manager’s picks for the main squad this season.
Starters weren’t locked in forever, of course.
But getting first crack at it was a clear edge.
The players trained with grim determination to earn their place.
Not everyone was on edge, though. A few stayed relaxed.
Union Berlin’s ace, Yannick Foight, fell into that camp.
“Yannick! Focus!”
Daniel Teixeira spotted it and barked right away.
Yannick Foight followed Daniel’s orders without a peep.
Sure, he was a rookie coach now, but Daniel Teixeira was a veteran everyone at Union Berlin respected.
‘…Was Chan-hyuk feeling this way?’
Daniel Teixeira watched the players train.
Details he’d missed as a player now jumped out.
Who was phoning it in. Who was grinding hard.
‘I figured I’d head back to my hometown after retiring last season…’
Truth was, Daniel Teixeira had planned to hang up his boots after last season and go home.
But here he was, coaching at Union Berlin this term.
No grand reason. The club had just asked him to stay.
‘Hoo… Guess I’ve gotta step it up.’
He was pulling double duty as assistant coach, too.
Union Berlin was hunting for an assistant coach, but no luck.
Nobody wanted to work under a 20-year-old Asian guy.
They had financial stability now, but they couldn’t break the bank on an assistant.
And they sure couldn’t hire some shady character with a bad rep.
If the assistant butted heads with the manager, the squad could fracture right down the middle.
Park Chan-hyuk had the team locked down tight, so it might’ve been overthinking, but Chairman Dirk Zingler always planned for the worst.
Even managers with iron grip on the squad hit rough patches mid-season when gripes bubbled up. Exploit those cracks, and it could be fatal.
As a Union Berlin veteran, Daniel Teixeira was perfect for the job.
And so began Union Berlin’s tradition—sparked by Park Chan-hyuk—of grooming their own assistant coaches.
***
Preseason wrapped up, time flew by, and the season kicked off.
[DFB-Pokal Round of 64: Union Berlin vs Leverkusen]
Union Berlin’s first match of the season was the DFB-Pokal against Leverkusen.
- Scheiße! First Pokal match in forever, and it’s Leverkusen!
- We held our own against Bayern Munich. Leverkusen’s nothing!
Fans had all kinds of takes on drawing Leverkusen.
- Who gives a damn about the score!
But Union Berlin’s vibe was upbeat overall.
The club had forged unbreakable bonds with the fans through wave after wave of crises.
They backed the team win or lose.
Union Berlin had always been more familiar with defeat than victory.
Fans had flocked after that one win over BFC Dynamo.
Most scattered after reunification, as Union toiled in the lower leagues.
But good news about the club was pulling them back one by one.
- Ever built a stadium with the squad?
The players’ preseason visits to the construction site lingered as unforgettable memories. Knowing someone remembered their sweat was reward enough for the fans.
[Union Berlin to Build Statue Honoring Volunteers]
The club didn’t stop there—they planned a statue near the new stadium, engraved with the volunteers’ names.
Anyway.
Pro team vs. pro team.
DFB-Pokal rules gave home rights to the first-drawn side.
Luckily, Union Berlin drew first and got to host.
August 4, 2007.
Union Berlin welcomed Leverkusen to their temporary home ground.
***
Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
As the name suggests, a club backed by German pharma giant Bayer.
Fifteen years later, after tweaks to the 50+1 rule, Bayer would fully own the club.
It was where Korean stars like Son Heung-min, Cha Bum-kun, Hwang Sun-hong, and Cha Du-ri had played—deep ties to Korea. In the original timeline, GL Group had been a main sponsor.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen would go unbeaten champions, but right now, they were “Neverkusen”—a mocking nod to their trophy drought.
‘Honestly, runner-up would be massive for us.’
Leverkusen fans couldn’t help feeling bittersweet.
Anyway.
Unlike Union Berlin, Leverkusen wasn’t desperate for cash.
They had Bayer’s deep pockets.
Bayer Leverkusen started as a club to boost factory workers’ and locals’ quality of life.
‘…Makes me so damn jealous.’
Worlds apart from birth: silver-spoon club vs. workers’ outfit.
But all that financial security? It meant Leverkusen lacked Union Berlin’s tight-knit spirit.
“Kill that plastic club over there!!”
***
Maybe it was stepping out as manager for the first time in ages.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
I’d managed preseason games, but league matches hit different.
Pokal especially—lose, and you’re out.
“Everyone gathered?”
Still, no point showing nerves.
A tense manager set the wrong tone.
‘They all look solid.’
I scanned the room and kicked off a quick pep talk.
“Some folks who couldn’t make it might be huddled around a radio at the construction site.”
The players’ faces hardened as preseason construction memories hit. Resolve settled in.
“Let’s give them the win to hear about. Eisern─!!”
I led the call, locking eyes.
“Union!!!!”
The Union Berlin squad roared back.
Moments later.
Union Berlin vs. Leverkusen got underway.
***
The DFB-Pokal mattered, but it wasn’t priority one for a second-division side.
Promotion was the real target.
Still, ditching the Pokal early in the season felt off.
A thrashing here could crush the morale boost from holding Bayern in preseason.
That’s why I fielded the full starting XI.
And judging by the flow now, it looked like the right call.
“Thomas!”
Thomas Mayer—who’d shone against Bayern Munich—ripped through Leverkusen’s midfield right from kickoff.
He wasn’t alone.
The whole squad’s feet were light.
That scrap with the Bundesliga’s best had injected real confidence.
‘Dude’s a legit vacuum cleaner.’
Thomas Mayer’s shift was especially eye-catching, though.
His dominance let Union Berlin own the midfield battle.
Thomas swipes the ball and feeds Marcus right away. Marcus lofts a long one forward.
Thwung—!
The ball drops dead at Yannick Foight’s feet.
“Damn it! Cover!”
A Leverkusen defender shrieks.
He’s filling someone else’s gap, banking on backup.
But before cover arrives, Lewandowski knives into the space.
- Levi, watch Yannick’s run.
Lewandowski, lining up as attacking midfielder, hadn’t quite grasped Park Chan-hyuk’s first cue.
- Then hit that space.
The second part stuck crystal clear.
Yannick’s cutback finds Lewandowski.
Pwaaang—!
Lewandowski’s strike grazes the keeper’s fingertips and buries in the net.