Disarm you with a smile

Germany is my favorite World Cup team.

Yup, you read that right. It ain't Brazil, or England, or Italy, or France, or Argentina. That's right, my favorite football team is Germany's so-called "bunch of kids".

But give them credit. For all their youth and "inexperience", the team ranked right up there with the best of them. Their attacking play, driven by striker duo Miroslav Klose (winner of Golden Shoe) and Lukas Podolski (Best Young Player), is a real change from all those defensive tactics prioritized by other teams. They won five consecutive games, one of which was against tournament favorite Argentina. Their energy and determination did a lot in encouraging the show of German nationalism (which was really rare before). For a team once heavily criticized for having a "porous defense and lumbering midfielders", they served up players in those areas who really shined at the WC, like Philipp Lahm (only 5"6'!), Jens Lehmann, Torsten Frings, and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Besides, they're led by Michael Ballack (one of the best midfielders in the world!) and the legendary Oliver Kahn (the only goalkeeper who has ever won a Golden Ball).

After the team once called "underdogs" unexpectedly finished third-place, their critics are now eating their words. :) This young team has great potential, and they can really go all the way next time.

I can't wait for South Africa 2010!

SQUAD (The team is locally called the Nationalmannschaft. What a tongue-twister, no? It means "the National 11"):

1 LEHMANN Jens (GK)
2 JANSEN Marcell
3 FRIEDRICH Arne
4 HUTH Robert
5 KEHL Sebastian
6 NOWOTNY Jens
7 SCHWEINSTEIGER Bastian
8 FRINGS Torsten
9 HANKE Mike
10 NEUVILLE Oliver
11 KLOSE Miroslav
12 KAHN Oliver (GK)
13 BALLACK Michael
14 ASAMOAH Gerald
15 HITZLSPERGER Thomas
16 LAHM Philipp
17 MERTESACKER Per
18 BOROWSKI Tim
19 SCHNEIDER Bernd
20 PODOLSKI Lukas
21 METZELDER Christoph
22 ODONKOR David
23 HILDEBRAND Timo (GK)

Coach: KLINSMANN Juergen, formerly also a player of the German national football team.

MATCHES:
Germany : Costa Rica 4:2 (2:1)
Germany : Poland 1:0 (0:0)
Ecuador : Germany 0:3 (0:2)
Germany : Sweden 2:0 (2:0)
Germany : Argentina 1:1 a.e.t (1:1, 0:0) 4:2 PSO
Germany : Italy 0:2 a.e.t (0:0)
Germany : Portugal 3:1 (0:0)

Okay, I'm gonna stop raving now. :D