Opposition Check: Dynamo Dresden

The 1970s, in particular, saw a string of trophies go to Dresden. During this period, Dynamo celebrated five East German championship titles and won the East German Cup twice. The SGD also regularly celebrated special nights on the international stage, competing against the best teams in Europe.

After reunification, Dynamo remained in the Bundesliga until 1995, but since then, they have not been able to return to the top flight of German football. In recent years, Dynamo has alternated between the 3rd and 2nd divisions, to which they returned this season. We take a closer look at SV 98’s next opponent. Dynamo Dresden in the opponent check.

Dynamo Dresden has been known for attacking football this season, especially away from home. Dresden has already scored six goals on the road; only Greuther Fürth has scored more goals at other stadiums. Furthermore, SGD has the second-most shots on goal in the league so far. The trio of Nils Frölin, Christoph Daferner, and Jakob Lemmer are primarily responsible for their attacking threat. All three have already found the back of the net this season.

When someone is called a „snake,“ the term usually doesn’t have a positive connotation. The comparison to the reptile is often intended to emphasise that the person in question has acted dishonestly or isn’t particularly trustworthy. In the case of Dresden’s Niklas Hauptmann, however, the reason is quite different. Former Dynamo captain and current youth development director Marco Hartmann gave his teammate this nickname in reference to his playing style. „You can’t get him away from the ball. He turns right, left, and you can’t get to him.“

Although, according to Hauptmann himself, the nickname „snake“ has become the exception, this comparison still describes the footballer well: The Köln native is difficult to grasp, moves skillfully in space, and has the ability to glide through the midfield.

The now 29-year-old’s talent was, in a sense, in his genes. His father, Ralf, played a total of 205 Bundesliga matches for Dynamo and 1. FC Köln and also played for the East German national team. Thanks to his time at Effzeh, his son, Niklas, was born in Köln in 1996 and later began his football career at Viktoria Frechen, before the Hauptmanns returned to the East and Niklas joined SC Borea Dresden. There, it was noticed that Hauptmann possessed exceptional vision and a fine passing game – skills that made him a special talent in central midfield.

His path then led him to Dynamo Dresden, where, after seven years in the youth system, he made the leap to the professional team. After a year of training, „Haupe“ quickly became a key player in the second division and caught the attention of 1. FC Köln, where he joined in the summer of 2018, once again following in his father’s footsteps.

Beim „Effzeh“ kämpft Hauptmann jedoch häufig mit Verletzungsproblemen, die ihm nur wenig Spielzeit erlaubten. Um regelmäßig Spielpraxis zu sammeln, wechselte er deshalb in den turbulenten Coronazeiten auf Leihbasis zu Holstein Kiel. Dort findet er wieder zu alter Form zurückfinden und scheitert mit den „Störchen“ nur knapp am Aufstieg zur Bundesliga.

Nach der Leihe endet trotz des starken Jahres in Kiel die Zeit in Köln endgültig. Hauptmann zieht es zurück zu seinem Herzensverein nach Dresden, für den er mittlerweile 167 Pflichtspiele absolviert hat. Auch in dieser Saison hat der Mann mit der Rückennummer 27 eine wichtige Rolle inne und kommt bereits auf drei Scorerpunkte. Die Lilien sollten also gewarnt sein.