One day after the final matchday of the first half of the 2025/2026 3. Liga season, we present the “Forecasting XI for the first half of the season” in the 3. Liga. And, of course, the Coach of the First Half of the Season.
For your information: In our “2025/2026 Third Division First Half Forecasting XI,” we’re using a 3-4-3 formation—meaning: one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders, and three forwards.
Goalkeeper
Jakob Golz (Rot-Weiss Essen): 30 goals conceded in 19 games—that’s certainly not a good record for a promotion contender like RWE. But it wasn’t his fault. Jakob Golz has been one of the best goalkeepers in the 3rd Division for years. The 27-year-old confirmed this again in the first half of the season. In 16 appearances, he kept a clean sheet only three times—but the fact remains: Without Golz, and also without Felix Wienand, who stepped in brilliantly for his teammate three times (conceding three goals), Rot-Weiss Essen wouldn’t be where they are now heading into the winter break. Coach Uwe Koschinat’s porous defense actually allows a few scoring chances in every game, so Golz has to come to the rescue time and again. Without these saves, RWE likely wouldn’t be as firmly in the promotion race as they are heading into the winter break.
Defense
Tim Kloss (Viktoria Köln): He can play both as a center back and in defensive midfield—and is irreplaceable for Viktoria coach Marian Wilhelm. The 21-year-old has played in all 19 games, scoring five goals and adding one assist. With this transfer—Kloss joined from TSV 1860 Munich in the summer of 2025—Cologne’s sporting leadership, led by manager Stephan Küsters, has shown a real knack for business.
Martin Ens (SC Verl): 19 games and every match from the first to the last minute! The 24-year-old Ens is the undisputed leader of the defense in Tobias Strobl’s team. The 6-foot-2 Ens holds the defense together, and when necessary, he also joins the attack. He’s also scored two goals. It’s already looking like a sure thing that SC Paderborn will bring Ens back to the Pader this coming summer. That’s because SCP secured a buyback option when Ens moved to Verl.
Tobias Kraulich (Rot-Weiss Essen): A great center back! Someone Uwe Koschinat wasn’t initially keen on. After all, Kraulich’s strengths lie more in his footballing ability—he’s technically strong and precise. He consistently delivers great diagonal passes and builds play very well. Essen’s coach, however, tends to prefer defensive players like Michael Schultz or Jose-Enrique Rios Alonso, who bring a fighting spirit and prioritize the defensive aspect. But Kraulich proved his coach wrong and showed him through strong performances that he is a major asset for Essen. He had to wait on the bench for five games before he got his chance—and he made the most of it. In 16 appearances, the 6-foot-3 Kraulich also scored two goals.
Midfield
Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab (TSG Hoffenheim II): Fast, a strong dribbler, dangerous in front of goal, and extremely tenacious and willing—18 games, nine goals, six assists: We’ve reported on the 21-year-old speedy winger many times before. He is an exceptional talent in his position in the 3. Liga and highly sought after. His contract expires in the summer of 2026—interested clubs are lining up.
Berkan Taz (SC Verl): 19 games, eight goals, ten assists! What incredible numbers are these? Like Amaimouni-Echghouyab on the wing, Taz is an exceptional talent in the league at the number 10 position. At SC Verl, players like Timur Gayret, Alessio Besio, and several others could certainly also be named to the first-half of the season’s starting lineup. But Taz is the heart and soul of coach Tobias Strobl’s team.
Tolcay Cigerci (FC Energie Cottbus): Speaking of exceptional talents and the heart of the team: Cigerci is also such a player in the FC Energie Cottbus jersey. And his stats are no worse than Taz’s: 19 games, twelve goals, eight assists! The 30-year-old is arguably the best soccer player in the 3rd Division. No wonder that league rival Rot-Weiss Essen briefly tried to “rip out” the heart of the Cottbus team.
Patrick Sussek (MSV Duisburg): 16 games, five goals, five assists: Just as in the Regionalliga, the left winger remains among the best on Coach Dietmar Hirsch’s team even at this higher level. Sussek is constantly on the move, always causing trouble for his opponents, and often scores goals or sets them up. A strong winger in the 3rd Division!
Forwards
Kennedy Okpala (SV Waldhof Mannheim): Okpala is headed to the 2. Bundesliga—specifically to Paderborn—as early as January 1, 2026. The physically strong forward bids farewell to Mannheim with seven goals and three assists. At just 21 years old, he is far from finished developing.
Ryan Naderi (Hansa Rostock): Standing 1.94 meters tall—a standard height for a center forward. The 22-year-old knows how to make the most of his size. He scored seven goals and set up two more. On top of that, he works tirelessly for the team—even second-division clubs are well aware of the Rostock native’s great qualities.
Erik Engelhardt (Energie Cottbus): He simply feels at home in the FC Energie Cottbus jersey. 19 games, 13 goals! He wasn’t happy in Osnabrück, but under Claus-Dieter Wollitz he’s back in top form and leads the 3. Liga scoring charts.
Coach of the First Half of the Season
Tobias Strobl: Claus-Dieter Wollitz could undoubtedly have been named here as well. For what he has achieved with FC Energie Cottbus is truly worthy of all honor. The Lusatians operate on one of the smallest budgets in the 3rd Division. The financial resources at SC Verl are even more limited—compared to their competitors. According to Forecasting data, Verl has just around 3.5 million euros at its disposal. By comparison, Rot-Weiss Essen has around seven million euros. And yet, Verl sits ahead of RWE in the standings.
What has been achieved in Verl over the years is sensational. For years, Sebastian Lange—now sporting director at second-division club SC Paderborn—was the architect of success at Poststraße. But with his “apprentice” Zlatko Janjic, an intelligent sporting director has taken over Lange’s duties and seamlessly built on the successes of recent years. And the same goes for Tobias Strobl, whom Lange brought in from FC Augsburg II. Strobl is continuing the success of his predecessors Mitch Kniat (Arminia Bielefeld) and Guerino Capretti (VfB Lübeck)—or rather, he is surpassing them.
The 38-year-old has built the best soccer team in the 3rd Division—even ahead of “gambling teams” like Hoffenheim II or Stuttgart. Verl’s style of play is a feast for the eyes of every soccer fan—and, on top of that, highly successful. This is thanks to the work of Tobias Strobl—the Forecasting Coach of the 2025/2026 3rd Division first half.
