Matters get ‘positively vulgar’ as Augsburg continue to celebrate Noahkai Banks, Mert Kömür, and Robin Fellhauer | OneFootball

The two young homegrown ‘power pop’ talents that helped propel FC Augsburg to their second Bundesliga victory of the season are continuing to generate quite a buzz in the German press. Germany U21 international Mert Kömür and USMNT call-up Noahkai Banks – both of whom scored in the win – also drew praise from FCA sporting director Benjamin Weber.

When it comes to Kömür and Banks, not to mention the game’s third goalscorer – German “late bloomer” talent Robin Fellhauer – things are beginning to get a bit vulgar. Weber noted that Banks’ ability to remain calm in his first Bundesliga start of the new season left him with the impression that the 18-year-old “hat Eiswürfel gepinkelt“.

Naturally, one can infer from the literal translation of this obscure German idiom that Weber did not really mean to suggest that Banks “pissed iced cubes“. A translation of the phrase with some minimal creative license can easily be accomplished. Weber meant to say that Banks “had ice running through his veins” or “kept cool as a cucumber“.

In any event, the excitement over Banks is great. The FCA academy man was not called up to the USMNT for the current October international break, instead remaining with the team to contest a friendly against Ulm. Augsburg head coach Sandro Wagner tested Banks out as a right back. The Honolulu-native performed well. It may not be long until Banks displaces some of the more experienced Augsburg defenders.“

“Banks was totally cool,” Weber is quoted as saying in a Sport Bild article. “It’s obviously world class for us at the club when two players who come from our own youth academy score goals. That’s what everyone wants to see here, and we will continue to encourage and push that as much as we can.“

“He has quite a few experienced centre backs ahead of him,” Wagner added of Banks in a Kicker piece. “He didn’t have it easy in the first few weeks. He’s a positive person who, at 18, still has work to do, of course.“

“It was an extremely special afternoon for me,” Banks himself is quoted as saying in both the Kicker and Sport Bildarticles. “My whole family was there [at the WWK Arena], even my grandmother for the first time. I was extremely happy for Mert – almost more than for myself. He’s one of my best friends and the fact that we both scored is just incredible.”

Wagner has already noted that Mert Kömür happens to be one of the most talented players he’s ever coached. That means quite a bit coming from Julian Nagelsmann’s former senior men’s national team assistant. With respect to Fellhauer, Wagner maintains endless respect for the 27-year-old summer signing who battled back from a major concussion and has played four different positions this season.

Fellhauer got a bit vulgar when celebrating team’s revival

“You can’t win a Bundesliga game when you play like we did in the last two matches,” Fellhauer is quoted by Kicker as saying. “We felt like we’d totally shit our pants. Fortunately, we responded. I did my job creating danger in the box. The goal makes it almost perfect. It was an explosion of emotion.“

GGFN | Peter Weis