Rasmus Kristensen was part of the Frankfurt squad that returned to Germany on 4 August after the summer tour of the USA. - © Eintracht Frankfurt

bundesliga

Eintracht Frankfurt's summer tour of the USA

02.08.2025

Eintracht Frankfurt are back in Germany after drawing their final friendly match with MLS side Philadelphia Union 2-2, following a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa and a 5-2 thrashing of Louisville City. Get all the latest updates from the Eagles' Stateside adventure here.

Frankfurt returned to Louisville, Kentucky - following their trip there in 2024 - to prepare for the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign. Their tour started on 22 July, kicking off the series of friendly matches with a 2-2 draw against English Premier League side Aston Villa before defeating Louisville City 5-2 days later.

>>> See which other Bundesliga clubs have been on tour this summer

The squad then travelled to Philadelphia, touching down on 30 July ahead of drawing 2-2 with Philadelphia Union before their return to Germany.

The tour is part of the Eagles' internationalisation strategy, with the 'Building Bridges' motto applying to their connections to the USA, which includes an office in New York and 13 fan clubs across the country.

Follow Frankfurt in the USA below!

Dino's delight

Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller gave a positive summary at the end of the tour, saying: “The team implemented what we worked on in training very well and always went above and beyond. Paxten Aaronson, Jonny Burkardt and Elias Baum fitted in no problems at all and were given a really warm welcome by the group. It leaves me feeling very optimistic.”

The Eagles have landed back

Eintracht confirmed the club's arrival back in Germany on Monday morning. Their pre-season is not over yet though, as they have a friendly match at English Premier League side Fulham on Saturday.

Toppmöller on 2-2 draw with Philadelphia Union

“We were able to implement a lot of the things we’ve worked on in training. We did some things really well. We can still be more aggressive in our pressing, even if we did win the ball back quite a few times today. We could and should have scored three or four more goals. But one positive was that the boys pushed themselves to their limit again. Now we’re looking forward to flying home and having two days off.”

Eagles draw with Union

Jonathan Burkardt and Elye Wahi were on the scoresheet as Eintracht finished off their tour with a 2-2 draw with Philadelphia Union in front of 16,218 fans at Subaru Park.

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Watch: Frankfurt train in Philadelphia

Catch how the Eagles warmed up for the final friendly of their USA tour.

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Watch: Eintracht visit the Rocky statue

Ahead of their friendly against Philadelphia Union, Frankfurt visited one of the city's iconic landmarks, the Rocky Balbao statue.

Toppmöller on expectations for the upcoming season

"We’re very satisfied with how pre-season has gone so far. I take things one game at a time, and I don’t want to talk too much about expectations - that’s how we approached last season as well. We have to work hard - then we’ll see what happens. We have a great spirit in the team. I really enjoy working with these guys. They have a great mindset, always want to improve, and treat each other really well."

Toppmöller on Aaronson

"Paxten is part of our team. I already knew him from my first year in Frankfurt. After six months, I think it was a very good decision for him to go to the Netherlands and get playing time there. What he achieved there was impressive. We’re glad to have him back with us. He knows that competition for places is strong, but he’s already shown in training that he can make a difference up front. So far in the matches, he’s played an important role in pressing, and his number of ball recoveries has been strong."

Aaronson on returning to face former side

"Returning to the club where it all began for me naturally feels great. I joined Union when I was 10 years old and worked my way up to the first team. It’s going to be a special match for me, and I’m really looking forward to it...The club is doing a great job in terms of development. The young players have excellent facilities. The first team is doing very well under the new coach [Bradley Carnell, since 2 January, 2025]."

Toppmöller pleased with final training session

"On Thursday, we deliberately focused on a more regenerative element; today, the boys completed another good session - there was a real intensity to it. For the first time, we were training under weather conditions similar to those we know from Germany. We now want to finish our training camp on Saturday with a good game against a really strong team in Philadelphia Union."

Press conference ahead of final friendly of US tour

Eintracht boss Dino Toppmöller, together with midfielder Paxten Aaronson held a press conference before his side faces MLS outfit Philadelphia Union on 2 August to finish off the Eagles' stateside tour.

