Each day between May 10 and the day before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on June 11, FoxSoccer.com analyst Jamie Trecker will preview each of the 32 teams playing in South Africa and tell you everything you need to know about each nation represented at the world's greatest sporting event.
Country: Germany
Nickname: None (sometimes called “Die Mannschaft”)
Germany is the cornerstone of modern Europe, with the largest economy in the EU (third largest overall in the world) and its central bank underwriting the common currency, the Euro (given the mess that Greece is in -- and the fact that Germany has to bail out their own banks, which bought Greek paper -- they probably wish they weren't).
Germany is also one of the most powerful and influential nations in the world despite a tumultuous history that has seen the nation wage and lose two World Wars and be partitioned by the four powers after World War II. East Germany was a separate political entity -- with its own national team (the DDR) -- for over four decades after WWII.
Germany is still recovering from reunification, having spent billions of dollars on repairing the ex-East Germany's failing infrastructure during a period of contraction in the world economy. Still dependent upon heavy industry, Germany is slowly shifting toward a hi-tech approach. Enviable social programs and an aging population have left modern Germany with some heavy bills to pay; unemployment also remains a constant concern for the nation.
German technology and design are considered among the world's finest, and the nation can lay claim to enormous cultural contributions, especially in literature and music.
Germany finished third in the 2006 World Cup, which they hosted. They have a bit of history with the current hosts: they got the 2006 Cup over South Africa after a process that many still feel was a bit hinky.
PAST WORLD CUP SUCCESS: Germany has a long track record of success in the Cup. Three-time winners (1954, 1974 and 1990, all as West Germany) and perennial contenders (they are four-time runners up, in 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002), Germany is one of the teams to beat in 2010. They finished in third at the 2006 World Cup, which they hosted.
REGIONAL SUCCESS: Germany has won the European Championship three times (1972, 1980 and 1996), the most of any country, and were runners up twice (1976 and 1992). They hosted the tournament in 1988.
LEAGUE OVERVIEW: The Bundesliga is one of the world's top leagues with regional origins that date back to the late 1880s. The German FA (DFB) was founded in 1900. The Germans boast a number of storied teams -- Bayern Munich, 1.FC Koln, Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV, and FC Schalke 04 are merely the tip of the iceberg -- which have been consistent competitors in the European Cup. The Bundesliga, despite not bringing in as much money as some of the other European leagues, is healthy, and is a preferred destination for players around the world. The Bundesliga still attracts the largest average attendance in European soccer and is considered the most financially stable.
MANAGER: Joachim Loew, a former assistant and decidedly soothing compared to Juergen Klinsmann. He's not flashy, but he's got the guys playing solid, workman-like football. He's had a varied managerial career, coaching in Turkey, Germany and Austria.
KEY PLAYERS: Let's mention who's not here. There's captain and team leader Michael Ballack, who suffered an ankle injury in Chelsea's FA Cup final victory. No. 1 'keeper Rene Adler (Leverkusen) is out after he had to undergo surgery to repair a broken rib. That's a loss, but Hans-Joerg Butt (Bayern) should be able to step in. Germany would also have liked to have had defender Simon Rolfes (Leverkusen), but he hasn't recovered from knee surgery. There's still lots here. Philipp Lahm (Bayern) has been outstanding all year with Bayern, and is the key man out of the back. He has taken over as captain with Ballack gone. I like Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern) running out on the wing, and you have to expect Lukas Podolski (Cologne) and Miroslav Klose (Bayern) will be up top. Simply put, these guys have a lot of weapons.
FIFA RANKINGS: 6th. Highest was 1st (1993); lowest was 23rd (2006).
FIRST ROUND OPPONENTS: Australia, Ghana, Serbia
HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST AUSTRALIA: As East and West Germany, they whipped the Aussies twice at the 1974 World Cup. More recently, Germany held off the Aussies at the 2005 Confederations Cup 4-3.
HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST GHANA: They've only met once, and it was 17 years ago. In 1993 at a Bochum friendly, Germany torched Ghana 6-1.
HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST SERBIA: As Serbia, the sides have only met twice, at friendlies staged in Germany. Germany won both of them, most recently in 2008 at Gelsenkirchen, 2-1. As Yugoslavia, the teams were very familiar with one another, playing 25 matches as far back as 1939. The two teams also have a lot of World Cup meetings under their belts, meeting six times in six Cups. Germany won five of those meetings, with Yugoslavia's lone win coming back in 1962 in Chile, 1-0.
HOW THEY QUALIFIED: In style, in a fairly tough group. The Germans topped Russia and the Finns with eight wins and two draws.
PERCENTAGE CHANCE TO PROGRESS: 50%. They should go though, but it's not a gimme.
TO WATCH: This is a great team that has a chance to go all the way. I'm not certain they will, but if anyone's picking, you could do worse than taking a flier on Podolski for the Golden Boot.
ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Hans-Joerg Butt (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)
Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburger SV), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger SV), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart)
Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Marko Marin (Werder Bremen), Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)
Forwards: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne)
TOMORROW'S TEAM: Argentina
