"We want more!" - RB Leipzig left thrilled with first US tour
RB Leipzig first ever US tour has come to an end with a win over Aston Villa and defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Marco Rose's side began with a 2-0 victory over Villa in New Jersey, and followed it up with a 3-0 defeat to Wolves in Florida. The first clash saw goals from last season's top scorer Loïs Openda and the returning Andre Silva, while supporters also got a good look at new recruits Assan Ouédraogo and Maarten Vandevoordt.
Leipzig were based at the New York Red Bulls Academy in Whippany, New Jersey, and had a joyous meet up with former attacker Emil Forsberg, who laced his boots in Leipzig between 2015-2024 and now plays for the New York Red Bulls.
After catching up with the club legend, Leipzig's squad undertook a number of promotional activities, including touring Times Square and the Statue of Liberty, trying their luck at NFL, and high dive lessons from fellow Red Bull athletes.
Watch:Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 RB Leipzig
Speaking at the conclusion of the trip, managing director Johann Plenge said: "We have found a healthy balance between the sporting preparation for the new season and official appointments and activities with the players. Everyone pulled together, everyone agrees on that. It was certainly a different preparation with longer journeys and lots of activities, but when you talk to our players, they are very happy.
"For many of them it was their first visit to the USA, and for them it was something special to be in cities like New York and Miami. It was a good opportunity to bring the team even closer together - and you can feel that in everyone on the team and staff. We are very satisfied and can look back on a successful tour. It makes us want even more."
Leipzig tasted their first defeat of the 2024/25 pre-season by falling 3-0 to Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers in Miami.
Leipzig's first defeat of pre-season
After victories over SV Babelsberg and Aston Villa, Leipzig experienced their first loss of pre-season, falling 3-0 to Premier League side Wolves.
Grand finale
After a good result against Aston Villa, can Leipzig end their US tour on a high with a victory against Wolves?
Integrating youth
Speaking on the younger players that have joined the tour, the Leipzig coach was very honest:
"I have to praise them. They have been here since the start of the preparation and are doing great. We have a lot of fun with them. But today I had to be a bit stricter with them because at the end of the training they were no longer at the quality I imagined...But overall I'm really proud of them. That will mean that we might keep them in training longer and keep bringing them back to the first team. But in the end it's up to them; the margin of error is more reduced in professional football. Everything has to be right."
Marcel Schäfer arrives
On the arrival of new managing director Marcel Schäfer, Rose was equally positive: "I've known Marcel for a while, and we've spoken a few times recently. Now we're going to start working together. I'm looking forward to it because he's a very balanced, clear-headed and yet very ambitious guy with a wealth of experience."
Rose tinted glasses
Ahead of his side's clash with Wolves tonight, Marco Rose was full of praise for the two host cities that Leipzig have visited and how valuable the tour has been for his squad, telling the club's official website:
"This tour has been very valuable to us. We experience a lot of beautiful things, we got to visit two absolute world metropolises, New York and Miami. This experience is really special...We have the challenge of preparing for an intensive season with three competitions. But we found top conditions and have had a very good time together."
Next stop: Miami
After ending their time in New York on a high with a 2-0 win against Aston Villa, Marco Rose's side now head to Miami where they will face another Premier League side in Wolves.
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Watch: RB Leipzig 2-0 Aston Villa
Here are the highlights from Leipzig's impressive pre-season win over the Premier League side.
Rose on statement Villa win
"They were the tough opponents we wanted and expected. We held up well, won the ball well and scored two goals that gave the game a direction. We would have liked to avoid having a numerical advantage and wanted to make substitutions. But that wasn't possible because of television and FIFA statutes."
Both goals were scored in the first half, with the first seeing Amadou Haidara capitalise on a defensive mix-up to set up Silva before Openda eventually finished off a El Chadaille Bitshiabu cross. Villa went down to 10 men at the end of the half as Diego Carlos picked up a second yellow.
RB Leipzig down Aston Villa 2-0!
Leipzig came away with a convincing victory against their Premier League opponents thanks to goals from André Silva and Loïs Openda.
Leipzig's preparations will continue at the New York Red Bulls' training ground today before their first match in America on Wednesday. They will take on English outfit Aston Villa at the familiar-sounding Red Bull Arena in New Jersey from 8pm local time.
Rose had his players on the pitch for the first time after touching down in the USA when he put them through their paces on Monday. There are 18 players in the squad, including nine youth team players. Castello Lukeba isn't there as he's competing at the Olympic Games, while Xaver Schlager and Christoph Baumgartner remain in Leipzig as they recover from injury.
Die Roten Bullen have arrived in New York, where they will take on Premier League side Aston Villa in the first stop of their US tour. Marco Rose's men will then head to Miami where they will take on another Premier League side in Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Leipzig on their way!
RB have left Cottaweg and are set for touch down in the US.
Euro 2024 star Christoph Baumgartner out of tour
Leipzig have announced that star Austrian midfielder Christoph Baumgartner will not be joining the team in the US. The club confirmed that the Euro 2024 star has undergone a minor operation on his knee and will be available again 'soon'.
"I'm excited. I wish I could be there, but I wish everybody the best. They play a really good style of football. I think it'll be a good experience for the players, and I hope that they grow more fans here in the United States."
Former Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams on US tour
"I think it's a great opportunity for RBL to go and see New York, and for the players to see what it's like to play in MLS. For a lot of these young kids in New York that have ambitions of going to Europe or trying to transition and take that next step, it's great to have first-hand experience watching RB Leipzig in person."
Šeško re-joins teammates
Benjamin Šeško is back in Leipzig's ranks ahead of the match against Aston Villa. The striker had previously been back in Slovenia celebrating his nation's historic Euro 2024 campaign.
Ahead of their matches in the US, Leipzig have confirmed three new squad numbers. Loïs Openda has dropped from no.17 to no.11, while Assan Ouédraogo takes no.20, and Maarten Vandevoordt no.26.
Orbán: "He's made a great impression"
Assan Ouédraogo has wasted little time in impressing his new team-mates, with Orbán saying, "He is a great talent and has made a great impression in the first training sessions. A good precondition is that he seems to be very clear-headed. Young players need that in order to establish themselves at the professional level."
Speaking to club media about the start to pre-season, the seasoned defender said, "It's a great plus that we do not have to deal with any major changes in the squad this season. We can face the upcoming season with a lot of self-confidence. The basics are in place, we have already internalized many automatisms. We can be optimistic for what lies ahead."
Leipzig fans will get a glimpse of their latest recruits, Assan Ouédraogo and Maarten Vandevoordt. Attacking midfielder Ouédraogo has signed from Schalke, while goalkeeper Vandevoordt arrives from Belgian outfit Genk.
It's worth remembering that Dani Olmo hasn't been included in the US tour squad due to his Euro 2024 exploits. The midfielder won the tournament with Spain as their top scorer, and has therefore been given a delayed holiday break.
Leipzig were due to warm up for their tour with a friendly against Rot-Weiß Erfurt yesterday (July 19), but the match was cancelled, meaning their first will be against Aston Villa on August 1.
High-profile friendlies
Leipzig will be in the US from 28 July to 4 August, basing themselves first at the New York Red Bulls Academy of their sister club. They will also face Aston Villa in a friendly at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on 31 July (8pm local time). Marco Rose's team then head south to Miami and will train at the same place as Lionel Messi as they're hosted by Inter Miami before a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Chase Stadium on 3 August (7.30pm local time).
Welcome
RB Leipzig are spending pre-season outside of Europe for the first time as they embark on a trip to the USA in preparation for the 2024/25 campaign. You can follow all the latest updates from their trip Stateside here.
