After over 12 hours in the air and around 9,600 kilometres behind them, FC Bayern arrived at the first stop on this year’s Audi Summer Tour: Los Angeles. They touched down in California just after midday local time on Monday but there was no time to rest for the squad. The team quickly got a chance to stretch their legs when Niko Kovac took his charges for their first training session that very evening at the University of California (UCLA).
After a brief fitness segment led by Prof. Dr. Holger Broich, the FCB players took part in a match on a reduced pitch before heading to their hotel around 75 minutes later. Only Kovac and his new assistant Hansi Flick remained at the campus to oversee a session with some young local players as part of the adidas Tango League. For the players, they had a few media activities scheduled for the evening, while Javi Martinez met up with basketball star Camello Anthony to talk about the International Champions Cup and their personal training rituals.
Earlier in the afternoon, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge welcomed the travelling media representatives at the hotel and recalled his own time as a player. “It was a great experience when I came to the USA as a player with FC Bayern in 1977. Back then we had one photographer and one journalist accompanying us,” the FCB chairman chuckled. This time there were well over a dozen present as Rummenigge spoke about this year’s tour. “We have a lot of American sponsors and over 150 American fan clubs, so it’s a must for us to come here.”
The former striker also explained why sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic had not travelled with the team to the USA. “Over here you’re a long way from the transfer market, which mainly plays out in Europe. So it was the right decision for him to stay in Munich.” On the subject of the transfer market, Rummenigge again stressed, “we have a good team. Especially in terms of defence, I don’t see much better in Europe.” Moreover, the chairman stated that FCB was having good discussions with Robert Lewandowski for a new contract. The Poland international himself will speak at a press conference on Tuesday, which you can read about on fcbayern.com.