Berlin Derby (2)

We began preparing in earnest for the away match against Hertha Berlin.

Well. It was a derby, but the match against Hertha Berlin wasn't particularly stressful.

That was because we only shared Berlin as our home base; there was no bad blood between us.

No, if anything, we had warm feelings for each other.

Hertha and Union even had a slogan, 'Herta und Union – eine Nation'—'Hertha and Union – one nation.'

But lately, since Union Berlin had been promoted to the top flight, the atmosphere had slowly begun to change.

That was an unavoidable problem for clubs sharing the same city.

On top of that, there simply weren't enough fans supporting Hertha Berlin.

Their numbers were about the same as Union Berlin's, a club that had just been promoted from the second division.

If Hertha Berlin's fan base had been overwhelming, they could have crushed Union Berlin by sheer force...