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photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images by Anthony J. Merced A spirited effort couldn't topple the mighty Real Madrid as RB Leipzig fell 1-0 at Red Bull Arena on Tuesday evening in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Heading to Madrid, they are one goal behind and will need to climb a seemingly insurmountable mountain in order to continue in the competition. "We had chances," said head coach Marco Rose after the game." We started the game well and scored a goal that should have counted. That's tough at this level, but we still stuck with it and did our jobs." Leipzig controlled possession and goal-scoring opportunities but were unable to find the back of the net. A first half goal was wiped off the scoreboard due to an offside call that haunted the club for the remainder of the game. A 48th minute goal by Brahim Diaz was the difference, as well as a stellar performance by Madrid backup goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.  The lack of goalscoring is something th...

photo from RB Leipzig by Anthony J. Merced A draw over the weekend against Augsburg has left RB Leipzig wondering if their hopes for the Champions League has sailed for next season. Augsburg, currently 11th in the Bundesliga, pulled off a 2-2 draw against a team that was supposed to be competing for the top of the league in a year where Bayern Munich have faltered and opened the path for surging Bayer Leverkusen. "The bottom line is that it's not enough for us," said captain Willi Orban after the game. "Things are going to continue in quick succession. We have to recover quickly. We have a difficult home game in the Champions League with Real Madrid on Tuesday." That game against Real Madrid now holds the key to Leipzig's future in the competition. Currently Madrid are top of La Liga and appear to be gaining tractions as favorites yet again to make the final. Leipzig are on the opposite trajectory, with only two wins since the start of the year, the club now...

by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig have made moves this transfer window, sending out as opposed to bringing in by sending wingback Angelino to Roma for the remainder of the season and Hugo Novoa to Villareal with an option to buy. Angelino has been a journeyman even before joining Leipzig in 2020. The 27 year-old Spanish footballer started his career with Manchester City but was constantly on loan with NYCFC, Girona and Mallorca before moving to PSV Einhoven in 2018. He rejoined Manchester City a year later but was again sent on loan, this time to RB Leipzig. With Leipzig, Angelino made 100 appearances and appeared to be a constant in the line-up with 12 total goals. However, the revolving door of managers saw the player fall out of favor and once again be sent on loan. Now, he sees himself joining a Serie A side that is looking to rebound following the departure of Jose Mourinho. Novoa has had limited appearances both with Leipzig as well as his previously loaned teams. In 23 appearances...

by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig midfielder Ilaix Moriba will join Getafe in La Liga on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. This is a continuation of his loan spell as the player was with Valencia for most of the previous two seasons, barely seeing the field with Leipzig. Despite being highly sought after, with a fee of 16 million Euros, the Guinean central midfielder has found it hard to break into the Bundesliga roster. He's only made two total appearances for Leipzig, a shock after he had pushed his way into the line-up for Barcelona as a teenager. Moriba made 18 first team appearances with Barcelona, 14 of which in La Liga, scoring a goal over that time. His return to La Liga with Valencia had him playing 38 games over two seasons as he continues to grow in the domestic league of his professional origin. "He's conducted himself impeccably here and put in good shifts in training," said Sporting Director Rouven Schroder. "Now it's just important fo...

photo from Sky Sports by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner is nearing a loan move back to the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur according to Sky Sports News . The 27 year-old German international is hoping to change the narrative of his English career by returning to a different London team. Werner made his name with Leipzig between the years of 2016 and 2020 where he helped establish the East German club as one of the top sides in the Bundesliga. Over the course of 127 games he scored 78 goals and led the team to European competition in each season he was with the club. From 2020 to 2022, Werner joined Chelsea where poor performance and injuries curtailed his ascension as the next big German star. Over 56 games he only scored 10 goals and found himself on the outs with numerous managers over that time. While Werner did raise the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2021, he only made four appearances in the competition that year. Chelsea's success with player...

