Opposition Check: SSV Jahn Regensburg

Contrary to what today’s focus on football might suggest, the roots of SSV Jahn Regensburg lie in gymnastics. The Turnerbund Jahn (Jahn Gymnastics Association) was founded in 1886, and in the 1920s, the Sportbund Jahn (Jahn Sports Association) evolved. In 1934, the club merged with Schwimmverein 1889 and Sportverein von 1920 – today’s SSV Jahn Regensburg was born.

Fast forward in time. Since 2008, SSV Jahn has regularly competed in German professional football. In the 2023/24 season, after being relegated to the third division, they were immediately promoted back to the 2. Bundesliga – but before the final matchday of the 2024/25 season, one thing is already clear: Regensburg will once again be relegated to the third division next season. In the final home game of the season, the Lilies will face the traditional club from the Danube – we’ve taken a closer look at their upcoming opponents for you.

From Lebanon to the second division – Munier Raychounis has taken a rather unusual path on his way to becoming a second-division coach. And that could bring him many advantages. But first things first:

International experience? Munier Raychouni has more than enough of that. Before taking over as interim coach at SSV Jahn Regensburg, his playing career took him around the globe – far from the traditional football nations. Between 2011 and 2017, Raychouni played in Singapore (Woodlands Wellington), Lebanon (Safa SC Beirut), Thailand (Lamphun Warrior), and Bahrain (Isa Town Club), among others. While these are all somewhat unusual stops, that’s precisely what makes his path so special.

Back in Germany, the Berlin native began his coaching career at CFC Hertha 06 in the Oberliga before working as assistant coach at the regional league club Berliner AK from 2018 to 2020. This was followed by further years as an assistant coach in the Regionalliga Nordost at FC Carl Zeiss Jena, where he worked under Dirk Kunert and Andreas Patz. In 2022, Raychouni took over the FCC U19 team and gained further valuable experience in the youth sector.

In November 2024, he joined SSV Jahn Regensburg alongside Andreas Patz and took on the role of assistant coach. Following the split between Regensburg and Patz on May 8 of this year, Raychouni now assumed responsibility as interim head coach. Raychouni demonstrates a great deal of selflessness: „My personal situation is secondary in this situation. The club and the team are my primary focus,“ the coach said at his first press conference as interim head coach of SSV Jahn.

Anyone expecting an intense duel this weekend could be right on the money: SSV Jahn Regensburg is one of the league’s most competitive teams. With a total of 3,554 duels won, Jahn ranks second behind Elversberg (3,599). The Upper Palatinate team is also strong in the air, winning 722 aerial duels – only Preußen Münster is just ahead in the 2. Bundesliga with 749.

As a child, Julian Pollersbeck didn’t dream of packed stadiums or floodlit games – at least not exclusively. Just as he loved catching balls from the corner, he also loved swinging a tennis racket. His father, a tennis coach himself, encouraged the young Julian from an early age – but his heart beat for both tennis and football. Unfortunately, in Emmerting, the coach’s son was in goal for a long time. So Pollersbeck had to help out on the field, while his dream of becoming a goalkeeper was put on hold.

Through detours and adjustments, his path eventually led him to where he always wanted to be: between the posts. Through his hometown club DJK Emmerting, his youth career at Wacker Burghausen (2010 to 2013), and finally his move to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Pollersbeck matured slowly but steadily. Sven Höh, his goalkeeping coach at Lautern and now goalkeeper coach at HSV, became a formative mentor. „Without him, I wouldn’t have made it to the pros,“ Pollersbeck says on Jahn Regensburg’s website. In the 2016/17 second-division season, he unexpectedly got his chance at 1. FC Kaiserslautern: After a red card for regular goalkeeper André Weis, Pollersbeck started in goal – and stayed there. His strong performances earned him a spot in the U21 national team, with whom he won the 2017 European Championship. To top it all off, he was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

He moved to HSV in the summer of 2017, but things didn’t go as hoped. Relegation, mental strain, and a lot of criticism. Pollersbeck doesn’t regret his time in Hamburg, though: „It wasn’t an easy time. But these experiences helped me grow as a person, and a lot of positives remain.“ The next step came in the 2020/21 season, when he moved to Olympique Lyonnais – big names like Depay, Lacazette, and Boateng were in training, but he barely played. After his move to Magdeburg in 2023, an injury halted his career, and his new start fizzled out.

Now Pollersbeck is between the posts at SSV Jahn Regensburg, where he wants to start a new chapter with old goals. And perhaps recapture some of what he once learned on the tennis court: calmness, precision—and the courage to keep stepping up to the line.