Heinz Field in Pittsburgh feels almost like a home away from home for Borussia Dortmund at present. The all-yellow 68,500-seater stadium, which belongs to Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League, will be the venue for the third and final match of their USA Tour, which will take place in the early hours of Thursday morning German time.

The arena in Pennsylvania's second-largest city also served as the location for the (first) official team photo for the 2018/19 season on Monday, which is why the Black & Yellows trained in the matchday shirts. They were joined at that morning session for the first time by Achraf Haikimi, who has arrived on loan from Real Madrid. The Moroccan will wear the shirt number 5.

Passing drills culminating in shots were the focus for Lucien Favre. The exercise was characterised by a high level intensity and, after a few minutes of adaptation, a high level of quality too. After an "11 on 11" training match, the sweat-inducing session then ended with an ice bath.

The coach gave the players the afternoon off and opted against holding a second session. The absence of marketing activities on Monday meant the first team had the opportunity to take a breather on the sixth day of their USA Tour. A team evening was held to round off the day.

While the players stayed at the hotel, legends Lars Ricken, Roman Weidenfeller and Patrick Owomoyela embarked upon a street tour that saw them visit an old steel plant. It seems the similarities between the cities of Pittsburgh and Dortmund extend beyond yellow stadiums.

Training resumed on Tuesday morning with a 60-minute session in blazing sunshine and 30-degree temperatures. Then Mario Götze, Christian Pulisic and the coaching staff switched places with three Pittsburgh Steelers players and attempted to hit the crossbar with the football. Later on, the players tried to throw the football − and Christian Pulisic left no doubts about where he is from...

In the afternoon, however, there are some non-sporting activities on the agenda. A delegation will visit a children's hospice, while another group will go on a boat tour organised by Evonik Industries. They will reconvene in the early evening (local time) for their second session of the day. (br/jpk)