by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig have bolstered their midfield with the signing of 24 year-old Eljif Elmas from Napoli. Macedonian agreed to a four year deal with the East German club, taking him through the 2028 season. Elmas made his debut professionally at the age of 16 in his home country before moving to the Turkish league with Fenerbahce in 2017. He made 45 appearances, netting five goals in a little under two years with the club. From there he moved to Napoli under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti in 2019. In his time there he scored 19 goals and notched 11 assists, lifting the Serie A championship along the way last season. "Moving to the Bundesliga and joining RB Leipzig is the stuff of dreams," said Elmas. "The club is known for the special football they play. They like gengenpressing, play with pace and have a strong attack. All of that suits me down to the ground." Elmas will join a midfield in need of offense after an early season injury to Dani Olmo. He...

photo from RB Leipzig by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig were defeated in the DFB Pokal by Wolfsburg, ending a two-year domination of the competition, lifting the trophy in 2021 and 2022. The loss has hit the team hard as their plans to continue domination of German football's oldest competition have been put on hold. "It marks the end of an incredible journey for us," said manager Marco Rose. "We've made a lot of good memories in the DFB Pokal and won it twice. But history's not going to repeat itself." While Leipzig's climb up the German football period has been astounding, their inability to topple the giants like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is one that has hounded the club in recent years. A loss to Wolfsburg is the kind of setback that reflects just where the team is in spite of their domestic and international success.  Currently Leipzig are in fifth the Bundesliga, just five points off of Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the table. There ha...

photo via Getty Images by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig defeat Darmstadt 3-1 at Merck-Stadion am Bollenfalltor off the back of the fastest Bundesliga goal of the season from Lois Openda in the first minute of the game. Openda continued his goal scoring to enter the top ten in the Golden Boot race in Germany with a second that sealed the game away in the second half. Openda found the back of the net just after kickoff when defender Benjamin Henrichs stripped the ball from the opposition and found the Leipzig striker in front of goal. Later in the half, a free kick from Emil Forsberg doubled the lead, giving the reigning German Cup champions the confidence to win the game. However, the team took their foot off the gas just before halftime as a foul from Kevin Kampl gave Darmstadt the lifeline with a penalty opportunity. Tobias Kempe converted, setting the stage for a tense second half. Leipzig opened the second half pressing for the third goal and eventually found it in the 73rd minute. A...

photo by Matt Kremkau This week Anthony is joined by Dan Feuerstein to talk about the loss New York Red Bulls suffered against Chicago Fire FC this past weekend and Jenna Tonelli joins to discuss the surprising loss Gotham FC took against the Houston Dash. Also a recap of all the happenings around Europe with Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig. RBNN: The Podcast · RBNN Podcast: Dan Feuerstein and Jenna Tonelli Talk Red Bulls and Gotham

photo from Bundesliga by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig will fell that they let Bayern Munich off the hook after surrendering their two-goal first-half lead at Red Bull Arena in East Germany on Saturday afternoon. First half goals from Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba appeared to have Leipzig on the doorstep of finally winning a Bundesliga fixture against the Bavarian giants. However it was not to be following goals from Harry Kane and Leroy Sane in the second half. Leipzig pressured the defending champions early and forced Munich into uncharacteristic mistakes. Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich had a particularly un-nerving mistake after collecting the ball outside of the box. His errant pass led to a long distance effort from Emil Forsberg that nearly opened the scoring. It wouldn't be long before the first goal did come. It was in the 20th minute when Openda's shot beat the Bayern keeper after a pass from Xaver Schlager played him through on goal. Six minutes later Lukeba doubled the lea...

