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Since Being relegated from the Bundesliga 3 last season, our second team BVB 2 hasn't fared too well in the Regionalliga West with 25 points so far this season. Currently sitting in 10th place, they are only 2 points out of the relegation zone. While the success of BVB 2 isn't the concern of most fans in terms of their record, it would be a shame to drop down two divisions in two seasons. In lower tiers our youngsters won't get quality competition and won't develop as well as they would in a higher division.
But enough with the negative stuff. Let's discuss who has shined this year on the team. We already wrote about the American guys here, now for some of the the other starlets.
Hendrik Bonmann, 21
Our starting goalkeeper for every match this season, Bonmann has had 7 clean sheets in 18 games so far this season including an impressive showing in the Revierderby lite against Schalke 2. He attended winter training with our first team and even played in our friendlies where his performance was not half bad for a 21 year old. With Burki as our first option and Weidenfeller as our second, we probably won't see Bonmann anytime soon. It is nice to know that we have a great young option for the foreseeable future.
Michael Eberwein, 19
Michael Eberwein may not be a name that BVB fans know yet but soon it will be. The 19 year old striker was acquired from Bayern Munich over the summer and since then has impressed us as the main attacking option on the second team with 8 goals and 4 assists in 18 games. Eberwein is one for the top scorers in the Regionalliga West and it is only a matter of time until we start seeing him in the first team, even if it's only in Pokal or Europa as a sub. From there it will be up to him to shine in front of the coaching staff and fans.
Mitsuru Maruoka, 20
While Maruoka isn't not owned by BVB (he is on loan from japanese side Cerezo Osaka) he has done well with BVB 2 and it wouldn't be unthinkable for BVB to purchase him if he continues his good form. Playing as an attacking midfielder, he has 3 goals and 2 assists in 13 matches so far and has fielded a lot of comparisons to fellow international and BVB star Shinji Kagawa. To add to the hype, he has seemed to develop a good relationship with Kagawa, as detailed in Kagawa's blog post discussing their first meeting a few weeks ago.