The U20 women’s team arrived in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, ahead of the World Cup which will take place from the 13th of November until the 3rd of December. For the Berlin native, the tournament is a dream come true. In this interview with DFB.de, the 18 year old from 1. FC Union Berlin speaks about the atmosphere in Port Moresby, coping with jet-lag and her twin sister Katja, who’s currently on standby for the U20s squad.
DFB.de: Have you recovered from the jet lag yet, Ms Orschmann?
Dina Orschmann: When we arrived yesterday, we all wanted to stay awake, but after the long journey we just couldn’t. Considering the time difference is nine hours, we’re all feeling quite good.
DFB.de: How hard have you found it acclimatising?
Orschmann: The climate here isn’t really so, that you have to immediately adapt to it. It’s very warm and you feel that on the pitch, but we’ve only been here for two days – we’ll acclimatise quickly. Training lately hasn’t been that intense, we’re all feeling good here.
DFB.de: The people here are one reason behind that, right?
Orschmann: Yes, I’m completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere. The people here are all very warm and cheer for us when we drive past them on the team bus. When we arrived at the airport, a large group of people were waiting for us with German flags – we didn’t expect that. It’s really nice to see how the World Cup has been embraced here. I’m already getting goose bumps thinking about how good the atmosphere in the stadiums will be.
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The U20 women’s team arrived in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, ahead of the World Cup which will take place from the 13th of November until the 3rd of December. For the Berlin native, the tournament is a dream come true. In this interview with DFB.de, the 18 year old from 1. FC Union Berlin speaks about the atmosphere in Port Moresby, coping with jet-lag and her twin sister Katja, who’s currently on standby for the U20s squad.
DFB.de: Have you recovered from the jet lag yet, Ms Orschmann?
Dina Orschmann: When we arrived yesterday, we all wanted to stay awake, but after the long journey we just couldn’t. Considering the time difference is nine hours, we’re all feeling quite good.
DFB.de: How hard have you found it acclimatising?
Orschmann: The climate here isn’t really so, that you have to immediately adapt to it. It’s very warm and you feel that on the pitch, but we’ve only been here for two days – we’ll acclimatise quickly. Training lately hasn’t been that intense, we’re all feeling good here.
DFB.de: The people here are one reason behind that, right?
Orschmann: Yes, I’m completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere. The people here are all very warm and cheer for us when we drive past them on the team bus. When we arrived at the airport, a large group of people were waiting for us with German flags – we didn’t expect that. It’s really nice to see how the World Cup has been embraced here. I’m already getting goose bumps thinking about how good the atmosphere in the stadiums will be.
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DFB.de: The World Cup is the most important tournament for the youth teams and you're here...
Orschmann: I’m over the moon to be here; it’s a huge dream of time. I didn’t expect it because I’m play in a younger age group, the training for me before the World Cup was something special.
DFB.de: How did you find out you’d been selected?
Orschmann: My twin sister Katja got the email before me and called me straight away. I was torn at first, as I was obviously very happy about being called up but I was also thinking about my sister Katja, who’s on standby. However, she comforted me and was very happy for me.
DFB.de: How often to do you keep in touch at the moment?
Orschmann: We’re in touch a lot. My sister is very proud of me and wrote me a motivational message for the tournament. She is also looking after my school work, as we are both about to do our A-Levels. I then do the work that she gives me and send it back to my teacher.
DFB.de: Twin sisters both playing for the national team is not something you say every day.
Orschmann: For both us, it all started on the school playground. We enjoyed playing football back then and it has stuck with us ever since. Up until the age of 13 we played football in teams with boys and then we moved to Union Berlin. We initially played in the women’s B-Bundesliga and now we play in Bundesliga 2. Katja has already been called up before, for the U19 European Championships for example. Now I have been selected. In a way we are just very normal team mates. We are able to separate the two things well. That is, giving everything on the pitch and yet still being good sisters. Katja has her fingers crossed for us at the World Cup.
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