photo by DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig defeated Young Boys 3-1 in their opening game in the UEFA Champions League group stage in Wankdorf Stadium on Tuesday night. It took a second half surge for the club to take all three points with goals from veteran Xaver Schlager and youngster Benjamin Sesko to put the game away. Leipzig started fast with a goal in the third minute by Mohamed Simakan. The defender put away a corner kick with a header to give the East German powerhouses the lead. From there Young Boys surged back, pressing Leipzig and creating chances. It led to an equalizer in the 33rd minute by Meschak Elia. The striker settled the ball in the box before turning and taking a shot that beat goalkeeper Yanis Blaswich.  Leipzig emerged for the second half with vigor and pressed for a second goal early. Luis Openda and Yusuf Poulsen had chances that were brushed aside by the Young Boys keeper. A chance by Xavi Simons was also stopped althou...

photo from Bundesliga by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig suffered a major blow during the international break with defender and co-captain Willi Orban suffering a knee injury that will see him needing significant time to recover. The Hungarian defender was playing for his national team when he suffered the injury in a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic. Orban is expected to be examined again in a few weeks. This leaves Leipzig understaffed in their backline after losing one of the best defenders Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City during the transfer window. A lot will be asked of Mohamed Simakan and 20 year old Castello Lukeba who joined the club from Lyon in this same window. Manager Marco Rose will also need to juggle the impending schedule congestion with the UEFA Champions League and German Cup picking up pace. Orban had made three starts for Leipzig this season and was a pivotal role in the defense that shut down Bayern Munich in the team's German Supercup win. The loss will be f...

photo from Getty Images by Anthony J. Merced A second half surge saw RB Leipzig eliminate a deficit and win by four goals against VfB Stuttgart in their first home game of the 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign. The goals came from all of the field with the notorious Red Bull press saw defenders, wingers and forwards hitting the back of the net. Leipzig and Stuttgart traded jabs in the midfield with few obvious chances. It wasn't until the 35th minute when Stuttgart surprised the hosts and took the lead due to a unfamiliar turnover by David Raum. His pass into the midfield was intercepted and turned into the opening goal by Serhou Guirassy. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich got a hand on the ball but it wasn't enough to keep it out of the net.  Leipzig found their way back into the game in the second half when a goalkeeping error from Stuttgart on a clearance became the equalizer. Benjamin Henrichs rushed the keeper and deflected the clearance into the net. Leipzig took the lead in the 63rd m...

photo by DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig were brought back down to earth by Xavi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen who defeated the 2023 Supercup Champions 3-2 at the BayArena to kick off the Bundesliga campaign. A rough first half saw Leipzig fall behind 2-0 before mounting a comeback that fell short despite many missed opportunities. Leverkusen came in with a game plan that saw them possess the ball and pressure Leipzig into quick decisions. One such play led to a turnover that created the first goal. After giving up the ball in the midfield, Victor Boniface had trouble controlling the ball in the box but was poised enough to find Jeremie Frimpong who beat Leipzig keeper Janis Blaswich for the game's opening goal. 11 minutes later, Leverkusen doubled the league with a headed effort from Jonathan Tah. Leipzig responded well before the end of the first half when Dani Olmo notched his first goal of the campaign with a header. The goal sent the away te...

photo from RB Leipzig by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig are still on Cloud 9 but will have to come back to earth to play their first Bundesliga fixture of the 2023-24 season against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday at the BayArena. The East German club is enjoying their Supercup upset over Bayern Munich and hoping that the momentum can continue into the new campaign. "We're happy we took home the trophy but we know this success doesn't give us any advantage over Leverkusen," said team captain Willi Orban after training. Leipzig last visited Leverkusen in April where they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Xavi Alonso's men. Now, they return to the scene of the crime, hoping to right that wrong and get their season off to a good start.  Many new faces will be on the field as they hope to integrate quick enough to make an impact. Willi Orban, along with his leadership council of Peter Gulasci, Emil Forsberg, Yussuf Poulsen and others, will hope to have the team focusin...

