Trophy Tour in New York City – Old and new fans gather at watch party in NY

Those enjoying the game had come from far and wide around New York City. They wore Xhaka jerseys and Wirtz jerseys, they had vintage kits from the 90s and the latest Castore away uniforms that the team on the field was wearing on this day.

Luis Yanchapanta was one such fan, sporting the white "Hincapie" customized away shirt. "I'm a huge Hincapie fan since he transferred to Leverkusen, so I was excited to come and support the team today" said Yanchapanta. "He has a long contract with the team so I will be following Leverkusen for many years." Yanchapanta was born in Ecuador and moved to New York City when he was smaller than he can remember.

By comparison, Tom Schaefer vividly remembers one of his biggest lifetime memories. He was in the stadium in Unterhaching back in 2000 when Leverkusen heartbreakingly missed a chance to win the Bundesliga title by the smallest of margins. But that seems like a lifetime ago. Schaefer was born in Leverkusen and moved to New Jersey 11 years ago. He is now an American citizen, but stays true to his Leverkusen roots. "I saw on Instagram that the trophies were coming here, I wouldn't have missed this for anything," said Schaefer of the trophy tour. "I have been waiting my whole life for this. I would have crawled to this watch party if I had to."

Octavio Gil is not originally from Germany, he is from Sevilla, but he turned out to support Leverkusen which won him over last year after he started following them due to head coach Xabi Alonso. "You know, it sounds a bit emotional but I lost my job last year and had a tough few months," said Gil. "Watching Leverkusen every week during the season last year was so motivating and gave me hope. Alonso has such a calmness. The Leverkusen games were really the highlight of my weeks while I was looking for work." Now Gil is back working at a job in sales and he says he wants to start the first-ever Bayer 04 Leverkusen  New York Fan Club.

Micah Akin was in town from Atlanta and had a personal connection to Die Werkself. "I played soccer in the fifth division in Germany alongside a player that went on to later play for Leverkusen, so I was incredibly excited to come and support the team here." Aside from the 4-1 Leverkusen victory, Akin had other reasons to cheer on the day. His group of friends went home with the autographed Florian Wirtz jersey that was raffled off to fans after the final whistle.

"It was just an awesome way to start the day," added Akin. As fans slowly filtered out in the mid-day sun in Brooklyn, many were hoping that another Leverkusen gathering of black and red in New York would happen again soon.

Trophy Tour in New York Wraps Up

Following the finish of the game, the three Leverkusen trophies then traveled by van to various locations throughout the city allowing fans to catch a quick glimpse and snap photos. The final destination of the day was the popular Saturdays Football boutique on Broome Street, where New York fans had one final chance to see the trophies up close and celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023-24 season.