Season
23.09.22
Moin USA - Rothosen heads to America
The first team will travel to the United States from the 13th to the 22nd of November and play a friendly match against the Orange County Soccer Club.
The USA - the land of unlimited opportunity. The country where numerous clubs from the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga have went for training camps and friendly match trips in recent years. Now HSV is also reviving its tradition in the United States and, under the motto "HSV ROUTE 87", will fly across the pond for more than a week after the final match of the first half of the season against SV Sandhausen (Sat., 12 November, kick-off 1 p.m.) before the start of the winter break.
From the 13th to the 22nd November, the Red Shorts will first travel to California to play against the Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC), among others. The match against the second division club from the USL Championship League, will take place on 15 November at 7pm local time (4am CET) at the Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California.
"For HSV, this tour is a very attractive opportunity to represent the DFL, German football and our club internationally and to gain experience. Also with a view to marketing aspects, the willingness of the sport and the coaching team was immediately given. The shared experiences and unique days in the USA will also further bond the team and make the long winter break a little shorter", says board member Jonas Boldt.
HSV can look back on a tradition of stays in the USA. The professional footballers of the Rothosen have already discovered the United States eight times. It all started with the so-called "Good Will Tour" in 1950, when the Hamburg team became the first German team to travel to the USA after World War II and play six matches in New York and Chicago. There were also guest appearances in the Big Apple in 1964 (against the German American Football Association, Blau-Weiß Gottschee, Liverpool FC and Boston Metros) and 1983 (against Cosmos New York). In 1971 (LA and San Francisco), 1986 ( against the National Team of Mexico) and 1992 (in Los Angeles against the national team of El Salvador), all taking place in Los Angeles in California, and in 1997 they met the Orlando Sundogs and Bayer Leverkusen in Florida.
The last trip so far was around 22 years ago. In the summer of 2000, the team led by Mehdi Mahdavikia, Bernd Hollerbach and Rodolfo Cardoso played Columbus Crew in Columbus/Ohio and Chicago Fire in Chicago. This year, with the support of the long-standing partner agency Onside, which also assists HSV with the planning and implementation of the summer and winter training camps, an HSV team will travel to California for the fourth time.
In addition to the already scheduled match against OCSC, there will be at least one more test match. The opponent and the venue have not yet been determined. However, the HSV team does not only want to represent the DFL in sporting terms and gain new experiences, but also get to know the country, the people and the culture through activities and bring them closer to their own club. Fans can look forward to exclusive content and insights into the experiences of the professionals. The supporting programme awaiting Tim Walter and his team will be planned and announced in detail in the coming weeks. There is plenty of attractive choice in the land of unlimited opportunities.
Important questions about HSV's trip to the USA:
Will HSV offer a fan trip?
HSV would very much like to give interested fans the chance to accompany the professional team on this exciting tripSo far, only the dates of the tour (13.-22.11.22) have been fixed. However, it is not yet clear when and where the team will be in California. The planning of further test matches and activities is still in full swing. For this reason, no reliable and detailed offer for a fan trip can be made at this stage. HSV is working at full speed to finalise the open points as quickly as possible and to be able to submit a concrete offer to the fans afterwards.
How can I attend the matches on site?
The friendly matches in the USA are scheduled with spectators. The match against Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC) has already been scheduled. The match will take place on 15 November at 7pm local time (4am CET) at the Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California. Tickets will only be available on site through the OCSC or at the box office.
Will the test matches be broadcast live?
HSV will endeavour to broadcast all test matches in the USA live and in full length on its own channels (HSVtv + YouTube). Information on this will be provided in good time via the club media.
Where will HSV be on the other days in the USA?
The HSV squad will first stay in Irvine/California during their trip to the USA. During their stay, training sessions and other activities are planned, which could also take the Rothosen to Los Angeles and other locations in California. Detailed plans as well as possibilities of participation can only be announced at a later date - also whether HSV will possibly travel to another location.
Why will HSV not stay in Hamburg and train at the Volkspark?
After the last first-round match against Sandhausen, modernisation and reconstruction measures in and around the Volksparkstadion will already begin in the following days, which would not allow for an orderly training including friendly matches on site. With the trip to the USA, HSV has the unique opportunity to represent the DFL and German football in an interesting market and to combine it with sporting challenges and team-building measures.