photo from Bundesliga by Anthony J. Merced A Dani Olmo hat trick gave RB Leipzig one of the biggest wins of their history with a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich at the Alianz Arena in the DFB Supercup on Saturday night. A performance that saw Bayern dominate possession stats meant next to nothing as Leipzig took their chances to come away with a shocking win. The scoring started early as Olmo blasted an effort past goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to open the scoring in the third minute. Leipzig proceed to absorb pressure, giving little in the way of scoring chances for the rest of the half. The East German club took advantage of an aggressive Bayern, with Olmo scoring again just before the halftime whistle. Munich didn't sit back as they made major substitutions in the second half. Kingsley Colman, Leon Goretzka and new signing Harry Kane all came on before the 70th minute. Leipzig, continued to play a stout defensive game, grabbing another goal in the 68th minute after a handball in the box. O...

photo from RB Leipzig by Anthony J. Merced Saturday will mark the first meaningful game in RB Leipzig's 2023-24 season when they play Bayern Munich in the annual Supercup, a game between the winners of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, and the German Cup, RB Leipzig. In particular, it marks a new beginning for the East German club as several key contributors have left the team only to be replaced by unproven, youthful, players. "We believe that they are ready for this challenge," said head coach Marco Rose when speaking on his young team. "It will help them to develop their game. This group has grown close over a short period of time, and we've been really impressed with how quickly the boys have gelled." Leipzig saw Christopher Nkunku, Andre Silva, Konrad Laimer, Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander Sorloth depart the club only to be replaced by the likes of Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba. While the names may not be familiar, Leipzig have had a st...

photo from RB Leipzig by Anthony J. Merced Josko Gvardiol only spent two seasons with RB Leipzig and will now be moving on to Manchester City for a record 90 million Euros. The move comes as a surprise given the relatively young age of the defender, combined with his limited experience in a top league. "I'm very grateful to RB Leipzig for making it possible for me to join Manchester City now," said Gvardiol. "My time with RB Leipzig has helped shape and develop me immensely, both as a player and as a person." Gvardiol joined from the Dynamo Zagreb academy in 2021 and quickly worked his way into the starting lineup. The departure of players like Nordi Mukiele and Dayot Upamecano cleared the way and the young Croatian made sure to take advantage. Over two season Gvardiol was in important part in the team winning their first two major trophies, the 2022 and 2023 DFB Pokal. He also helped lock in the defense to secure knockout stage appearances in the UEFA Champions...

photo by ProShots by Anthony J. Merced RB Leipzig have signed 23 year-old Ligue 1 striker Lois Openda from RC Lens to a five year contract according to the team. Openda has scored 20-plus goals in his last two seasons and is positioned to be the future of the club should he live up to his potential. "The club (RB Leipzig) are amongst the top teams in the Bundesliga," said Openda. "It's an incredibly exciting club and I want to take my next steps at Leipzig." Openda's signing comes after the loss of Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea for a substantial transfer fee. The French international led the league in goals and helped Leipzig win their second straight DFB Pokal trophy. Openda is stepping in to fill massive shoes but has been given the contract that shows they are willing to give him time to develop. "Lois is a very direct player," said Leipzig Board Member Max Ebrel. "In addition to his pace, his ability to score goals with both feet and his h...

RB Leipzig are closing in on a return for star Bundesliga striker Timo Werner according to Fabrizio Romano . The German international has had a difficult time adjusting to football life in England with Chelsea, first under Frank Lampard and then Tomas Tuchel.  Werner was one of the best strikers in German throughout his time in the Bundesliga. His arrival from Stuttgart in 2016 ushered in four straight seasons of double digit goals, with his last being his best with 28 tallies in 2019-20. That year the team went to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League and appeared poised to challenge Bayern Munich atop the league. Leipzig have had issues replacing his production since then, relying on a revolving door of strikers. Yussuf Poulsen, Hwang Hee-Chan, Alexander Sorloth and now Andre Silva have all stepped in but have failed to reproduce the star's glory years. How he returns to the league remains to be seen as well. While personal terms have been agreed upon, it is whether or not ...