Opposition Check: Fortuna Düsseldorf

They stayed there for three years before even gaining promotion to the 1st Bundesliga in 2012. However, it quickly went back down to 2. Bundesliga. The German second division championship followed in 2018 and thus the renewed promotion. This time they stayed in the top echelon of German football for two seasons. Fortuna have been in the second highest class for five years now. There they narrowly failed in relegation against VfL Bochum last year. We’ll take a closer look at SV Darmstadt 98’s opponents before the clash next Friday (January 17th/6.30pm).

After his active career as a professional footballer, he took a very special path. He jumped on the trampoline, rode horses and learned numerous new skills that would help him in his later professional life. Daniel Thioune spent seven years – from 2012 to 2019 – at the University of Vechta, where he studied sports science and education.

His goal was clear: after completing his studies, he wanted to start a career as a professional trainer. The basics of sports science were indispensable, but it was the educational sciences in particular that left a lasting impression on him. He learned how important social interaction is in a large group and how to inspire them to share a common vision. His mission, as he once said: “To win over the players, to take them on a journey and to unlock potential in all areas, that requires a high level of empathy and leadership.”

He had to prove these leadership qualities even after a serious setback: after the bitter defeat with Fortuna Düsseldorf in the relegation second leg against VfL Bochum on May 27th, missing out on promotion on penalties. But instead of falling apart at this low point, the team came together again. Together they were able to take a lot from this situation and collected themselves. The relegation? Ticked off. To this day he has not watched the second leg again. Instead, Thioune’s goal remains to one day be on the sidelines as a coach at 3:30pm in the Bundesliga. But at the moment he is particularly excited about working with his team. He wants to be successful with them. “It is exciting to develop further with Fortuna, to grow healthily and to work sustainably,” says Thioune.

Fortuna is impressively versatile when it comes to scoring goals this season. In total, the Düsseldorf team have already scored 25 goals – with the participation of twelve different goalscorers. Particularly striking: every striker who received minutes of action hit the opponent’s goal at least once.

However, there is one name at the top of the internal top scorer list: Isak Bergmann Johannesson. The midfielder scored the most goals for Fortuna with six goals. For the Lilies this means: when preparing for the game, the focus should not only be on a specific player, but rather vigilance is required. Because at Fortuna, anyone can score at any time.

Barely filled stands, every sound of the players echoes through the stadium. And the lawn in front of the goal looks more like a sandpit than a playing field. This is what the playing days of a regional goalkeeper often looked like – including those of the former amateur goalkeeper of VfB Stuttgart. But then everything changed suddenly.

Florian Kastenmeier. He blinked and suddenly found himself in an atmospheric arena. Filled stands, flags flying like clouds. And a flawless green in front of his goal. For Kastenmeier it must have felt like a dream. A dream that became reality due to unforeseeable events: First, Fortuna’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen was injured. Then the then coach Friedhelm Funkel was also without Michael Rensing, who had suffered a shoulder joint rupture. So Kastenmeier – only the third goalkeeper at the time – suddenly found himself between the posts for the Fortuna professionals. And that too in the 1st Bundesliga. The first game in League 1 against Werder Bremen ended in a 0-1 defeat – a change of coach followed shortly afterwards. Was that the end of his journey? Back to the bench? No, the new coach also relied on the new man in the box.

Today – five years later – Kastenmeier is the undisputed number one goalkeeper at Fortuna Düsseldorf. The 27-year-old has set a record: no other goalkeeper has stayed between the Düsseldorf posts for so long. This season too, Kastenmeier is repaying his club’s trust with strong performances. With 73 saves, he ranks first among all goalkeepers in the 2nd Bundesliga. On average, he saves 4.3 shots per game.