SC Paderborn is further establishing itself in the top flight of the Bundesliga 2. Partly responsible for this are two new additions from Rot-Weiss Essen and MSV Duisburg.

Karlsruher SC and SC Paderborn have played eight matches in the current season. Both have won four and drawn four, so they have yet to suffer a defeat and can dream of a very successful season early on.

While KSC has been dreaming of a sixth return to the Bundesliga since 2009, SCP was promoted to the top flight for one year in 2014 and 2019 respectively. Most recently, the East Westphalian second division club once again showed a good nose when it came to the Ruhr area in search of new additions.

The club quickly homed in on Felix Götze, who had proven himself as a defensive leader at Rot-Weiss Essen in the 3rd division and was striving for greater things. The SCP was able to offer him this prospect, with the newcomer set to organize the defense in the number 20 shirt.

So far, the partnership has been a hit for both sides. Götze is one of the top performers, has played the full distance in each of the eight league games and was also able to score promptly on his debut, even being named player of the match by Kicker.

Another reason for Paderborn’s strong new start is a player one row in front of Götze, who was also poached from the area in the summer. Santiago Castaneda had left an impression at MSV Duisburg despite the weak season. The American made his debut for the Zebras at the age of 18 and played in 33 competitive games.

And even the leap to the 2nd Bundesliga does not seem to worry the now 19-year-old. On the contrary, Castaneda is also performing impressively at SCP. Like Götze, he has been part of the starting eleven in every game so far and scored in the DFB Cup against Bremer SV (4-0). With an average grade of 2.86 in the Kicker magazine, he is one of the best midfielders in the young second division season.

A 3-0 win over Jahn Regensburg saw Paderborn move into a promotion spot, at least temporarily. After the international break, the East Westphalia team will play in a top match: on Saturday evening (October 18, 8:30 p.m.), they will play 1. FC Kaiserslautern on the Betzenberg.