1. FC Köln: Austin to Adelaide: Baumgart family reunion in Australia | game

THROUGH TEXAS TO ADELAIDE |

Baumgard is planning a family reunion in Australia

1. FC Köln on a big American tour. Coach Steffen Baumgart (50) and his family are on an even bigger world tour…

Let’s go! Four days after 0:2 in Berlin, Cologne begins its American adventure, flying from Frankfurt to Austin (Texas) at 10.05 this morning. FC visit the US until November 24, where they embark on a PR tour to cap off the first part of the longest World Cup break (68 days).

Surprisingly, Katja and the Cologne head coach’s wife and daughter, Emilia Baumgardt, are also on board LH 468. And it has a touching background.

The coach’s wife and eldest daughter are not officially part of the tour group and are staying at a different hotel in Austin. The real purpose of the trip is a week in the future, and reunites the family for the first time in four months.

Baumgart explains to BILD: “Our youngest daughter, Fiona, has been in Australia for a school year since mid-July. After the US trip, Katja, Emilia and I will fly directly to Adelaide via Melbourne to visit Fiona there. So they saw Austin a few days ago and then we’ll fly together, not each of us or me. First to return to Cologne.

A family reunion on the other side of the world.

Before a well-deserved family vacation, the Austin-based coach still fulfills his FC duties. On the plan: some training sessions with the team, a test kick against Stuttgart (Nov. 19), plus an NFL game and visits to NASA. Most of all the sense of community after a tough first half of the season.

The flight to Austin is about 12 hours. There are a total of 22 players along with the coaching staff and officials (including captain Werner Wolff). Sports Director Christian Keller (43) travels to New York to meet with DFL representatives, German-American Chamber of Commerce and BVB representatives. After that he will also come to Austin.

Baumgard and his family, on the other hand, set off up and down.