Why is there a Borussia Dortmund Fan Club in Los Angeles? What has drawn these people together to get up early in the morning and suffer with a team that is all ups and downs, triumph and disaster. We have many answers.
Germans in America
Perhaps half of our members are German. Many come from Dortmund, but quite a few don’t. The fact is, there are two kinds of fans in Germany: those that follow Bayern München and those that don’t. Among “those that don’t,” Dortmund is the #1 choice.
PULISIC!!
Yes, a lot of interest is generated by the rise of Christian Pulisic from talented youngster to Bundesliga starter. Americans who follow soccer see Christian as the Great American Hope.
But BVBLA was founded and gathering members long before Christian came on the scene. While we appreciate the interest, we know (from watching every week for years) that Christian Pulisic will have quite a ways to go before he can be called a star (Fox Sports, please take note). He’s actually just now been seen as a starter.
The Competition
American soccer fans have been fed a steady diet of Premier League, Barcelona and Real Madrid for years. They naturally assume that the Premier League and La Liga are where all the stars are and where all the best teams are.
With that in mind, it’s difficult to, just as an example, get together at an English Pub for a match. We get displaced by any Chelsea or Liverpool match that happens to be on.
The Real Reasons
American sports fans like the scrappy underdog. They like a team that “punches above their weight,” a team that gives their all through the good times and bad. That’s what we American BVB fans see in Dortmund. This is a team you can follow for life. Watch Dortmund for a short time and you are hooked. You become a Dortmund Fan and can’t go back.
This season, Dortmund is rebuilding. They’ve been stripped of some great players (Dembélé, Aubameyang), they had an historically bad season last year. But, in true BVB fashion, they are back with big stars like Marco Reus, amazing new additions like Alex Witsel, and most BVB of all; new young stars like Jadon Sancho.
This team is ready to explode, ready to take #1 in Bundesliga, win Champions League and the Pokal…or not. Either way, we’ll be here. Join us.