BERLIN
\nAfter his side defeated Ajax 3-1 to qualify for the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, a smiling Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer said simply \u201cthe insanity goes on\u201d.
\nThe next stop on Union\u2019s \u2018insane\u2019 journey? German powerhouses Bayern Munich on Sunday.
\nUnion sit alongside Bayern and fellow powerhouses Borussia Dortmund atop the Bundesliga, separated only by goal difference – a pre-season outcome likely beyond the dreams of even the most ambitious Unioner.
\nShortly after beating Ajax on Thursday, with Union\u2019s players dancing in front of the all-standing terraces, the fans began a chant, promising to \u201cpull the Lederhosen off the Bavarians\u201d.
\nUnlike Bayern, who have won the Bundesliga more than the rest of German clubs combined, Union\u2019s trophy cabinet is relatively empty, meaning fans have a different understanding of what \u2018success\u2019 really means.
\nAmerican striker Jordan Siebatcheu has fitted right in after arriving in summer, scoring three goals and laying on two assists in his first six games.
\nHe told AFP \u201cclear communication plus the nice group of guys helped me to adapt to the system early and improve myself.\u201d
\n\u201cThe fans are amazing. They don\u2019t care about the result.
\n\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter if German Cup, Bundesliga or friendlies, they are there.
\n\u201cTherefore, we need to keep going for the fans.\u201d
\nSiebatcheu is confident the occasion will not get to the visitors on Sunday. \u201cWe don\u2019t care if we play against Schalke or Munich.\u201d
\nEnglishman John Richter\u2019s love for the club is so strong that after flying to Berlin for dozens of matches a year, he decided to move to Germany in the summer \u201cbecause of Union.\u201d
\nRichter, 58, told AFP he decided while standing on the grass of Union\u2019s Alte Foersterei stadium after the club had secured promotion to the top division in 2019.
\n\u201cThe playoff against Stuttgart, when we were celebrating on the pitch, that night was one of the greatest nights of my life.
\n\u201cI just thought I need to get to more matches and I need to be in Berlin more often.\u201d
\nFor former Liverpool fan Richter, who received a German passport through his father, supporting Union provides a connection to a less commercial game with a purer fan culture.
\n\u201cStanding on a terrace\u201d at Union, Richter said \u201cI recaptured my youth.\u201d
\nOliver Jauer, who contributes to Union blog and podcast Textilvergehen, came with his dad as a two-year-old and has stood with the club since.
\n\u201cI\u2019m thankful I didn\u2019t rebel against my father\u201d Jauer, now 41, told AFP.
\nWhen it comes to titles, Jauer echoes the stoic pragmatism of manager Fischer, but admits \u201cI think I\u2019m one of the few people I know who actively tries to allow himself to dream.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m trying to visualise how it would feel to actually do a Leicester (who surprisingly won the English title in 2016), but every part of me is screaming that there\u2019s still maybe like a one percent chance.\u201d
\nFor lifelong Union fan Jan Grobi, 54, who has been to \u201cpretty much every game\u201d since 1983, an unlikely title win may have consequences.
\n\u201cBefore the season I said the words \u2018if we become German champions, I\u2019d walk naked through the Alte Foersterei.\u2019
\n\u201cA few people are already trying to hold me to that, saying \u2018Hey Grobi, you promised!\u2019
\n\u201cSince then, we agreed it\u2019d be more like the Borat swimsuit, so that the ugly bits are covered,\u201d he added in reference to \u2018mankini\u2019 made famous by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen\u2019s hit movie about a crude fictional TV reporter from Kazakhstan.
\nUnion have never beaten Bayern, with four losses and three draws, all by a 1-1 scoreline, including earlier this season in Berlin.
\nWhether the club win, lose or draw on Sunday and whether they can sustain a push for the Champions League or an unlikely title, Jauer hints that success means something very different for Union fans.
\n\u201cThere is still a lot of gratitude for the crazy ride – we are secure in theBundesliga for the fourth year.
\n\u201cI think that if we would somehow miss out on Europe on the last day, no-one would be really disappointed.\u201d
\n\u201cAnything else that comes is a bonus.\u201d
\n\u201cBut if we should actually play in the Champions League,\u201d Grobi ponders, \u201cI\u2019ve heard the anthem probably 1,000 times, but to hear it in the Alte Foersterei, well that would be great.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BERLIN After his side defeated Ajax 3-1 to qualify for the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, a smiling Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer said simply \u201cthe insanity goes on\u201d. The next stop on Union\u2019s \u2018insane\u2019 journey? German powerhouses Bayern Munich on Sunday. Union sit alongside Bayern and fellow powerhouses Borussia Dortmund atop the Bundesliga, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-316082","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n