Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is not worried by the fact that he has never conceded a goal in the Swiss national team.
10.06.2025, 13:30
10.06.2025, 13:44
SDA
Kobel has kept the Swiss goal twelve times so far, conceding 23 goals in the process. Since replacing the retired Yann Sommer as No. 1 last autumn, he has conceded 14 in seven games, but the Borussia Dortmund keeper is relaxed about this as he answers journalists' questions on the eve of the match against the USA in Nashville, which kicks off at 2.00 a.m. Swiss time on Wednesday.
"I've been through similar phases at the club and suddenly I had two or three white vests," he says. "Of course it's always nice not to concede a goal, but I don't think we should focus too much on that. First and foremost, we want to win."
With twelve defenders
The many experiments by coach Murat Yakin in defense are of little help to Kobel. Since he became the Swiss' regular goalkeeper, twelve different defenders (including the full-backs) have been deployed. This naturally makes it difficult to develop automatisms.
"It's even more complicated in friendly matches, as some players come on at half-time and others after 60 minutes so that everyone can play," says Kobel. However, he also sees positives in this: "I was able to get to know many of them and discover their strengths and weaknesses." As a result, he has gained a lot of experience. He thinks they are on the right track.
He takes his place
Kobel took on a difficult legacy as Sommer's successor. He has already proven several times that he has the necessary class. It is no coincidence that the 27-year-old was named the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga by the specialist magazine "Kicker" in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons after both the first and second half of the season. In the Champions League in 2023/24, when Dortmund reached the final, he was part of the "Team of the Season".
Kobel: "The more time passes, the more I feel at home in the national team. I think we're in a transitional phase and it will take some time for everything to settle in. But I'm really looking forward to what's to come and everything I can achieve with this jersey."
At the Club World Cup
Kobel will remain on American soil after the game against the USA to take part in the Club World Cup with Dortmund. A competition he is very much looking forward to. "It's a great opportunity to play against teams we would never have played against otherwise," he emphasizes. BVB will be up against Fluminense from Brazil, the South African team Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan from South Korea.
He sees the timing of the tournament as "a real challenge, especially for the national team players. We have to see how we deal with it so that we can recover quickly and be ready for the next season," says Kobel. First, however, his focus is on the match against the USA.
