Big stages for small clubs. The DFB Cup throws Germany’s amateur clubs into the spotlight. Village teams can face German champions; ambitious Regionalliga sides can go head-to-head with Champions League participants. There have been plenty of cup upsets and shocks in the over 70-year history of the competitions. The cup has its own rules and its own history. Over the next two weeks, DFB.de will preview all 18 amateur clubs who are featuring in the first round of the 73rd DFB Cup. Today it’s FK Pirmasens from the Regionalliga Südwest.
It is the comeback from the retirement after the comeback. Benjamin Auer will be leading the line for FK Pirmasens in the 2015/16 Regionalliga Südwest. The former Germany U21 wanted to limit his return to competitive sport to just the second half of last season, but the third highest scorer for the Germany U21s takes blood again. The man from Landau wants to again help FK Pirmasens successfully maintain their status in the league. And then there is also a special game for Pirmasens coming up on 8th August.
After a five year absence, “the club”, as the club is known by the supporters, has again qualified for the DFB Cup. When they face second-division side 1. FC Heidenheim, they will be looking to forget the humiliation they suffered in their last cup match when they lost 11-1 to Bayer Leverkusen. And hopefully with one or more goals from Benjamin Auer. Auer has spoken with DFB.de about his comeback, his career, the expectations of FKP and the cup match.
DFB.de: How come you’ve ended up playing football for another year?
Auer: There are several reasons for extending the comeback. The first is that I’ve taken the club to my heart because I see how much has been achieved with so little. I have also tried out a lot of different sports in recent years, such as tennis and squash, and I also ran a marathon one time. But I was missing the real challenge. I that time I also realised that football is fun for me. But my sons were the main reason – Nico is five and Henry is about to turn one. I noticed in the last half year that Nico has been getting more and more excited by football. So I asked him if I should play football for one more year and the answer “yes” came out of him like a bullet from a gun. I find it nice that my son knows what his dad has done in his life. It makes me proud and motivates me that he can see me play again.
DFB.de: When you look back on your professional career, what are the highlights?
Auer: The four years in Mainz and the four years in Aachen were positive because I really felt good in those cities. Things were really good from a sporting perspective in Mainz – we were promoted and then played in the UEFA Cup and I had four years of Jürgen Klopp as my coach. Not everyone is able to say that. I had a great time as the central striker in Aachen because I was able to score a lot of goals. I was the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga and scored regularly. After playing in Aachen, I didn’t want to play anywhere else in Germany because I’d really taken the city, the fans and the club to my heart. I would’ve been tempted to play abroad but the right offer never came about.
DFB.de: Why did a regular place in the Bundesliga never come about despite so many goals for the U21s?
Auer: I was a poacher and was reliant on my teammates delivering the ball. And with my back to goal I was also unmarked. But my game wasn’t to the liking of every coach or every fan. Either a coach liked me or couldn’t start with me. And it is also no secret that my shortcoming was my lack of pace. I am sure that if I’d been quicker then I would’ve played for the senior national side and scored goals in the Bundesliga. But I wasn’t quicker, and I’m not sad that I didn’t achieve more but happy with how my life panned out. I had the opportunity to see a lot of the world through football, and of course I earned a lot of money too and I was able to open three fitness studios during my career in my home of Landau, Annweiler and Pirmasens. I like doing that and I don’t really miss the big football business.
DFB.de: FK Pirmasens are going into the second consecutive Regionalliga season. What does that mean for the club?
Auer: It’s remarkable that a club like Pirmasens, with an absolutely tiny budget, if playing in the Regionalliga. Other teams in the game league, like Saarbrücken, Elversberg or Homburg, train under professional conditions. It’s absolutely amazing to be mixing it with teams such as them.
DFB.de: How does the team manage to be successful despite the financial disadvantages?
Auer: With us it’s all about the collective team. We play well with the system, our central defenders are very strong so it’s not easy to score against us. We don’t have a lot of individual class going forward, but my job is to hold the ball up so that the others can move ahead of the ball. It is not easy to play against us. The other teams in the Regionalliga know it is painful to play against us.
DFB.de: What changes are there in comparison to last season?
Auer: Not much has changed with us. The squad has pretty much remained the same. I’m actually quite relaxed. After the winter break we were the second best team in the league behind Kickers Offenbach. The team has developed, but the expectations have also grown too. I expect us to be able to remain in this division, but I’d prefer to be able to do it one or two matches earlier this time and not save it on the final day.
DFB.de: 1. FC Heidenheim certainly aren’t the biggest name in German football, but how would you class their relative strength in comparison to Pirmasens?
