Eisern NYC

Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Friedrich, Parensen, Reichel (Ryerson); Zulj, Schmiedebach, Hartel; Mees (Gogia), Polter, Abdullahi (Andersson) Bochum: Riemann; Hoogland, Soares, Gyamerah, Fabian; Losilla, Tesche; Sam (Saglam), Weilandt, Lee; Hinterseer Goals: Union: Polter - 60; Zulj - 87 Polter the penalty-winner and taker. Source: Union Berlin   It was another relatively unimpressive display for Union Berlin on Saturday, yet it’s hard to complain when the team still came away with three points and ended the first round of fixtures -- known as the Hinrunde -- undefeated for the first time in their history. Yes, a whopping ten of their seventeen matches this season have ended in draws, and it’s worth noting that in some of those draws, they were lucky to scrape by with a point. Yet Union’s ability to turn losses into draws and wins even when they look largely mediocre over the course of 90 minutes is one worth celebrating, especially since last year, as we all know, they...

Magdeburg: Brunst; Müller, Erdmann, Schäfer; Bülter, Laprevotte, Preißinger (Weil), Niemeyer (Costly); Türpitz (Butzen); Beck, Lohkemper Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Hübner, Friedrich, Lenz; Schmiedebach, Kroos (Polter), Zulj; Abdullahi (Gogia), Polter, Mees (Hartel) Goals: Magdeburg: Beck - 39 Union Berlin: Gogia - 65 Welcome back, Gogia! source: Union Berlin Union Berlin escaped Magdeburg with only a point on Sunday -- and they were lucky to do so. Despite the home side sitting in 16th place in the table, they looked to be the better side for the majority of the game, and if it weren’t for the welcome return of Akaki Gogia’s scoring boots (he seemed to have misplaced them for a bit), Union’s unbeaten run in the league would have come to an altogether inglorious end. Urs Fischer always talks up the opponents in his pre-match press conferences, so it was no surprise to hear him praise Magdeburg despite their lowly place in the table and note that Union would have to ...

Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Hübner, Friedrich, Reichel; Prömel, Schmiedebach, Kroos (Zulj); Abdullahi (Hartel), Andersson, Mees (Parensen) Darmstadt: Fernandes; Rieder, Franke (Höhn), Sulu, Holland; Medojevic, Jones; Heller, Kempe (Boyd), Wurtz (Mehlem); Dursun Goals: Union: Andersson - 28, 42; Sulu (OG) - 65 Darmstadt: Dursun - 73 Union had a lot to celebrate in this game. Source: Union Berlin   Well, Darmstadt at home, or as I’d like to call it, How Sebastian Andersson Got His Groove Back. At the start of the season, the Swedish striker -- brought in to supplement the Union attack during Sebastian Polter’s lengthy layoff -- was on fire, memorably banging in two goals in a 4-1 demolishing of St. Pauli and netting two more against Köln and Ingolstadt. Yet his output has dwindled in recent weeks, especially once he lost his spot in the starting 11 to the prodigal Polter. But after a tough game against top-of-the-table Hamburg on Monday, Urs Fischer needed to rest some...