Chaïbi on the upcoming season:

"I have big ambitions and will do my best, but I'm not thinking in terms of 'how many goals, how many assists'. I’ll simply try to play the best season I possibly can. We all want to make our fans proud."

Chaïbi on the 2024/25 campaign:

"I wasn’t satisfied with the season personally. I want to play a lot, and in my career so far, I haven’t spent much time on the bench. [Last season] was the first year where I had more of a secondary role, but even experiences like that help me; I’ve learned a lot from it. I’ll give everything I have to be back starting. But, looking at the season from a team perspective, of course, it was a great one."

Interview with Farès Chaïbi

Speaking with Eintracht's official sources, the midfielder shed some light on the tour, saying: "I like it here - Louisville, for example, is a relatively small but very nice city. But we really only came here to train and work - both on the field and on creating a good environment for ourselves. It’s very hot, but that actually benefits us because it forces our bodies to work even harder. The conditions are good and we’re working hard. We’re doing well!"

All smiles at the Brauhaus

It was a very friendly atmosphere at the fan event on Thursday.

Eintracht fan event

After the morning training session, the players and staff made their way to Brauhaus Schmitz, where 50 excited Eintracht fans were already waiting. Over drinks and Hessian culinary classics, members of the Eintracht squad met and spoke to the fans, signed numerous autographs and took plenty of photos.

Picking up new ideas

The Eintracht delegation also took in one of the Eagles' training sessions, who have recently begun their pre-season training camp ahead of the NFL season getting underway in early September.

When the Eagles met the Eagles

On Thursday morning, a delegation from Eintracht - including CEO Axel Hellmann, Sporting Director Markus Krösche, Ole Siegel (Advisor to the Sporting Director), and Jan Martin Strasheim (Director of Communications & Brand) - visited the Philadelphia Eagles' training facilities. The NFL team are two-time Super Bowl champions (in 2017 and 2024) and have the trophies to prove it.

Back to work

After their sightseeing tour, it was back to the training ground for the Eagles, as they prepare to face local MLS side Philadelphia Union in a friendly encounter on 2 August.

Special place in his heart

Eintracht and USMNT midfielder Paxten Aaronson was taken on a trip down memory lane during the team's walk around Philadelphia. Speaking about the famous Rocky steps, the 21-year-old said: “When I was six or seven years old, I ran up them with my dad. I probably just had too much energy and my dad wanted to test my fitness - or maybe he just wanted to tire me out so I’d fall asleep faster in the evening.” Aaronson spent seven years as a Philadelphia Union player prior to arriving at Frankfurt and, as such, his allegiances may well be tested on Saturday.

Retracing Rocky's steps

Toppöller's squad took a photo with the iconic 'Rocky' statue next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the steps leading up to which were made famous by Sylvester Stallone's 'Rocky' character running up them in the original, titular 1976 film.

Touchdown in Philly

After reaching their base for the final few days of their US tour, the Eintracht squad took a stroll around Philadelphia to take in the sights.

Eagles everywhere

Dino Toppmöller's men were well supported once again as they overcame Louisville City.

All is well Stateside

Hellmann was also full of praise for the team, and shared his delight at how the tour has panned out so far: “What really struck me is how closely knit the squad is and how well they get on together. The staff also made a really good impression. All of this shines through in terms of the good behaviour that they show, the team spirit and the levels of commitment," he said. "They’re training hard, with nine sessions plus two friendlies on the agenda while they’re in Louisville – that’s pretty tough. Overall, I’m very happy.”

Hellmann emphasis importance of upcoming tests

Frankfurt's board spokesman Axel Hellmann was quick to underline the importance of the Eagles' victory over Louisville, and the upcoming test against Philadelphia Union: "We're facing a Champions League season, everyone has the ambition to play and wants to be on board," he said. "This is something big for the club and it's around the corner".

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Watch: Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 Louisville City - highlights

Relive Eintracht Frankfurt's first pre-season friendly win stateside thanks to goals from Elias Baum, Jonathan Burkardt, Marvin Dills, and a Niels Nkounkou brace.

