Borussia Dortmund’s first foray into the Asian market is well underway. After the black and yellow visibly enjoyed a rapturous welcome at Tokyo airport and attended various promotional events, the trip culminated in a 6-0 thrashing of Kawasaki Frontale on Tuesday night. The Asia tour looks to become a sweeping success and ought to turn into a regular fixture of BVB’s pre-season.
Long after the final whistle was blown, celebrations at Todoroki stadium were still in full swing as the black and yellow kits now trudged from stand to stand to thank the Japanese football fans for their frenetic support. Dortmund had just put six goals past Kawasaki Frontale in an impressive display of a strong early pre-season form. Whilst the outstanding actors on the pitch such as Shinji Kagawa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were highly coveted by fans after kick-off, the likes of Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and company were at least as much in demand, scribbling away autographs until late into the night.
Borussia Dortmund have become a huge brand in Asia, that is undeniable fact one. Fact two is that Dortmund are late to the game. The Asian game that is. Many other clubs have discovered the perks of these PR-infused preseason adventures before. So what is with the timing? Is there a reason BVB chartered flights to Japan, Singapore and Malaysia this summer, or is it simply a case of better late than never?
It can be assumed that the analysis and number crunching of Dortmund’s marketing division has been slightly more extensive, but in essence the answer to ‘why now?’ is twofold and boils down to this – years of repeated success and (the return of) Kagawa. Being a key figure and pretty much national hero in Japan, the latter is absolutely integral and his departure to Manchester in 2012 surely nixed Dortmund’s Asia Tour plans, if there were any tentative ideas at the time.
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Could BVB have pulled it off before, for example in 2011 after being crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time? Sure, but realistically, the foreign interest at the time did not even come close to today’s buzz. Too much has happened since, be it positive milestones such as the Champions League final in 2013, or blows like the Mario Goetze saga, which did a lot to fuel the Dortmund-Bayern rivalry and unquestionably drew world-wide attention.
Hence, when Kagawa sensationally returned ‘home’ to the Westfalenstadion last year, everything swiftly fell into place. This week, we get to witness just how well that formula works: The scenes at Tokyo Airport, in the city or the training venues, are reminiscent of what happened not long ago in Sydney when Chelsea FC dropped in for a visit. It is, generally speaking, a reception you would rather expect from renowned clubs like Barcelona, not necessarily a German club finishing seventh on last year’s table. But the pulling power Dortmund have developed over the years is evidently strong and something all players and officials have reason to be proud of.
Speaking of feelings, aside from the financial benefits, the tour shapes up to become a great confidence booster for individual players and a valuable team-building experience at the same time. Previously maligned as ill-timed and nothing but a nuisance, it now appears the players are genuinely relishing the hospitality and attention of a foreign culture. It further sends a strong signal to current and future players – Borussia Dortmund more than ever are an internationally known, prestigious side.
And do not forget about another important part of the BVB mosaic, new coach Thomas Tuchel. From everything we hear through the media, it looks like the trip too is noticeably accelerating the process of getting to know each other. As stated by an upbeat Sven Bender after the Kawasaki match, the team’s sentiment is that something exceptional is growing together as we speak. Promising words that will need to be substantiated on the pitch, but so far there is little ground to question them. Which leads to another perk of the trip – rack up game time and experience against Asian sides, who undoubtedly carry out a very different style of football, which in turn will add more nuances to Dortmund’s play.
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At the end of the day, the feasibility of an Asian excursion in pre-season will likely be reassessed every year, but as it stands now the trip has all the ingredients of a complete success. Dortmund looked sharp against Kawasaki and have another encounter to be looking forward to against Johor Southern Tigers later this week. Those two matches and the surrounding experiences might turn out to be the most valuable pre-season week in retrospect. It would be a shame to see it dropped after just one year.
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