SC Freiburg U23: A Tough Season in the Third League

If one needed further proof of SC Freiburg’s own chronology, the current mood surrounding the performance of the Breisgauer second team could serve as an impressive illustrative example: Less than six months ago, Thomas Stamm’s team celebrated sensationally in the third division the runner-up. But now you have to turn the table around to see the young Breisgau players in second place.

The sports club’s U23s are stuck in second-to-last place after 14 games. One win is offset by five draws and nine defeats. SC II has not yet achieved a home win. No team has lost more times. Disillusionment after intoxication?

This would cause gasps at most other clubs in German professional football. But that’s not the case with Freiburg, who always emphasize that the U23 isn’t just about scoring points. The clocks work differently here.

Even when the reserves were relegated to the top league in 2016, Breisgau maintained its composure. Of course, the sporting management didn’t make any leaps into the air, but instead of panicking, they relied on a painstakingly sophisticated mix of up-and-coming talent and always three or four veterans to give the young team stability. By the way, most clubs in German professional football that have a second team in the third division (Borussia Dortmund) or the regional leagues do this.

The SC’s calculations worked out. In 2017, they were promoted straight back to the regional league, in which the team stabilized under Christian Preuer and, after strenuous pandemic years, achieved promotion to the third league for the first time in 2021. Thomas Stamm took over the coaching position there and then led the team to runner-up status this summer – no German reserve team was more successful last season.

But now we’re almost at the bottom of the table – only MSV Duisburg is even worse placed. As usual, coach Stamm analyzes soberly: “The performances were often not as stable and efficient as we managed at the beginning of the last third division season. This is currently reflected in the points tally.”

And in fact, Sports Club II doesn’t go swimming regularly; most of the defeats followed close games. Defensively, the U23s are not doing dramatically badly with 23 goals conceded. Only the offensive yield is weak with ten goals from 14 games so far – especially for the youngsters who are otherwise brimming with attacking joy.

The mood on the Schwarzwaldstrasse is not great this year either. “The results always influence the mood in the team – and that’s a good thing,” says Stamm. So panic after all? Not at all, as the Swiss adds: “It would also be bad if it had no influence, because it shows that we are dissatisfied and want to get better.”

Stamm therefore wants to work on offensive effectiveness in the coming weeks, create further stability at the back, but also get to grips with emotions: “It’s about controlling your emotions correctly.”

Overall, the football aspects are in the foreground for Stamm. After the 2-2 draw against Preuen Mnster last Sunday, he emphasized: “We were poor in our passing and positioning. We were better in the game after half-time, but overall we didn’t defend well enough to get three points.”

That’s what it sounds like: Freiburg sobriety. Tactical-technical analysis instead of blood-sweat-tears rhetoric. And that’s why they don’t panic on Schwarzwaldstrasse. Especially since the Dreisamstadion team is repeatedly said to play good football. After the 2-0 defeat at league leaders Dynamo Dresden two weeks ago, for example, their coach Markus beginning emphasized that his team had met “a really good Freiburg team” that “played great football.”

Of course, the U23s can’t buy anything from such promises, but they can perhaps gain confidence at the bottom of the table. True to the motto, stick to your guns and success will follow.

In any case, Stamm believes so. He says: “The development is going in a good direction, so that we can make games more balanced than at the beginning of the round.” Only 14 of 38 games have been played.