Mainz 05: How the U19s are causing a sensation in the Youth League

Barça & Man City eliminated

“We can be a little ray of hope in the difficult times for the professionals,” said Daniel Gleiber, captain of the Mainz U19. While the men’s team is fighting against relegation in the Bundesliga, the youngsters are causing a sensation in Europe. As a surprise team, the Rheinhessen reached the quarter-finals in the Youth League and eliminated FC Barcelona and Manchester City on the way there. Now FC Porto is waiting.

The fact that Mainz is allowed to compete in the junior premier class is due to the mode. This will be carried out on two tracks. On the one hand, there is the group phase, in which the youth teams of all 32 Champions League starters are represented. On the other hand, there is the championship path, on which the national champions duel in the U19 classes. This is where Mainz comes into play, which defeated Borussia Dortmund in the final of the German championship last season and triumphed for the second time since 2009.

The champions of the 32 strongest nations according to the UEFA club coefficient qualify for the championship route, but if the men’s team takes part in the Champions League and thus also the youngsters in the Youth League, the best-placed team from another country will move up. Eight teams make it into the main field over two qualifying rounds, and from then on the mode is single-track. In an intermediate round, the eight winners of the championship path meet the runners-up in the group phase. The first placed teams are already in the round of 16.

Mainz’s journey through Europe began against NK Maribor from Slovenia (2:0, 1:1), and continued with Dinamo Minsk (1:1, 2:1) from Belarus. Progression was certain after the first and second leg. The two national champions were eliminated, the opponent in the second round was FC Barcelona. The Catalans took part in the Youth League thanks to the professionals, and Real Madrid is the junior champion in Spain. From the second round onwards there will no longer be a return leg, but only a duel, which should play into the hands of an outsider like Mainz. In the previous season, the two finalists AZ Alkmaar and Hajduk Split made it to the final via the championship route, with Alkmaar winning 5-0.

Mainz young coach Hoffmann: “You have to pinch me too now”

Mainz plays its home games in the Bruchwegstadion, where the professionals played until 2011. With a capacity of 7,134 seats, it is no longer as big as it used to be and the FSV juniors are filling the stadium up. According to captain Gleiber, the fans are a kind of mental kick. “It’s hard to describe what I felt after the penalty shootout. In this full stadium, penalty shootouts – it couldn’t be more exciting,” he said after the win against Barcelona. Defender Maxim Dal had similar words on Tuesday after the 2-1 win in the round of 16 against Man City: “At the beginning I had goosebumps watching the fans’ choreography, even more than usual. The support was unbelievable again, that pushed us endlessly . The fans contributed a lot to us winning the game in the end.”

In contrast to Barcelona, ​​City are champions in their own country and yet Mainz still had the upper hand against this heavyweight. “We have a lot of togetherness and are very difficult to beat. That’s why this journey has been going on for almost two years now. We surprise ourselves every now and then, not everyone expected it,” said defensive player Philipp Schulz, who scored a goal against both Barça and City.

The coach of the Youth League team is Benjamin Hoffmann. The 44-year-old has been with the club since 2019 and was responsible for the U19s until recently; he has been looking after the reserves full-time since mid-January. Hoffmann was also considered a candidate to succeed Jan Siewert among the professionals. “You have to pinch me too now. The euphoria that we have sparked, in the city, among the fans, in the club, is crazy. I enjoy that as a coach, the boys enjoy that. “I take my hat off to the fans, to everyone who perceives the spirit of the team,” said the coach after the win against City. His players would make history “because they simply have outstanding quality”. The team “accepts any resistance. And that’s what I love about her.”

Mainz now has a home game in the quarter-finals against FC Porto on March 12th or 13th. FC Bayern and RB Leipzig also want to move into the round of the last eight, who face Feyenoord and Real Madrid respectively on Wednesday. At the end of April the Final Four will take place in Nyon, Switzerland.

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