Farewell Kentucky

After just over a week spent at their training camp in Kentucky, the Eagles will be bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 30 July. There, they will take part in further training sessions before playing their final friendly match of their US tour, against MLS side Philadelphia Union on 2 August.

Firsts all round

Elias Baum, Jonathan Burkardt and Marvin Dills all netted for the first time for Frankfurt against Louisville. Full-back Baum, 19, recently returned from a very productive loan spell with Bundesliga 2 side Elversberg. Marquee summer signing Burkardt joined from Mainz following a very successful spell with the Carnival Club, but missed the opportunity to face Villa, being ruled out with a cold. Dills, 18, was a surprise inclusion on the tour by Toppmöller but has seized every opportunity handed to him so far.

Chaïbi reprises new role

As was the case against Villa, midfielder Farès Chaïbi was once again deployed in a holding midfield role; a much deeper role than he's used to but one that he was praised for by gaffer Toppmöller following the Villa game. Could the Eintracht boss be dropping hints about his tactics for the upcoming season?

Five-star Frankfurt see off Louisville City

Dino Toppmöller's men got their first win stateside after defeating Louisville City 5-2. Elias Baum opened the scoring on his first outing for the club since returning from a loan spell at Elversberg last season. Louisville then scored a quickfire double before new summer signing Jonathan Burkardt levelled the scores. Youngster Marvin Dills restored the lead before a late Niels Nkounkou double put the game beyond all doubt.

The work continues

Summer signing Jonathan Burkardt (pictured, c.) has recovered from a cold and is set to feature in today's friendly between Frankfurt and Louisville.

Panel discussion

Frankfurt's management team organised and attended a "Business of Sports" roundtable with their Louisville City counterparts to discuss the football industry as a whole, as well as other topics such as youth development, club partnerships and hosting major sporting events.

All smiles in Kentucky

The Frankfurt players had the chance to mingle with some of their Stateside supporters ahead of their meeting Louisville City, with Can Uzun, Nathaniel Brown and Nnamdi Collins making some young fans very happy by having a chat with them.

Versatile Chaïbi praised by Toppmöller

The Frankfurt boss tried out Farès Chaïbi in a holding midfield position against Aston Villa, a much deeper role than he's used to, and was impressed with what he saw: "He played a really good game in the six position against a top opponent, with many ball recoveries, good footballing moves, and four shots on goal" said Toppmöller. "It would be nice if a few more of those found their way on goal."

Getting into gear

Elye Wahi got himself on the scoresheet against Aston Villa and will hope for more goals against Louisville City.

Aurèle Amenda on the Villa draw and fans

"I think it was a good friendly game. I think both teams were really good and for us it was our second friendly game, so it was a good performance. It was really hot in the first half but we created good situations and pressed well. It was a really good atmosphere here, the fans were really pushing us and we're blessed to have so many fans cheering for us, so thanks to them for their support."

Personnel update

Nathaniel Brown and Krisztián Lisztes will be unavailable for the Louisville game, but summer signing Jonathan Burkardt will be available after completing a full training session yesterday. Goalkeeper Kauã Santos is making progress with his recovery, but is still not in contention for minutes.

Louisville City FC on the horizon

Ahead of their next pre-season friendly against Louisville City, the Frankfurt boss outlined his expectations for his team: "It will be a different game than the one against Aston Villa. We will have more possession – even though we also had the ball more often than our opponents there, with 57 percent. We want to play with the high press again, something we have been practicing intensively recently, and also bring in a few ideas when in possession. Then we will have to see how much energy we have left. We are looking forward to the game in this beautiful stadium."

Toppmöller on camp progress and the next steps

"The boys have implemented everything well so far, and the intensity has been good. After the exhausting game against Aston Villa, we felt the first signs of fatigue in training today. We have to push past that point in tomorrow's game as well."

Football x Football

Some of Frankfurt's players started the new week by getting a bit more familiar with American football during a visit to the Louisville Cardinals' L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Preparing for Louisville City

The Frankfurt players were back on the training pitches on Monday.

Some downtime

After a busy few days with intense training sessions and their first friendly, Eintracht's players were allowed some downtime in Louisville on Sunday. But they'll be back at it from Monday, building up to Tuesday night's second match against hosts Louisville City.