On Thursday (19:30 local time, Friday 4:30 CET), Borussia Dortmund’s first team will play the first friendly game of the current tour of the USA. In San Diego, they will face second-division side San Diego Loyal.

“It’s always good to see our logo and our colours all over the world. We were delighted to have been in contact with the fans at the first public training session on Tuesday, and we want to show them a good game,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic.

The Black and Yellows have been training on the Californian coast for three days, and now, on the fourth day after their arrival, BVB will be challenged in the first of three friendly matches during the USA tour. The Black and Yellows had already secured pre-season friendly wins in Germany against Westfalia Rhynern (7-0), Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (3-2) and Rot-Weiß Erfurt. Despite the victories, Terzic is not satisfied with the performances his side have put in so far: “We want to improve and show that we are here to win the games.”

Terzic sees San Diego Loyal, who are in the middle of the season in the second tier of the US league, as a team with an aggressive playing style, very good going forward and a side that score a lot of goals. “We expect an intense game,” said the BVB head coach. “Everyone who can play will get some minutes. It is important to get back into our rhythm and take the next step. We will play all three games in the USA with our strongest team.”

USA international Gio Reyna, whom the domestic spectators would certainly have liked to see, will not be able to play due to an injury. However, he will be there with his teammates at Snapdragon Stadium.

Whether new signing Marcel Sabitzer, who arrived in the USA one day late, will be in the squad for the friendly, will only become apparent after the morning training session on match day.

After the friendly in San Diego, BVB will take on Manchester United (31 July at 3:00 CET in Las Vegas) and Chelsea in Chicago (3 August at 2:30 CET). Tickets for the three games can be purchased here: https://www.bvb.de/ustour23. All of the games will be broadcast live on BVB-TV.
Christina Reinke