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Jordan Pefok’s Union Berlin are serious contenders for the Bundesliga title

After Bayern Munich’s loss against Mönchengladbach on Saturday, a win for second-place Union Berlin against Schalke on Sunday could make Jordan Pefok's team league-leaders with a two-point gap.

If you’ve lived under a rock for the first half of the European season — or just completely disregard anything happening in the Bundesliga (rightfully so after 10 straight league titles for Bayern) — you’re probably not aware that Union Berlin actually has a shot at the title this season.

The Iron Ones came off an impressive 2021-22 season, finishing fifth in the Bundesliga and qualifying to the Europa League for the first time in club history. 

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Come the 2022-23 season, they’ve only done better.

Union Berlin are currently in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals (draw on Feb. 19), in the Europa League playoff against Ajax (0-0 after the first leg) and as of Matchday 21, sit second and with a chance to dethrone Bayern at the top of table. No Bundesliga team has won more matches than them (13). 

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In order to become league leaders, Union Berlin would need a win against last-placed Schalke on Sunday to go two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, one of their easier challenges thus far.

How is Pefok’s 2022-23 season going?

Pefok was one of the USMNT’s biggest snubs on their 2022 World Cup roster, and by the looks of it  — especially if Gregg Berhalter doesn’t come back to the managerial position — we’ll see him become an essential player for the squad ahead of the U.S. hosting the next World Cup in 2026.

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The 26-year-old American has been an important player for Union Berlin this season, playing in a total of 25 games (starting 19) and scoring five goals with four assists. He scores every 249 minutes.

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Although his season has slowed down after the restart, Pefok has been the perfect super-sub across all competitions. He scored a late winner against Mainz two weeks ago that gave Union Berlin a temporary first-place position.

The 6'3" striker has become clutch.

Now, Bayern Munich always seem to struggle at some point in every one of their eventual Bundesliga title-winning seasons, and considering they have deeper squad depth than the rest of their competitors, it's difficult (but not impossible) for a team like Pefok’s Union Berlin to strip the 31-time Bundesliga champions from their almost exclusive title. Let's just hope the USMNT's very own helps provide the ending to what would be a fairy tale of a season.

It's happened before, you know.

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