Auer: Heidenheim are clear favourites. They are all professionals whilst we all have other jobs or are students. I’ll be honest, I prefer drawing Heidenheim than Bayern München. Of course we would’ve earned more money against Bayern because more spectators would’ve come but the chance of progressing is zero. Against Heidenheim we probably have a two percent chance – and I prefer two percent over zero. I’d find it nice if people were to come to the stadium although Heidenheim are not a big name Bundesliga side but because we are playing in the DFB Cup and that is something special.
created by mmc/clm
Big stages for small clubs. The DFB Cup throws Germany’s amateur clubs into the spotlight. Village teams can face German champions; ambitious Regionalliga sides can go head-to-head with Champions League participants. There have been plenty of cup upsets and shocks in the over 70-year history of the competitions. The cup has its own rules and its own history. Over the next two weeks, DFB.de will preview all 18 amateur clubs who are featuring in the first round of the 73rd DFB Cup. Today it’s FK Pirmasens from the Regionalliga Südwest.
It is the comeback from the retirement after the comeback. Benjamin Auer will be leading the line for FK Pirmasens in the 2015/16 Regionalliga Südwest. The former Germany U21 wanted to limit his return to competitive sport to just the second half of last season, but the third highest scorer for the Germany U21s takes blood again. The man from Landau wants to again help FK Pirmasens successfully maintain their status in the league. And then there is also a special game for Pirmasens coming up on 8th August.
After a five year absence, “the club”, as the club is known by the supporters, has again qualified for the DFB Cup. When they face second-division side 1. FC Heidenheim, they will be looking to forget the humiliation they suffered in their last cup match when they lost 11-1 to Bayer Leverkusen. And hopefully with one or more goals from Benjamin Auer. Auer has spoken with DFB.de about his comeback, his career, the expectations of FKP and the cup match.
DFB.de: How come you’ve ended up playing football for another year?
Auer: There are several reasons for extending the comeback. The first is that I’ve taken the club to my heart because I see how much has been achieved with so little. I have also tried out a lot of different sports in recent years, such as tennis and squash, and I also ran a marathon one time. But I was missing the real challenge. I that time I also realised that football is fun for me. But my sons were the main reason – Nico is five and Henry is about to turn one. I noticed in the last half year that Nico has been getting more and more excited by football. So I asked him if I should play football for one more year and the answer “yes” came out of him like a bullet from a gun. I find it nice that my son knows what his dad has done in his life. It makes me proud and motivates me that he can see me play again.
DFB.de: When you look back on your professional career, what are the highlights?
Auer: The four years in Mainz and the four years in Aachen were positive because I really felt good in those cities. Things were really good from a sporting perspective in Mainz – we were promoted and then played in the UEFA Cup and I had four years of Jürgen Klopp as my coach. Not everyone is able to say that. I had a great time as the central striker in Aachen because I was able to score a lot of goals. I was the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga and scored regularly. After playing in Aachen, I didn’t want to play anywhere else in Germany because I’d really taken the city, the fans and the club to my heart. I would’ve been tempted to play abroad but the right offer never came about.
DFB.de: Why did a regular place in the Bundesliga never come about despite so many goals for the U21s?
Auer: I was a poacher and was reliant on my teammates delivering the ball. And with my back to goal I was also unmarked. But my game wasn’t to the liking of every coach or every fan. Either a coach liked me or couldn’t start with me. And it is also no secret that my shortcoming was my lack of pace. I am sure that if I’d been quicker then I would’ve played for the senior national side and scored goals in the Bundesliga. But I wasn’t quicker, and I’m not sad that I didn’t achieve more but happy with how my life panned out. I had the opportunity to see a lot of the world through football, and of course I earned a lot of money too and I was able to open three fitness studios during my career in my home of Landau, Annweiler and Pirmasens. I like doing that and I don’t really miss the big football business.
DFB.de: FK Pirmasens are going into the second consecutive Regionalliga season. What does that mean for the club?
Auer: It’s remarkable that a club like Pirmasens, with an absolutely tiny budget, if playing in the Regionalliga. Other teams in the game league, like Saarbrücken, Elversberg or Homburg, train under professional conditions. It’s absolutely amazing to be mixing it with teams such as them.
DFB.de: How does the team manage to be successful despite the financial disadvantages?
Auer: With us it’s all about the collective team. We play well with the system, our central defenders are very strong so it’s not easy to score against us. We don’t have a lot of individual class going forward, but my job is to hold the ball up so that the others can move ahead of the ball. It is not easy to play against us. The other teams in the Regionalliga know it is painful to play against us.
DFB.de: What changes are there in comparison to last season?
Auer: Not much has changed with us. The squad has pretty much remained the same. I’m actually quite relaxed. After the winter break we were the second best team in the league behind Kickers Offenbach. The team has developed, but the expectations have also grown too. I expect us to be able to remain in this division, but I’d prefer to be able to do it one or two matches earlier this time and not save it on the final day.
DFB.de: 1. FC Heidenheim certainly aren’t the biggest name in German football, but how would you class their relative strength in comparison to Pirmasens?
Auer: Heidenheim are clear favourites. They are all professionals whilst we all have other jobs or are students. I’ll be honest, I prefer drawing Heidenheim than Bayern München. Of course we would’ve earned more money against Bayern because more spectators would’ve come but the chance of progressing is zero. Against Heidenheim we probably have a two percent chance – and I prefer two percent over zero. I’d find it nice if people were to come to the stadium although Heidenheim are not a big name Bundesliga side but because we are playing in the DFB Cup and that is something special.
