Matchday 4 Recap: SV Sandhausen 0 - 0 1. FC Union Berlin

SV Sandhausen: Lomb; Kister, Karl, Verlaat; Klingmann, Jansen, Förster (Wooten), Linsmayer, Paqarada (Müller); Behrens, Schleusener (Gislason)

1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Friedrich, Hübner, Reichel; Schmiedebach; Redondo (Gogia), Prömel, Zulj (Kroos), Hedlund (Hartel); Andersson

Goals: none [insert lineup of crying emojis here]

Union away support at Sandhausen outperformed the team. Source: Union Berlin

While there is no shortage of things to say about a big Union Berlin home win over St. Pauli, there is not much to say at all about a drab nil-nil draw away to Sandhausen. Despite Sandhausen being winless so far this season and sitting 17th in the table, this was always guaranteed to be a tough fixture for Union. Union had only won one game at Sandhausen in seven attempts before Sunday’s kickoff; their record there now stands at 1-4-3.

Last year, Union lost this fixture 1-0, so technically this result is an improvement. And indeed, even though the match left a lot to be desired in terms of excitement, there are still some positive elements for Union fans to take away from the match. (And I don’t just mean a chance to ogle Icelandic Second Division Heartthrob Rurik Gislason after he came off the bench for Sandhausen in the 84th minute.)

This picture of Gislason's back is totally relevant because it
also features Reichel. Source: Sandhausen

First, the defense continues to impress, especially when one remembers how wobbly they were last season. Gikiewicz has proven without a doubt that he deserves to be Union’s starting goalkeeper, while the regular back line of Trimmel, Friedrich, Hübner and Reichel inspire confidence as opposed to panic attacks. Considering that two of the four defenders joined this summer -- left back Reichel, from Braunschweig, and center back Hübner, from Hannover -- it’s remarkable how quickly they have solidified their partnership at the back, though Gikewicz’s ability to marshal his back line when needed should not go underappreciated.


Second, I want to give a shout-out to diminutive defensive midfielder Manuel Schmiedebach, who has started all five fixtures (four in the league, plus the Pokal) for Union since joining on loan from Hannover this summer and has played almost every minute of those fixtures as well. The 29-year-old has been with Hannover since 2008 and been a regular part of their squad for the past decade, with 198 appearances for the first team. For him to go out on loan to the second division at this point in his career is unusual and suggests that he may have fallen out of favor at Hannover. Yet that club’s loss is Union’s gain, as Schmiedebach’s feisty, fearless presence in front of Union’s back line is definitely one reason why the club looks less likely to leak silly goals this season.

The 2. Bundesliga is literally lit.
Source: @rubidus73 on Twitter

And finally, how can one not feel proud to be an Union fan when you’re streaming an away game and can hear the Union fans drowning out the home support with ease? The most exciting part of Sunday’s game was the moment when the Union fans set off some red smoke in the way end of the stadium. Between that, and the fact that they outsang the Sandhausen fans for the full 90 despite there being next to nothing to sing about, the Union fans were far more fun to watch this weekend than the team. And it’s not like it’s an easy trip from Berlin to Baden-Württemberg; you’re essentially going all the way from the northeast of Germany to the southwest. So, props to the Union fans for not only making the trip but making sure that the team felt their presence throughout the entirety of the game.

Following this week’s international break, Union Berlin return to league play at home against bottom of the table MSV Duisburg, who have yet to score a goal this season. Will this be another case of Union playing down to the level of their opponent, a la Aue and Sandhausen? Or will they take advantage of being at home to a team in crisis and play to their strengths? One hopes it will be the latter. In the meantime, the team will play a friendly against Grasshopper Club Zürich at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei this Wednesday, which should be an interesting test for the squad.