Borussia Dortmund’s Managing Director Carsten Cramer sat with reporters from World Soccer Talk, The Athletic, and The Daily Mail to discuss the club’s internationalization plans for the United States.
In a lengthy conversation, the well-respected and forward-thinking German executive discussed the impact of previous players Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna on merchandise sales, when Dortmund could play next in the United States, plus what makes Borussia Dortmund different than other teams.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Talk to us about Borussia Dortmund and its cultureas it relates to internationalization in the United States.
Carsten Cramer: “We were the first German football club who hired an American superstar. [Christian Pulisic] when he started to play for Dortmund wasn’t a superstar. So that is part of the Dortmund DNA as well. We never would hire a superstar. We will try to build a superstar and we won’t be able to buy a Kane but we might be able to develop and educate a Bellingham.
“I would say the superstar is not [a player] wearing a shirt. Our superstar is wearing 25,000 shirts, which is The Yellow Wall, and it’s the craziness, intensity and emotion that people spend to our club.
“To experience Dortmund at its best, you have to be in Signal Iduna Park because that shows you what makes Dortmund so special.”
In the past, you’ve often prioritized Asia over North America, including this summer. Is there an opportunity to come back and play some games in the United States in the future?
Cramer: “We already played nine games in the US until now. It was our fourth tour last summer.
“Ten years ago when we started our internationalization, I never thought we would play a game against Chelsea [at Soldier Field in Chicago] where maybe 30 percent of the people were wearing black and yellow [shirts]. That’s once more a confirmation that all the investment and effort we have spent in the American Market…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/borussia-dortmund-exec-talks-pulisic-usa-expansion/
Author : Christopher Harris
Publish date : 2024-05-07 22:51:10
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