VfB win 2-1 on goals by Gomez (29') and Didavi (36') Maxime Awoudja had a day! He scored an OG (39') and received two yellow cards in the second half. I don't have any idea why the second yellow was thrown - he trapped the ball, shielded it from the H96 player, and passed it forward while sitting on the ground. I really liked Gomez, Didavi, Sosa, Ascacibar, and Kaminski (before he left injured.) Kobel (GK) did enough to win, but looked shaky to me. Hopefully this game got rid of the yips for him.
I have to thank Agent Zieler for Didavi's goal. It was from a long way out, and he definitely got close enough to block it. Yeah, the red card was for barely touching the opponent, never a yellow. However, with as nervous and otherwise erratic play as he displayed, I won't be sorry to have him suspended for a while. Anyway, great start against one of our promotion rivals. My VFB TV has expired, and I'm on the fence about renewing. I shouldn't be watching 2.BL this year. Apparently we're the unanimous favorite for promotion, so maybe I'll just download occasionally. I can give VfB my money when they're back in the Bundesliga.
Kaminski tore his ACL. I thought he was clumsy in the BL, but he would have bossed his 2.BL competition. Hope he's back in a couple of months. That's a tough start to the campaign.
At the end of the hinrunde, VfB holds 3rd place due to goal difference vs. HSV. Apparently, the goal was to hold an automatic promotion place, because Tim Walter had been dismissed. I missed his entire VfB Stuttgart career! I guess we can say the leadership crisis hasn't ended until we have a manager throughout an entire season. They don't look in control of their destiny, but there's time to nail things down before March's match with Bielefeld and April's rematch with HSV. God forbid they stay in 2.BL for multiple years.