Preview: Mexico | OneFootball

The Frankfurt Americas Tour takes Eintracht to Ciudad Juárez for two days. The friendly against Fútbol Club Juárez will be shown live on EintrachtTV+ at 3:30 CEST on Friday.

Ball on the left, a quick sidestep and finish into the near corner – goal! Ansgar Knauff had no time to celebrate in Tuesday’s intensive four-v-four game, as the counter-attack had already started. A scene that may be exemplary in many ways, as Knauff pointed out: “The coaching staff have analysed the season and come to the conclusion that we need to have that final punch and just grind out the games in which we’ve done a lot right but haven’t won. There’s been a good sharpness in pre-season so far.”

The tension is high in two senses of the word. Because this Wednesday evening, the Eintracht squad head off to Ciudad Juárez, flying to El Paso, Texas and from there directly across the border to Mexico, where the first friendly of the tour against top-flight side FC Juárez, former club of Eintracht cup winner Marco Fabián, will take place on Thursday.

Kick-off is at 19:30 local time, or 21:30 for the fans attending the watch party in Louisville. In Germany, it’s at 3:30 in the early hours of Friday. For those night owls, EintrachtTV+ will be broadcasting the match live, presented by Indeed. There’ll also be coverage on Sky and DAZN. Highlights, together with the full match on catch-up, will be available on EintrachtTV shortly afterwards.

Eintracht CEO Axel Hellmann recently explained the reasons for the trip to the country, which will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and the USA: “We’re an international club. We represent the Bundesliga, we represent the DFL in the American and Mexican markets, which are extremely important for North American football – including in the USA. After all, the Hispanic community is one of the biggest supporters and drivers of growth in North American professional football. Hopping across the border, spending two days there and playing a game is incredibly relevant, also for the DFL.”

Amenda and Höjlund to remain in Louisville

That visibility on the one hand, and the sporting ambitions on the other hand are not mutually exclusive, as Knauff underlined: “All the new boys are doing well so far in training. They’re applying themselves and working hard. Everyone has time to show what they can do in training and in the games. I’ll do my best to be back in the starting line-up.”

That won’t be possible for Aurèle Amenda and Oscar Höjlund at the Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez, with the summer signings staying in Louisville to manage their workload.