#B04goesUSA – Up, up and away on Tuesday

The Bayer 04 squad went their different ways after the final game of 2016 away to FC Köln to enjoy a period of rest and relaxation over Christmas and New Year ahead of the challenges in 2017. Bernd Leno and Vladlen Yurchenko holidayed in Dubai, Joel Pohjanpalo headed off to Sydney, Jonathan Tah, Karim Bellarabi and Admir Mehmedi flew to the USA. Tuesday marks the return to work for the Werkself squad starting with a communal breakfast at the BayArena along with Roger Schmidt and his coaching staff before embarking on the long journey over the Atlantic. Bayer 04 fly out from Frankfurt Airport in the late afternoon on course for Florida where Leverkusen will hold their third successive winter training camp in Orlando.

Optimum conditions

In addition to intensive efforts to promote the Bayer 04 brand in the USA, the visit to the Sunshine State is also about establishing a solid basis for a successful second half of the season. Over the past two years, the Werkself have discovered the facilities are outstanding at the team hotel Omni Resort at ChampionsGate. "The training pitches are perfect, close to the hotel and we don't have to worry about the weather," said sporting director Rudi Völler.

Roger Schmidt has organised two training sessions for Wednesday at 10.00 and 16.00 local time. A packed agenda is on the cards for the rest of the time at the training camp. The Florida Cup sees Bayer 04 take on a Estudiantes de la Plata from Argentina on Sunday 8 January and Atlético Mineiro from Brazil on Wednesday 11 January. "These two games are more than just friendlies. We have played absolutely top quality teams in the past two years. And it will be the same again this time round. They almost feel like competitive matches," said Rudi Völler.

NBA game on the agenda

There will also be a chance for the Bayer 04 players to take a break from football during their time in Florida. The NBA match between Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets is on the agenda for Friday – that will be a genuine highlight for Werkself pros like Stefan Kießling.

You can keep up-to-date with events in Florida from Tuesday 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 <<