Merkur CUP: First the great tension, then a real peat festival

Created: 05/04/2022, 19:30

By: Paul Hopp

Committed to the cause: A scene from the game in Group C between SV Unterhausen (in white) and SG Eberfing.

The SVU won 4:0.

© Rudder

At the Merkur CUP in Polling - there was a lot going on offensively: 113 goals were scored in 24 games.

The hosts' E-Juniors were particularly excited about the tournament.

Polling – There was still a long way to go until the tournament date on home turf, but the youth kickers from Polling were already fully up to speed when it came to the “Merkur CUP”.

The club training was no longer enough for the preparation - almost privately, balls were diligently passed, stopped and shot.

"During the Easter holidays, there were children on our site every day," reports Sabine Gerold.

On the one hand, she is the BFV youth director and in the Merkur CUP responsible for district 9 (distribution area "Weilheimer Tagblatt"/"Penzberger Merkur"), on the other hand, she is also involved in youth work at SV Polling (as a youth leader and F youth trainer).

So Gerold knows what's going on at the sports grounds at Jakobsee.

113 goals in 24 games in preliminary round in polling

And of course she knows how the Pollinger E-Juniors looked forward to the Merkur CUP: "Everyone was totally excited." The SVP youngsters turned their nervousness into fighting spirit on the pitch - in the end they managed, despite a 0:3 defeat at the start, as group runners-up to the district finals.

This will take place on Saturday, May 7th, at 10 a.m. at SV Raisting.

Seven goals were scored in the Group A game between SG Wielenbach (in blue) and ASV Eglfing.

© Rudder

The 2:1 win in the second group game against SG HAI (Habach-Antdorf-Iffeldorf) was important for the host team.

There, Pollinger was 0:1 behind, "but then they got the curve," said Gerold.

With another 2:1, over TSV Peißenberg, the Pollingers made second place perfect.

For the hosts, the advancement of their own team was the icing on the cake of a successful day of competition.

The tension was high not only among the Pollinger players, but also among the organizers.

In the run-up to the event, the question arose as to whether the usual processes would work again.

Cheering under an umbrella: Even the rain that started in the afternoon didn't stop the fans from supporting their respective teams.

© Rudder

As the venue for “Mini-EM” and “Mini-WM”, the SVP has some experience with youth tournaments, but no such competitions have taken place in the past two Corona years.

"It was a bit exciting," says Gerold, describing the atmosphere before the first game.

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But it soon became apparent that the club hadn't forgotten anything.

"It worked out well," says Gerold.

The helpers played a crucial role: "We have such a great team in Polling," says Gerold.

Around 30 volunteers were on duty so that the 16 teams, divided into four groups, could go on the hunt for goals and points.

The games were played fairly, and according to Gerold, a dispute between a manager and a referee could be “quickly resolved”.

Successful hosts: SV Polling (in white, here in the game against SG HAI) finished second in Group B and made it into the regional finals.

© Rudder

The fact that the Merkur CUP has a certain status in Polling was also made clear by the visit of Mayor Martin Pape during the tournament.

The current world situation also became tangible: there was a Ukrainian child in the ASV Eglfing squad.

Language hurdles, it was learned, do not play a role, at least on the pitch.

Kicking together worked.

SVP veteran Helmut Karg had acted according to the rules when marking the playing fields, but at the same time chose the dimensions so cleverly that numerous goal area scenes could develop.

The teams then let it rip – 113 goals were scored in 24 games.

Only once, in Group C, was there a 0-0 draw.

But that promptly had a special character.

The draw between BSC Oberhausen and SV Unterhausen, who ended up tied on points, meant that it was not the direct comparison but the goal difference that decided the placement of the two teams.

Oberhausen (8:3) was ahead of Unterhausen (5:3), finished second in the group and is therefore allowed to go to the district final.

Where is the free player?

A scene from Group D. © Rudder

FC Penzberg, SV Raisting and TSV Weilheim managed the maximum of twelve points.

They won all three games and in each case also scooped up the extra point that is awarded to the team in the Merkur CUP that scores three or more goals in a game (regardless of the outcome).

District final :

The final tournament in district 6 will be held next Saturday, May 7th.

The game is played in raising.

Start is at 10 a.m.

Qualified: FC Penzberg, SG Wielenbach, FC Seeshaupt, SV Polling, SV Raisting, BSC Oberhausen, TSV Weilheim, ESV Penzberg.