Stuttgart surged into contention for the Bundesliga's Champions League places after Jamie Leweling scored twice in a 4-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
On a day when snow cut the Bundesliga schedule from six games to four, Stuttgart made light of below-freezing temperatures.
Click to Gallery
Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah, right, challenges for the ball with Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Freiburg players celebrate after scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Freiburg and Hamburger, in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (Silas Stein/dpa via AP)
Heidenheim's Jonas Föhrenbach and Köln's Sebastian Sebulonsen, right, in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and FC Köln in Heidenheim, Germany, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)
Mainz's Benedict Hollerbach, center, celebrates scoring with teammates Nadiem Amiri, left, and Kaishu Sano during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Union Berlin and FSV Mainz 05 in Berlin, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (Soeren Stache/dpa via AP)
Stuttgart led 4-0 by halftime against a Leverkusen team missing injured striker Patrik Schick and key players at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both of Leweling's goals came as Stuttgart turned over the ball and surged through the Leverkusen half, either side of a Maximilian Mittelstädt penalty awarded when Leverkusen's Jeanuel Belocian brought down Josha Vagnoman. Deniz Undav made it 4-0 just before halftime.
An Alex Grimaldo penalty midway through the second half was the only consolation for Leverkusen, which has lost three of its last five Bundesliga games.
Following reports in Britain linking Leweling with Bournemouth as a potential replacement for Antoine Semenyo, Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth told broadcaster Sky, “We don't plan to sell Jamie Leweling. We're happy that we have him.”
Leverkusen and Stuttgart are fourth, both 12 points off league leader Bayern Munich, which plays Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Union Berlin fans spent the week clearing snow around their stadium so their game against Mainz could go ahead. They were rewarded with a late recovery to salvage a 2-2 draw.
Union's game was in doubt, prompting fans to gather with shovels to clear snow from access routes at the stadium on Thursday. Those efforts and lower-than-expected snowfall on Friday allowed the game to proceed, though the damp field soon churned up.
On his return to a club he led into the Champions League before his 2023 departure, Mainz coach Urs Fischer nearly left with a win.
Nadiem Amiri's volley gave Mainz the lead and ex-Union player Benedict Hollerbach refused to celebrate after scoring Mainz's second goal. Union responded with goals from Jeong Woo-yeong in the 77th and a close-range finish from Marin Ljubicic in the 86th to take a point.
A poor tackle cost Hamburger SV dearly in a 2-1 loss at Freiburg which finished amid steady snowfall.
Hamburg had just taken the lead when defender Daniel Edfadli's clumsy challenge gave away a penalty and earned him a second yellow card. Freiburg's Vincenzo Grifo converted the spot kick before Igor Matanovic scored the winning goal.
Heidenheim drew with Cologne 2-2. Marvin Pieringer's audacious overhead kick gave Heidenheim the lead early before Cologne twice leveled the score.
St. Pauli’s game with Leipzig and Werder Bremen's against Hoffenheim were postponed because of snow and ice.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah, right, challenges for the ball with Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Freiburg players celebrate after scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Freiburg and Hamburger, in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (Silas Stein/dpa via AP)
Heidenheim's Jonas Föhrenbach and Köln's Sebastian Sebulonsen, right, in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and FC Köln in Heidenheim, Germany, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)
Mainz's Benedict Hollerbach, center, celebrates scoring with teammates Nadiem Amiri, left, and Kaishu Sano during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Union Berlin and FSV Mainz 05 in Berlin, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (Soeren Stache/dpa via AP)
HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”
U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.
The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.
Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.
Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”
About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.
But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.
Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.
Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)
