Wer an den ersten acht Tagen der Frankfurt Americas Tour 2024 quasi nonstop mit dem Adler auf der Brust zwischen Louisville, El Paso und Ciudad Juárez hoppt, kommt leicht mit Gleichgesinnten ins Gespräch. Die allermeisten Gesichter tauchen häufiger auf: Sei es beim Abstecher in eine Sportsbar in Mexiko, bei der Watch Party anlässlich des ersten Testspiels gegen den FC Juárez oder auch im Mannschaftshotel – der Adler zieht seine Kreise.
Nicht anders verlief es am Montagabend, als Eintracht Frankfurt die in den Vereinigten Staaten lebenden oder extra über den Großen Teich geflogenen Anhänger zum großen Fanabend in einer Location lud, die stilecht mit „People, Pizza, Pints“ warb. Der Rahmen war gesteckt, die Dimension mit den organisierten Events zuvor jedoch nicht zu vergleichen. Mindestens 80, eher bis zu 100 Fans aus allen Himmelsrichtungen waren der Einladung gefolgt. Aus Austin, Indianapolis, New York oder Washington – die wenigsten aus Frankfurt selbst, aber auch diese hartgesottenen Reiselustigen gab es.
It was a fitting location and a much larger one that had hosted previous events on the tour. Between 80 and 100 fans from near and far took up the invitation, journeying from Austin, Indianapolis, New York, Washington and even a few hardy souls all the way from Frankfurt.
A number of visitors had planned a week’s holiday in Kentucky purely to follow Eintracht’s first trip to the USA in four and a half years. And none of them regretted the miles that they had covered to be there, particularly when the squad and the coaching staff came by after two training sessions and spent over an hour with the fans. With the sounds of ‘Im Herzen von Europa’ ringing out in the background, the Eagles were more than happy to mingle, sign autographs and pose for selfies. Board member for sport Markus Krösche and some of his colleagues also dropped by after their round-trip to Nashville for the day.
A good-humoured Dino Toppmöller was happy to answer a few questions, saying that “the lads are all tired – which means that they’ve all been training hard”. The head coach remains pleased with how pre-season preparations are progressing, and there was clearly enough energy in the tank for him and his squad to spend a little time with their fans.
Speaking of whom, most of them were quite simply thrilled to get a chance to meet their heroes – whom they usually have to get up at the crack of dawn to watch on a screen – face-to-face, and chat not only about football but about life in general. Small talk, but the kind that generates big emotions.
