After breakfast, the Werkself walked ten minutes to The Arch, The 192 metre tall monument on the banks of the Mississippi. A team photo was taken there first and then a group photo of all the travelling Leverkusen delegation.
While the players and coaching staff returned to the team hotel to prepare for the match, Brian the Lion began his exploration of St Louis. After visiting the Old Courthouse, Brian made his next stop at the Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals. At the fan shop of the MLB baseball team, he met Fredbird, his opposite number at the Cardinals, and the duo captured the moment for posterity with a photo. Brian then returned to the team hotel.
The stands were a hive of activity and in good mood with the aroma of burgers, hot dogs and pizza drifting through the VIP area. On the pitch, the two teams looked to create plenty of chances – the setting for the opening of the newly built CITYPARK Stadium in St. Louis could hardly have been better. Ahead of the game, both the American and German national anthems were sung and then the two teams came together for a joint group photo before kick-off.
After an evenly balanced start to the game, the Werkself went on the front foot as the game progressed to threaten the goal of former Dortmund keeper Roman Bürki. Callum Hudson-Odoi gave the Black and Reds a deserved lead on 36 minutes. Centre forward Adam Hlozek doubled the lead at 2-0 (44') just before the break and then made it 3-0 (51') after the restart. The convincing lead of the Bundesliga side did nothing to affect the atmosphere in the stands at the sold-out CITYPARK Stadium.
The action on the pitch settled down from that point but Bayer 04 keeper Niklas Lomb did make two impressive flying saves (72’, 73’). Then came the final whistle at the CITYPARK Stadium. For St. Louis CITY SC it was a successful test ahead of the first MLS season and a successful conclusion of the #Bayer04USATour for the Werkself. Here is the match report.
On the penultimate day of the #Bayer04USATour there is another special event on the agenda: a visit to the Ranken Jordan hospital. The Werkself players will spend time with the boys and girls at the charitable rehab clinic for children with and without the ball. The evening will end for everybody with the NHL game between St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals.
The Nerazzurri are in town: Today, Tuesday 10 December, Bayer 04 entertain the reigning champions of Italy Inter Milan on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21.00 CET/live on DAZN and on Werkself Radio). Read on for the latest information on the home game at the BayArena.
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The Bayer 04 U19 team lost 1-0 to Inter Milan on the sixth and final matchday in the league phase of the UEFA Youth League 2024/25. The only goal of the game was scored just after the hour mark. While the side from North Italy have finished top in the league phase with a maximum points return, the Leverkusen team appeared to have just missed out on the knockout stages of the European competition. There is faint hope looking to several games to follow where results are needed to go the way of the Werkself.
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Italian teams are known for being strong in defence. The fact that Inter Milan, the next opponents for the Werkself in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, 10 December (kick-off: 20.45 CET), have not conceded a single goal in their last five matches is impressive. Will the visitors' keeper Yann Sommer be able to keep a clean sheet at the BayArena against Florian Wirtz and Co.? The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Bundesliga Matchday 16. The game at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday, 10 January 2025, kicks off at 20.30 CET. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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