SV Eintracht Trier 05 – FSV Mainz 05 (12-07-2009)

On the last day of my trip to Europe, my brother T.M. and I made our way to Trier, in Rhineland-Palatine, a good four hour drive. The local SV Eintracht Trier 05 had been on my list for over a decade, although I always hoped to combine it with a game in France or Luxembourg. However, as most European teams were still on their summer break, we were already happy to find an interesting friendly within a 500 km radius.

We arrived at the Moselstadion with more than half an hour until kick-off, got tickets for just 5 euro a person, and made our way to the Currywurst and Pommes Weiss (French fries with mayonaisse). We then went to the (mobile) fan shop, where T. bought a pin, but I found no pennant. :-(

SV Eintracht Trier plays in the Regionalliga West (Fourth Division West). While never a big team, it did play in the 2. Bundesliga (Second Division) from 2002 till 2005 and regularly features in the first round(s) of the DFB Pokal (German Cup). The Mosel Stadium was built in 1930 and, with some (minor) upgrades, holds 10.254 people (only 2.000 are covered, however). Halfway the main stand one can still find the (no longer used) old scoreboard.

The game against FSV Mainz 05, which after relegation in 2007 returns to the 1. Bundesliga (First Division) in the new season, was the headliner of Eintracht’s fan day. A somewhat disappointing 2.000 people came to the game, among them remarkably few kids. Roughly 50 away fans had made the 150 km trip from Mainz to Trier.

As I forgot my phone in the car, I have no notes on the game. Moreover, the Eintracht website doesn’t have a game report, while Mainz has a very short one. I will therefore not write too much about the game.

The first half was pretty unspectacular, with Trier fighting hard for every ball, and Mainz mainly looking for balance and plays. Few good chances were created and we were particularly disappointed by the performance of the guests. Still, in the 30^th minute they did manage to score: 0-1 was also the half time score.

The second half was much the same, although with mostly different players. Both teams changed virtually their whole squad during half time and the second half, which disrupted the rather poor interplay even more. Moreover, the tension was out of the game soon, as Mainz scored its second in the 58^th minute.

In the 75^th minute Mainz scored its third and last goal. At that time they created a couple more chances, but still looked far from 1.Bundesliga-ready. Trier didn’t play bad at all and should be a contender in the Regionalliga West this season.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the Moselstadion and the Eintracht Trier-experience. There is nothing really wrong with it, but there is also nothing special to it. Hence, there are a lot better alternatives in the region (e.g. Kaiserslautern), including various teams in Luxembourg.