Matchday 3: 1. FC Union Berlin 3 -1 Borussia Dortmund

In the battle between my two Swiss dads, Urs Fischer bested Lucien Favre, likely because of this awesome tifo.
source: Union Berlin

Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Friedrich, Subotic, Lenz; Becker, Schmiedebach (Gentner), Andrich, Bülter (Mees); Andersson, Ujah (Kroos)

Borussia Dortmund: Bürki; Hakimi, Piszczek, Hummels, Akanji; Delaney (Dahoud), Weigl (Guerreiro); Sancho, Reus, Brandt (Bruun Larsen); Alcacer

Goals:

Union Berlin: Bülter (22, 50), Andersson (75)
Borussia Dortmund: Alcacer (25) 

Apologies for the delay, but I needed a few days to come down from the adrenaline high that was Union Berlin’s first-ever win in the Bundesliga. My memories of the game are honestly a bit fuzzy, as my ability to focus at that time was clouded by extreme emotion (not to mention a few whiskey sodas). Yet even if the precise details of the match aren’t clear to me, one thing is for certain: it was a huge statement of intent by a team that many had already written off for relegation.

For me personally, the result was also oddly complex. As I was explaining to one of the QPR fans who invited us to watch the game with them (unified by our mutual love of Seb Polter, natch), when you’re an American who starts following European soccer, you end up choosing teams to support for almost arbitrary reasons. None of them is your “local” club, and without those geographic ties to help make your decisions for you, what else ends up binding us to clubs located thousands of miles across the ocean?

As for me, I first became an Arsenal fan in 2010 because I was a Nick Hornby fan who knew them as “the team from Fever Pitch” (and I’ll admit I had a bit of a crush on Cesc Fabregas). I then became a Borussia Dortmund fan when Arsenal met Dortmund in the Champions League group stage in fall of 2011. The passion of the players, the fans, and the crazy-eyed coach known as Jürgen Klopp were enough to make me fall in love almost instantly.

The connection to Union Berlin came later and much more gradually, based on the steady trickle of anecdotes about their uniquely devoted fan base as well as the signing of U.S. national team striker Bobby Wood, who went on to score more goals in the top two flights of German soccer than any other American before or since. Yes, I know that to support more than one team in the same country is a bit taboo, but the more I got to know Union Berlin, the more I became attached to them. After all, with one German team fighting for the first division title and the other seemingly firmly ensconced in the second division, what was the harm? With the exception of a few meet-ups in the DFB-Pokal, what were the odds that the two teams were ever going to meet in competition on a regular basis?

Well, we all know how that turned out. And while I was blissfully happy the day Union Berlin secured their first-ever promotion to the top flight of German soccer, there was indeed a part of me that cringed inwardly. My admittedly flimsy 2. Bundesliga excuse for supporting two clubs was no more! What would I do when these teams met in the top flight?

Going into Saturday's match, Dortmund were flying high at the top of the table following wins against Augsburg (5-1) and Koln (3-1). Meanwhile, Union had been blown out at home to Leipzig (4-0) before scraping an away draw at Augsburg (1-1). Despite the Stadion An der Alten Försterei being an infamously tough place for traveling teams to get a result, everything on paper said Dortmund would likely win comfortably. But, as we know all too well, games aren’t played on paper.

I was hoping that Union would snag their first-ever win sooner rather than later, but I was also not a fan of the idea of Dortmund dropping points so soon in a season where many believe them to be strong title challengers. A tough spot to be stuck in, for sure, and one for which I am aware that I only have myself to blame. However, despite my divided loyalties, the electric atmosphere in Berlin was contagious, and I soon found myself cheering every Union goal as though I was devoted solely to the team in red.

The first goals for each side came within minutes of each other and were both prime examples of each team’s strengths. First, yet another one of Christopher Trimmel’s signature corner kicks, played low, found the right foot of Marius Bülter, who slotted it neatly past Roman Bürki in the 22nd minute. Seeing as Dortmund had allowed the opposing team to score first in both of their previous matches this season, it wasn’t terribly shocking to see them concede -- but for Union, the goal was extra special, being the first-ever goal scored in the top flight at home, leading to their first lead of the season.

The lead didn’t last long. Jadon Sancho, the teen phenom who made Christian Pulisic excess to requirements at Dortmund, received a perfect pass from Marco Reus. Left unmarked, Sancho sped up the side of the pitch and passed the ball to Paco Alcacer, whose strike went right past Rafal Gikiewicz to the back of the net in the 25th minute. The lethal combination of Sancho’s runs up the flank and Alcacer’s efficiency in front of the net is one guaranteed to torture defenses throughout this season.

Both teams went into the half with a goal to their names and plenty to do in the final 45. The second goal came quickly in the second half after a Bürki save on Andersson was accidentally parried into the path of Bülter, who struck for his second goal of the game in the 50th minute. It was a truly remarkable moment and a testament to the never-give-up attitude that helped Union win promotion via the playoffs in May.

The heat in Berlin ensured that the game remained a close affair up until the 75th minute, when one of Union’s usual goalscoring suspects, Sebastian Andersson, scored the third from a brilliant Sheraldo Becker assist. Becker has been, for me, the standout of the new signings this season; he both fits Union Berlin’s already established style of play, focused on strength and counterattacks, while also adding creativity and persistence that few other members of the squad can match. Not only was Becker a consistent danger up top, but he also tracked back to defend frequently throughout the game - a necessary bit of work to put in against an attacking side like Dortmund.

In the end, Union Berlin fully deserved their big win, and I”m happy that they got it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by a result since Union held Stuttgart at home to secure promotion. While it’s easy to talk about the result as yet another instance of Dortmund choking against inferior opposition (and goodness knows they do that frequently), that kind of narrative doesn’t fully pay respect to the game Union played on the day.

Now 11th place in the table with a respectable four points from three games, Union host 13th place Werder Bremen following the international break. Another big home win would go a long way towards steadying the ship on the journey to remain in the top flight.

Lee Jutton is a contributing writer and co-founder of Eisern NYC. She lives on Twitter @leiladaisyj.