Reto Berra returns to the national team

Ice Cream Master Zug

A golden autumn for goalkeepers: they withstand foreign competition and Reto Pera returns to the national team to participate in international matches in November.

The big legitimate concern after the increase from four to six foreigners: What will happen to the goalkeepers? Will they lose their jobs due to strong foreign competition? That would be fatal for our national team.

The most satisfactory result for hockey in the fall of 2023: In the second season with the new foreign regulation, the Swiss goalkeepers will play on equal terms with the foreign competition. The match between Bern and Zug was a stunning example. It was an exciting encounter between two world-class goalkeepers. Swedish Adam Redburn recorded a defense rate of 96.55 percent. Leonardo Genoni, Zug’s player, maintained a percentage of 96.43 percent and won the penalty shootout in favor of Zug 2-1 after the penalty shootout. With league leaders Gautieron, Langenau, Servette, Davos, Lakers and Agüi, the Swiss share the task, or the Swiss is the clear number 1. Next season, Logano will also rely on a Swiss duo (Joren van Buttelbergh, Niklas Schlegel).

Switzerland can only compete in the World Cup with at least one world-class goalkeeper. Yes, it actually takes two. Excellent statistics in the National League do not guarantee international suitability. International experience is absolutely essential in order to deliver the best performance at the decisive moment in the particularly stimulating atmosphere of the World Cup. Champion Robert Mayer, the league’s Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year, found out the bitter way in the quarter-finals against Germany in the last World Cup.

To date, only three goalkeepers have won medals for Switzerland in a recent World Cup with world-class performances in the quarter and semi-finals: Martin Gerber and Reto Pera in Sweden in 2013 and Reto Pera and Leonardo Genoni in Denmark in 2018.

This dry look back awakens hopes, they are, so to speak, memories of the future: Leonardo Ginone and Reto Berra are at the same age (36 years old) and will consistently play their best hockey again in the fall of 2023 after a year of break. . Nothing will prevent them from maintaining their world level until the 2026 World Cup in Zurich and Freiburg. Finally, Reto Berra is 100% again, and Leonardo Ginone is clearly better than last fall, when he was statistically a “goalie” at times and was only No. 15 in the league at the end of the playoffs. This slight laxity tempted national coach Patrick Fischer and led to a technical fall from grace in hockey: he relied on Robert Mayer instead of Leonardo Ginoni in the World Cup quarterfinals. This mistake probably cost us a medal.

Leonardo Genoni on Saturday against SCB. Image: Cornerstone

In the fall of 2023, we will witness, so to speak, the renaissance of the silver World Cup champions from 2013 and 2018. This can now be seen in the lineup for the four-nation tournament in November in Tampere. National coach Patrick Fischer will call up Reto Berra, Sandro Aeschlimann and Jorn van Botelbergh for the matches against Finland (November 9), Sweden (November 11) and the Czech Republic (November 12). Leonardo Genoni and Robert Maier are expected to feature in the domestic tournament in December with matches against Sweden (December 14), Czech Republic (December 16) and Finland (December 17) in Zurich. After missing the last World Cup for health reasons, Reto Berra has returned to the national team.

There is a lot to be said about the World Cup duo of Leonardo Ginone/Reto Berra. Who will be number three does not matter.

The most important place in the goalkeeping circle is occupied (Joren van Botelbergh moves to Lugano next season). But there’s still a little poker here: Reto Berra is playing his best hockey and dominates most of the stats. But playing poker is not that easy for him: Juha Metsola’s contract with Kloten is about to expire and a return to the Zurich area (he trained at ZSC Lions) would certainly be attractive for Reto Berra. But his commitment will exceed the internal salary cap of 300,000 francs that has been maintained since Kloten’s return. Lausanne already has two high-priced goalkeepers under contract for next season: Connor Hughes and Ivar Ponynov. Gutierron’s coach and sporting director Christian Dube can be confident.

The most interesting place in the back rows is available at Umbry: Benjamin Kunz, whose contract is expiring, plays there on an equal footing with Jan Juvonen. If Benjamin Kunz switches to Agui and Davos does not extend Gil Saine’s contract, it is quite possible that Gil Saine could be Embry’s goalkeeper next season. However, his agent has already contacted sporting director Paolo Duca about the matter.