With just a few days’ delay, we present the team of the first half of the season in the Regionalliga West. And, of course, the coach of the first half of the season.
First of all: We are aware that the first match day of the second half of the season has already been played. But: Every year, we deliberately wait for the start of the winter break, including the 18th match day, to present the “Forecasting XI” of the Regionalliga West first half of the season a few days later. For your information: We play in a 3-4-3 system – meaning: goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders, and three strikers. Goalkeeper: Lennart Winkler (Fortuna Cologne): 18 games, 15 goals conceded, and nine clean sheets! These numbers simply have to be rewarded. The 22-year-old impresses with his good build-up play, great reflexes, and decent command of the penalty area. Born in Essen, Winkler also played for several youth teams at Rot-Weiss Essen and ETB Schwarz-Weiß. He is the son of former professional Andreas Winkler, who played 81 times in the 2nd Bundesliga and 131 times in the 3rd league. Defense David Kamm Al-Azzawe (Fortuna Cologne): Lennart Winkler keeps a clean sheet and Al-Azzawe is the boss of the Fortuna defense—with great success. The 33-year-old has played in 17 of 18 possible games—he was suspended once for yellow cards—and is a cornerstone of the team led by successful coach Matthias Mink, who is spending the winter break in first place with Fortuna. The fact that Fortuna has conceded only 15 goals is also largely thanks to Al-Azzawe – regardless of whether Seymour Fünger or Maximilian Fischer plays alongside him, it works very well. Klaß, who has played in 17 of 18 possible games, also keeps things together at Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Together with Drew Murray, Klaß forms a defensive duo that is no worse than Cologne’s Azzawe/Fischer pairing. There are several other very good center backs in the league who could be mentioned in this position. The 21-year-old is having a strong season and has played in all 18 games. 18 games, five goals, two assists – and that as a center back!
Midfield
Dustin Willms (SF Siegen): Willms did not get a contract extension at MSV Duisburg after their promotion. Good for Siegen: since signing, Willms has performed as desired. 18 games, nine goals, three assists – he is ensuring that Sportfreunde can continue to dream of promotion to the 3rd division. Paul Pöpperl (Schalke 04 II): Those who deliver in the U23s are rewarded. Pöpperl is a perfect example of this. The offensive player has already been given two chances to play with the pros. The 22-year-old played in front of 51,500 spectators at Fortuna Düsseldorf on Friday evening and helped the Royal Blues extend their lead in the 2nd league with a 2-0 victory. “In my opinion, he played a decent game. He didn’t show much nervousness, but just went with the flow and did his job,” said Jakob Fimpel, delighted with his 22-year-old protégé from the U23 team, where Pöpperl scored one goal and set up three more in 16 appearances.
Yassin Ben Balla (FC Schalke 04 II): We opted for a Schalke lineup in central midfield. Pöpperl in attack and Ben Balla as a defensive midfielder behind him. The numbers speak for themselves: 18 games, ten goals, four assists – Ben Balla is one of the reasons why FC Schalke 04 II are second in the table going into the winter break. Eric Gueye (Rot-Weiß Oberhausen): Rot-Weiß Oberhausen are behind them in the table. Eric Gueye has had a big influence on Oberhausen’s position at the top. Like the rest of the team, he had a weak start to the season, but finished strongly, including a hat trick in the 6-0 win in Mönchengladbach. A great winger on the left! It should be mentioned that Fortuna Cologne’s Rafael Garcia could undoubtedly also be here. The 32-year-old is also having an outstanding season – 18 appearances, two goals, eleven assists.
Attack
Eduard Probst (SV Rödinghausen): It’s hard to imagine where SV Rödinghausen would be without Probst’s goals. 17 games, 13 goals, two assists! Almost half of SVR’s 28 goals this season have been scored by Probst. The new coach—Dennis da Silva Félix has been suspended—will be delighted to have such a prolific striker in his squad.
Enzo Wirtz (Fortuna Köln): Fortuna Köln also has such a man in its ranks. Enzo Wirtz, who once played for Wuppertaler SV and Rot-Weiss Essen, is delivering. 17 games, 11 goals, five assists – a strong record for the striker of the league leaders.
Patrik Twardzik (FC Gütersloh): Patrik Twardzik or Jan Urbich was the question we asked ourselves here. After all, Gladbach’s 21-year-old gem has scored eleven times in eleven regional league appearances. But he has also been in the Bundesliga squad for 36 minutes. And eleven appearances are a little meager for a nomination to the first half of the season’s team. Urbich is currently suffering from glandular fever and will be out of action for an indefinite period. And Twardzik? He has been the exceptional talent at FC Gütersloh for years. The fact that the East Westphalians are at the top of the table is largely thanks to the Czech-born player. The 32-year-old has played 18 games, scored ten goals, and provided four assists this season. He can look back on a fantastic 2025. Julian Hesse celebrated the vice-championship behind promoted MSV Duisburg in 2024/2025 and is only four points behind first place with FC Gütersloh again in 25/26.
What’s so special about that? The answer: apart from SSVg Velbert and SC Wiedenbrück, FC Gütersloh is the only club in the Regionalliga West that does not operate under fully professional conditions. That’s why the FCG’s performance cannot be overestimated when compared to the U-teams of the first and second division clubs and traditional clubs. The 36-year-old Hesse, who holds an A license, only does the coaching job at FC Gütersloh part-time and is doing an outstanding job that cannot be overestimated.
