Nadine Angerer cautious with World Cup predictions for Germany
A competitive sparkle in Nadine Angerer’s eyes lets you know that, at age 36 and entering her fifth World Cup, she is eager for one last thrill on the international stage.
This is, after all, the No. 1 goalkeeper on the No. 1 team in the world, according to the FIFA World rankings. Besides, there’s still an aura attached to Angerer’s feat during the 2007 World Cup, when she did not allow a single goal over six matches en route to Germany’s World Cup win.
And yet Angerer, who plays for the Portland Thorns and seems to be consciously collecting soccer experiences and memories, is old enough to know she ought to temper her hope for a German win this summer with a more sanguine assessment of where things really stand. There was, after all, the big disappointment in 2011, when Angerer and the German women fell to eventual champion Japan in the quarterfinals. And now other countries are ready to demonstrate the parity in the women’s game.
“First of all, I know we are first in the world. It’s great, but it doesn’t mean you win the World Cup,’’ Angerer said.
Among the top teams that can win the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Germany is not going into their group match play in Canada exuding an aura that they are the team to beat. Just like the Americans have learned, German national team players know there is too much skill and too many good teams to think winning the World Cup is a shoo-in.
“I think we have very good team and a lot of potential, we have a very young team, extremely talented team as well. If you have a young team, you have up and downs. On a good day, we can beat any team in the world but on a bad day, we can lose against teams. That’s a fact. We will see how it goes at the World Cup. But of course we are one of the favorites,’’ Angerer said.
Angerer is the German team captain who has the backing and admiration of her head coach, Silvia Neid. It was big news this May when Angerer announced she would retire at the end of the NWSL season, and that this was her final World Cup.
“(Nadine) is an incredible player and a special person. She was and remains a person I have a lot of faith in. I think it’s a shame that she won’t be playing after the World Cup, but I fully respect her decision. She’s an important part of our team – she’s a leader and offers a great example to our younger players. I’m certain that she is fully motivated for the upcoming tournament,’’ Neid said.
For Neid, the big push since 2011 has been to turn over the roster and pepper it with new talent. Neid has worked to integrate them into a system that proves Germany to be one of the most organized and disciplined teams in the world, alongside Japan, that also demonstrates amazing versatility and firepower.
Angerer continues to give Germany an edge as one of the world’s elite keepers. Only Hope Solo could challenge Angerer for top honors.
This June, Germany gets a pretty easy draw in the group stage with Norway, Thailand and Cote d'Iovire. However, Angerer’s leadership and presence will take on added importance, since Germany has seen its roster depleted with the loss of FIFA Player of the Year Nadine Kessler, the dominant midfielder, who’s out after knee surgery. In mid-May, veteran midfielder Lira Alushi withdrew from World Cup competition after she announced she was pregnant.
And then there’s France. When it comes to the darlings of this year’s WWC, it’s not about Germany or the U.S. or Japan. It’s Les Bleus who have gotten the attention of Angerer and the Germans. What makes France so alarming for Germany is the potential quarterfinal match against Philippe Bergeroo’s fantastic squad. Germany could meet France in the quarterfinals should they both win their groups.
“Personally, for me, it’s France this year. They have a very good team. Then the U.S. of course and us and Sweden and then the Asian team, you never know how they will be coming in, so I think there are eight teams that can win the World Cup,’’ Angerer said.
Much of what Germany does to set its course this June will emanate from their superb ball-handling and strength in the midfield and on the attack. Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag are stalwarts, while Neid has worked into the roster youngsters like Tabea Kemme and Sara Dabritz. This is a squad, as the 8-time European champions, that rolled undefeated through World Cup qualifying by scoring 62 goals and allowing only 4.
Angerer said she is hopeful her German national team could win what would be her third World Cup after 2003 and 2007. A native of Lohr am Main, Germany, Angerer has 138 caps and was named Best Goalkeeper at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and was named FIFA’s Best Player of the Year in 2014.
Since signing with Portland Thorns, Angerer has become teammates with Canadian star Christine Sinclair and Tobin Heath and Alex Morgan of the U.S. women’s national team.
“For those 90 minutes we are on the field (at the World Cup) we won’t be friends,’’ Angerer says.
At this point in her career, Angerer understands all too well that women’s soccer has changed, that Germany and the U.S. may have top ranking but no guarantees. And now, her window for more World Cup glory is coming to a close.
“I’m still fit and could probably play on for another couple of years. It’s great that my body is still in a fantastic condition after 20 years of playing sport at the highest level. I thought it was important to end my career on my own terms rather than as a result of an injury or someone making the decision for me. I thought long and hard about it,’’ she said.
But this is not about a sad swan song. Nor is it a concession speech. Like Neid, who is also retiring, the face of German soccer will be quite different when we see them in France in 2019.
“My decision is final and I wanted to make it known ahead of the World Cup,’’ Angerer said, adding: “It shouldn’t influence the performances of myself or my teammates during the upcoming World Cup – if it does it should be a positive one.”
Positive is one thing -- but winning it all in Canada this summer? Not even women’s soccer’s most decorated goalkeeper is willing to make that prediction.
