How 'brave' small-town club Elversberg is shaking up German soccer

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — The smallest team in the Bundesliga may be the most exciting.

From a town of just 13,000 people and operating on a shoestring budget, Elversberg made a big statement in its first-ever top-division game last week, stunning former champion Bayer Leverkusen 3-2.

Texas-born winger Cole Campbell intercepted a pass to score after becoming Elversberg's record signing as the team raced into a 3-0 lead before holding off a Leverkusen comeback.

Elversberg has shown it can keep up with the big teams on its day. The rest of the season will be a grind to prove it deserves to stay. Next up is another ex champ, Borussia Mönchengladbach, away on Saturday.

“It's not easy, without question, because today we had 10 guys on the field making their Bundesliga debuts," coach Vincent Wagner said after Saturday's game. “Even if we get beaten heavily a couple of times we just need to play brave football because that's the only way we have a chance in this league.”

Bravery is a word that comes up a lot at Elversberg. It's a concept that shapes the tactics, all about intense defending and quick attacks, and the transfer strategy.

Ignoring proven Bundesliga players for financial reasons — “Maybe we can afford one or two, but then we would break our whole wage structure” — technical director Josef Welzmüller is betting on finding high-potential young players other clubs have overlooked or under-valued.

The reported fee for Campbell of 6 million euros ($6.96 million) was a club record but very modest by league standards.

“It was our record signing, which probably shows how much we believe in Cole," Welzmüller said. "He’s a fantastic player. He is very fast. He is very strong with the ball, very strong in one-on-one situations.

“He’s a very good kid, very good character. We just want him to go in one-on-one situations and solve spaces for us, and we are very, very sure that he will have a breakout season.”

Campbell arrived from Borussia Dortmund after struggling for playing time there and on loan at Hoffenheim. Alongside him on Saturday was Francis Onyeka, a Leverkusen player on loan facing his own club, one of three youngsters on loan in the squad.

“It’s always bringing in high potential players," Welzmüller added. "We trust them, we want to give them the minutes other clubs are still holding back and that’s also very brave in this aspect.”

Just 9,307 people were packed into Elversberg's stadium to see the team make history. That's because one side is a construction site.

An already small venue has been reduced in size even further as the club rushes through expansion to reach the league minimum of 15,000 capacity by the spring.

When that's done, the Ursapharm-Arena — named for the local pharmaceutical company whose sponsorship has funded Elversberg's rise — will be able to fit everyone in the town of Spiesen-Elversberg and nearly 2,000 more people.

The club's recruitment operation is undersized, too, with two “hardworking” scouts on staff, Welzmüller said. There are “very, very few” executives, which he argued means the club can make decisions fast.

The sudden rise of a team which was playing fourth-tier soccer as recently as 2022 still manages to surprise its own staff.

Welzmüller grew up a Bayern Munich fan and says facing his boyhood team on Sept. 13 will be “insane.”

But it'll be just another game for a team which refuses to back down.

“We have very much respect for the Bundesliga,” Welzmüller said. “We don’t fear anybody.”

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