The Werkself started day two with a session on the St. Louis CITY Soccer Club training ground in bright sunshine under clear blue skies. A jocular warm-up routine was followed by passing and shooting drills for the 17 players on tour under the direction of head coach Xabi Alonso – and in front of club officials of St. Louis CITY SC including German sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.
While Jonathan Tah and Co. trained on the pitch, the St. Louis CITY SC players were in a neighbouring weights room. The players of the future MLS side had a perfect view of Wednesday's opponents through a large window and some of them then came onto the pitch to take part in a challenge.
Five players from each team took part in a penalty shootout. The following St. Louis players were involved: Josh Dolling from England, the Brazilian Célio Pompeu, Isak Jensen from Denmark, goalkeeper Michael Creek (USA) plus former FC Köln player Tomas Ostrák from Czechia. The Bayer 04 keeprs Andrey Lunev and Niklas Lomb took turns in goal and the other four players involved were Zidan Sertdemir, Adam Hlozek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.
Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes fielded questions from American camera crews at the Werkself training session. "We are really excited about Wednesday's match at the new CITYPARK Stadium," declared the 40-year-old. On the collaboration with Bayer AG, who employ over 6,000 people in St. Louis county, and St. Louis CITY SC Rolfes said: "A great affinity has developed that we want to continue to strengthen and extend in the future."
After lunch at the team hotel, the Werkself had the next item on the agenda: a visit to the Bayer AG research centre in Chesterfield some 30 minutes from the team hotel. A guided tour through the facilities and research laboratories was followed by a presentation of the players, the head coach Xabi Alonso and the two managing directors Fernando Carro and Simon Rolfes.
Over 1,000 members of staff at the Bayer site in St Louis County welcomed the Bayer 04 player and officials to the stage with loud applause and they were wearing red Bayer 04 shirts. The entertaining event was rounded off with an autograph session plus a chance to take selfies. Further details are HERE.
Five players, the Werkself coaching staff and several staff members went on from the Bayer site to the youth football club Lou Fusz Athletic. Children and teenagers were able to work on their football skills in outstanding conditions in the club's huge indoor training centre.
Most of the 100 girls and boys aged from 8 to 18 pulled on Bayer 04 shirts – and took part in a training session led by professionals. Xabi Alonso's two assistant coaches Sebastian Parrilla and Alberto Encinas coached the youngsters. They were joined by honorary captain Stefan Kießling, goalkeeping coach David Thiel and team liaison manager Hans-Peter Lehnhoff who looked after several small groups in a range of drills. A practice match followed at the end of the session.
The Bayer 04 tour party had an unusual location for their evening meal: the St. Louis zoo. Amongst over 14,000 animals from 500 different species, the visitors from Leverkusen together with selected Bayer employees enjoyed a sociable evening together in the events hall at the zoo.
The third day of the #Bayer04USATour 2022 has several highlights: In the morning there is a training session plus the pre-match press conference with the coaches of the two teams ahead of the game against St. Louis CITY SC. That is followed by an afternoon off with the chance to go sightseeing and the Bayer 04 group will watch a college basketball match in the evening between Saint Louis Billikens and the Memphis Tigers.
Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personalised Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
Show moreTo all Bayer 04 fans: The Fanwelt will be closed all day next Monday 30 June. This is due to preparations for the change of kit supplier from Castore to New Balance on Tuesday 1 July.
Show moreThe Norway U23 international Julie Jorde has completed the move from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Brøndby IF. The twelve-time champions of Denmark have signed the midfielder on permanent terms after her loan move from the Bundesliga to Denmark in the winter.
Show moreIt is almost two years since Bayer 04 new signing Abdoulaye Faye first stepped foot into the BayArena as a player for the Swedish club BK Häcken in the opening match in the 2023/24 Europa League campaign. A day before his nineteenth birthday, the central defender did not play in the 4-0 win for the Werkself but it was "an incredible night" for him on 21 September 2023 as he explained in his first interview on bayer04.de. "I watched the players and saw the fans. I liked it." It was also the first European night early on in his career. He only joined the then champions of Sweden in the cold north of Europe from his home in Senegal a few weeks before that special moment. Bayer04.de profiles our new defender.
Show moreWelcome, Abdoulaye Faye. The 20-year-old Senegalese central defender joins Leverkusen from top-flight Swedish club BK Häcken. In his first interview he talks about his move to Bayer 04 and his targets with the Werkself.
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