After Bundesliga Friendly In Austin, VfB Stuttgart Plans To Increase U.S. Presence

Perhaps the attendance would have been better if Austin FC had been one of the teams playing. Maybe the weather, close to freezing and rain, was a factor too. But Bundesliga sides Stuttgart and Köln will look with some dismay at the attendance of their friendly at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

According to sources within the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), 7,000 tickets were sold ahead of the game. But whether all of them came out to watch the game at the Major League Soccer stadium is a different question, as the upper stands were empty—a big contrast to the packed CITYPARK Stadium where St. Louis CITY SC hosted Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite the low attendance, Stuttgart stressed the positives of the tour. “We managed to add another week of training and a few team events, plus we were able to give something back to the families after not being allowed to travel after two years,” VfB Stuttgart’s sporting director Sven Mislintat said after the game.

“It was a great location, at a fantastic training facility provided to us by Austin FC,” Mislintat said. “Then today we had a great exhibition game with many young players making their debut, players that could play a big role for us in the future.”

Indeed, the action on the pitch was fantastic advertising for the league. Both clubs fielded young teams, and despite this being the last game of the year, Stuttgart came out guns blazing. Goals by Konstantinos Mavropanos (12’ & 41) and Tanguy Coulibaly (28’ & 30’) gave Stuttgart a comfortable lead in the first half. Köln then halved the lead in the second half thanks to goals by Josh Schwirten (68’) and Sargis Adamyan (85’).

“There are many things we can take away from the trip, like how they put together their training facilities, but also the US sports like basketball,” Stuttgart head coach Michael Wimmer said after the game. Wimmer also downplayed the low attendance. “This is the first time we are in America; we are just trying to leave a mark, and when you come more often and present yourself well and then keep playing well, more people will come.”

The neutrals certainly witnessed a fantastic game, with many young players trying to leave their mark. Six goals will also give neutrals a taste of the Bundesliga, which traditionally is the highest-scoring league among the top five European leagues.

“Absolutely,” Wimmer said. “Even the first half wasn’t a typical 4-0 game, and it was a spectacle with six goals and exactly what we wanted.” Defender Mavropanos, who had an excellent game, also believed that the game was a success. “I think it was quite good,” Mavropanos said. “Maybe we just have to get a bit better in the table, and then more people will come.”

Mislintat believes Stuttgart will repeat a trip to the United States despite the lower attendance at the Q2 Stadium, especially as Major League Soccer clubs offer some of the best training facilities on the planet.

“I don’t know all of them, but I have visited a few during my time [as head of scouting] at Arsenal because the owner was American and, in general, the training environment here is excellent,” Mislintat said.

Visiting the stadiums and training facilities might be one of the biggest reasons for German clubs to return more frequently. The new MLS teams have some of the best facilities, and clubs like Stuttgart want to learn from the experiences they make in the United States.

As for the low attendance at the Q2 Stadium, Stuttgart and Köln know to put the numbers in perspective. The timing of the bad weather, the parallel college games, and the lack of Austin FC’s participation were all contributing factors, as was the reluctance of most clubs to ignore the United States over the last few decades.

The low attendance, therefore, is unlikely to lead German teams to abandon the market. Instead, the opposite is likely the case, Stuttgart wants to come back, and the DFL is in exchange with other teams to make the best use of the momentum that will come with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth