SC Freiburg: Meet Germany's Other High-Flying Club

Without Union Berlin, SC Freiburg would be the story of the Bundesliga. But what makes the Breisgauer special? Gegenpressing went to Freiburg to find out.

“Our coach, Christian Streich, always says: Football, eat, sleep and repeat,” Freiburg’s Daniel-Kofi Kyereh said after his club’s 2-0 victory over Nantes in the Europa League last Thursday. The attacking midfielder, who had joined Freiburg from 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli in the summer, was one of the two scorers in his club’s victory.

In the Europa League, Freiburg are on the verge of qualification for the round of 32. The club is equally successful in the Bundesliga, where the Breisgau Brasilianer are ranked second behind high flying Union Berlin.

But what makes Freiburg special? Gegenpressing went to picturesque Freiburg last week to find out.

The nickname “Breisgau Brasilianer” dates to the 1994/95 season when the club led by then head coach Volker Finke finished third in the Bundesliga. Finke played modern tactics: football, pressing, zonal marking, and a quick transition game; all those things were already standard in Freiburg in the mid-1990s.