Regional league FC Gütersloh welcomes the Bundesliga club Union Berlin in the DFB Cup. It is also a duel between two realities of life.
It was a busy day for Julian Hesse. After work, the 36-year-old took care of his two-year-old son before he had to go football training around early evening. So far, so normal. Because this is probably what the days of many hobby kickers probably look like.
But there is a decisive difference, because Hesse describes as a hobby kicker would be measured. Hesse trains the regional league team FC Gütersloh. And football training in the evening is nothing more than preparing for the game in the first round of the DFB Cup on Friday (6 p.m.) against the Bundesliga club Union Berlin.
Training on four out of five days of the week
In addition to his coaching job, Hesse worked 30 hours a week in the marketing department of a Gütersloh company, every day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. “After that, I would like to spend a little time with my little one before training because it is important to me to do justice to the papa role. And then it goes to training on four out of five days of the week.”
He deliberately searched for a job with the football Hesse said in an interview with the WDR. “You have to say that regional league is relatively complex. More than half of the teams have full professional, so do that full -time. This is not yet the case with us.”
Only two players have no job
Because not only Hesse is doing another work in addition to football. Only two players in the FC Gütersloh squad only concentrate on football. The fact that this does not have to be a disadvantage has proven the last season in the regional league, in which the FCG sensationally took second place behind the big favorite MSV Duisburg.
“At the end of the day it is also a football game that goes 90 minutes. And I think, even if you have another job, you can prepare for a game properly,” said Hesse. “Fortunately, we have very ambitious boys. And if you are ambitious, you can align a lot in your life after football, especially nutrition and sleep. And then you can get a good level of performance.”
Gütersloh and the “soft spot for Berlin Bundesliga clubs”
If possible, the seasoned full professionals from Union Berlin should also be felt on Friday. With cup games against Berlin Bundesliga clubs, the East Westphalia are at least familiar with. After a 1-1 in the first leg, the East Westphalia in 1989 in the Olympic Stadium at Hertha BSC sensationally won 1-0 and moved into the next round. After all, this is enough for the FCG to write on its own homepage of a “FCG Cup-Faible for Berlin Bundesliga clubs”.
For Hesse, however, this is no longer important today: “It is a very nice story, a beautiful history of the club. But we are there to write our own story.”
Hesse led FCG back to the regional league
And so far the chapter Hesse and FC Gütersloh is a success story. Hesse took over the FCG as the bottom of the league in March 2019. In 2023 he led the club back to the regional league after 27 years and also won the Westphalia Cup in the same year. For a win in DFB Cup But it wasn’t enough at the time. Gütersloh held well against Holstein Kiel, but lost 0: 2.
Thus, the victory at Hertha BSC 1989 remains the last success of the FCG in the DFB Cup so far. Can that change against Union on Friday? Hesse is realistic, but also ambitious: “We know that we will probably only win such a game in one of 100 cases, but that this will be the case on Friday. We also know that we have a few remedies and weapons that can be uncomfortable for every football team if they are not called Bavaria Munich or Paris Saint-Germain.”
Specifically, Hesse means long balls on the fast and massive strikers should press Union high. If Union is deep, Hesse wants to solve it playfully. “These are the considerations, but it is also completely clear that we will not permanently determine the rhythm. A lot depends on what Union is caught.”
Hesse: “Union is a horny club”
In addition to all the tactical considerations, Hesse is also about simply enjoying the day. “We come to the stadium, it will be sold out with over 10,000 people. Union is a horny club, an absolute traditional club. So we have little pressure. You can win a lot more than lose one day.”
Being in the DFB Cup in general is a “total privilege,” said Hesse. The 0: 2 against Kiel two years ago was the first cup game for him. “It hurt a little for a few days because we could definitely have cracked that day. Vin so far I only have positive memories of the DFB Cup and hope that it stays that way and we can be competitive on Friday.”
Third division promotion “Not impossible”
The main focus of FC Gütersloh applies Regionalliga West. And there it looks good again after second place in the previous year. Hesse’s team started with two wins and failed on the third matchday against Fortuna Düsseldorf II (1: 3) only due to his own exploitation of opportunities. “It definitely makes you in the mood for again,” said Hesse.
Is there even the climb this year? “I don’t think it is realistic that we are getting up, but I don’t think it is impossible,” said Hesse. As a favorite, he sees the 1. FC Bocholt or Borussia Dortmund II. “It is rather important for us that we will end up in the upper third.”
A third division climb would of course also have some disadvantages – at least for some employers in and around Gütersloh.
Our sources:
- Interview with Julian Hesse
