There were warm greetings from the staff in the hotel and Ricardo Villar, the organiser of the Florida Cup, as Bayer 04 return for the third year in succession. After the evening meal it was more or less straight off to bed after the ten-hour flight from Germany.
Several players arrived separately from their holidays: Aleksandar Dragovic, Karim Bellarabi, Jonathan Tah plus Chicharito, Wendell and Charles Aránguiz. The four youngsters Kai Havertz, Atakan Akkaynak, Sam Schreck and goalkeeper Tomasz Kucz were all on board the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt. Roberto Hilbert and Robbie Kruse were not on the flight to the training camp. Julian Baumgartlinger is due to arrive later as the Austrian is imminently due to be a father.
Wolf's first contact
The Bayer 04 CEO is unable to join the Florida tour. At the start of the week Michael Schade suffered a broken wrist and arm after slipping on ice. He is due to undergo an operation today. There was a new member of staff present in Jörn Wolf, who started work at Bayer 04 on Tuesday in the role of coach and support team coordinator, and he is sure to make good use of the time in Orlando to learn the ropes in his new job. Werkself players like Hakan Calhanoglu and Jonathan Tah know Wolf from his time as media director at Hamburg SV.
Lehnhoff and Co. lead the way
The first representatives of Bayer 04 arrived at the hotel a day ahead of the others. The vanguard was led by Werkself team liaison manger Peter Lehnhoff and organiser Lennart Coerdt plus Stuart Rickards, Hansi Blum and Martin Kowatzki from the physio and support staff group who set up rooms so that treatment and massage could start as and when required.
Roger Schmidt and his players have two training sessions at ten in the morning and four in the afternoon today. "We are looking forward to it and we know exactly what to expect here. During our stay in Orlando it’s important to promote a feeling of togetherness and have lots of training sessions," said the head coach. The training sessions will be held on the excellent pitches right next to the hotel. The Bayer 04 groundsman Georg Schmitz, who arrived in Orlando on Monday, will work with his American colleagues to ensure the pitches are in perfect condition.
You can keep up-to-date with events in Florida round-the-clock via our hashtag #B04goesUSA. Just log on toTwitter,Facebook,Instagram and Snapchat (@bayer04snaps). Information on the Werkself training camp is available here in German, English and Spanish: >> http://www.bayer04.de/goesUSA <<
Whether it's sport or his private live: Captain Edmond Tapsoba tells us his top three personal favourites in twelve categories in edition #56 of the Werkself Magazine. The defender had to answer as quickly as he reacts on the pitch. 'On the Podium' with Edmond Tapsoba!
Show more
“Year after year, this is an incredibly valuable gathering, both in terms of the content covered and the opportunity for mutual discussion,” stressed Bayer 04 goalkeeping coach David Thiel in his welcoming address at this year’s goalkeeping coaches’ meeting. This was the third time in four seasons that the event had been held at the BayArena. Organised by the German Football Association (DFB), the meeting brought together goalkeeping coaches from the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2 and the 3rd division from the west region. For the first time this year, goalkeeping coaches from the youth performance centres (NLZ) were also present. Bayer 04 fitness coach Markus Müller provided fascinating insights into the specific fitness training carried out with the Werkself’s goalkeepers.
Show more
A floodlit derby, two further night games and a top-of-the-table clash on a Saturday afternoon: The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed the exact dates for four further matchdays in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. This means all fixtures for the Bayer 04 women’s team up to the end of the year, as well as the first two in 2027, are now confirmed.
Show more
It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
Show more
Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and the matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
Show more
