Football is back in Germany this weekend!
The Dresden Monarchs will host the Wroclaw Panthers in a highly anticipated international exhibition matchup. The Monarchs are one of the few clubs that voted to play before the German Football League was eventually cancelled. So they are excited to be able to strap it up and play! For the Panthers this is a game they are thrilled to have. Wroclaw is a regular in playing international games and is happy to keep that going in the madness of the 2020 season.
The visiting Wroclaw Panthers are the defending Polish champions and are currently playing in Poland’s Liga Futbolu Amerykańskiego. They have dominated in their first two games beating their opponents by a combined score of 104-7. They are led offensively by Polish national team quarterback Bartosz Dziedzic, and former University of Hawaii running back Ryan Tuiasoa. Tuiasoa is a veteran player who won the championship in Hungary in 2019 while playing for the Fehérvár Enthroners. Blocking for these two is a strong offensive line led by 6’6 German and former Cologne Crocodile lineman Sven Breidenbach who was a CFL combine invite last year.
Wroclaw Panthers @ Dresden Monarchs, Sept. 20, 15:00 CET (09:00 ET)
While the offense has been playing well, the Panthers defense has certainly not been outdone. The defense has only given up one touchdown in two games against Polish competition. The foundation of their defensive unit is German edge defender Thiadric Hansen. Hansen might be the best player in Poland this year and has been terrorizing quarterbacks so far this season. Hansen comes to Poland after one season in the Canadian Football League. His 2019 season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers saw him develop at a rapid rate and contribute more and more as the CFL season wore on. Look for him to be pressuring Dresden’s quarterback throughout Sunday’s game.
The Dresden Monarchs come into this game looking like a different team than we saw in 2019. The Monarchs who have relied on talented imports from all across Europe and America in the past, but Sunday they will be playing with an all German lineup. This is a great chance for them to show off the home grown talent they have been developing in Dresden. A key German player returning for this season is wide receiver Mike Schallo. Schallo had 468 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2019. At quarterback the Monarchs will be featuring Eric Seidel. Seidel is a former Monarch and German national team quarterback who hasn’t played since 2016.
Seidel on his exhibition game comeback:
“It’s a highlight not just for me, but for the whole team. Of course it’s a shame that the GFL season was cancelled, but we’re glad that at least this one friendly game can take place.”
Seidel will have his hands full in his comeback game against a very tough Panthers defense and a ferocious pass rush from Thiadric Hansen.
Dresden’s defense returns a strong core for this game. Unfortunately, they will not have their leading tackler linebacker AJ Wentland back. He had intended to play but was injured in the Finnish championship game playing for the title winning Kuopio Steelers. However, Dresden will have Florian Zu Nieden on the roster. Last season he finished with 98 total tackles and will be a good matchup for Tuiasoa.
This is a very interesting game to watch between two teams that have had a ton of success in their respective leagues in the past. Look for the matchup between Dresden quarterback Eric Seidel and Thiadric Hansen to play a big role in this game. Ryan Tuiasoa and the Panthers will need to be able to run the ball against a tough Dresden linebacking core in order to leave Dresden with a win.
Watch the game live here. Wroclaw Panthers @ Dresden Monarchs, Sept. 20, 15:00 CET (09:00 ET)
Dresden Monarchs roster (#49 AJ Wentland is injured)
Wroclaw Panthers roster
