Germany vs. Costa Rica:

So much for any fear of opening-match nerves casting a smothering pall of caution over the great tournament's curtain raiser. The Germans passed the ball brilliantly, and three of the four goals they produced were all-world beauts. But Costa Rica, typical of underdogs in this new, exciting century of attacking soccer, weren't the least bit put off by the incessant pressure and rising German goal tally. They never stopped pushing forward and ordered a couple of fine running counterbreak goals from their one-stop Paulo Wanchope shop. The result? A record-setting six-goal thriller, and one of the most intriguing and continually interesting soccer matches I've enjoyed in quite a while.It should be noted that despite conceding 20-plus shots and losing 4-2, the Central American underdogs played very well. Goaltender Jose Porras was actually superb. Thundering outside scoring strikes from Philip Lahm and Torsten Frings were truly unstoppable, curling just past his searching fingers and sneaking just inside the post. Porras's only real mistake came when he couldn't smother Miroslav Klose's in-close header on 61 minutes, which perfectly and immediately set up Germany's third goal. A surprisingly masterful performance from a German team that has been lightly regarded in the run-up. Costa Rica could have easily escaped with a draw had Germany's finishing not been of such a high and thrilling order.

World Cup Germany 2006 Group A. Germany, Poland, Costa Rica, Ecuador.

Hosting this year the most important soccer tournament around the world, Germany leads Group A. An old school team as Poland, form the old country; one Commebol representative, Ecuador, and from Concacaf, Costa Rica.

Sportsbooks odds give Germany most of the chances to pass to round 2 on top after that, Poland and Ecuador are the one’s that could fight for that second place. Even though, nothing is written, more than 90 minutes of good soccer is coming ahead and Germany is the big favorite in his group.

Preliminaries from all coaches, showed that among the group the lineup formation most likely to be play is the 4-4-2 formation. Klinsmann, used a 4-3-3 line-up and went back to the usual one after seeing that his squad responded with excellence under this formation. The opening game will be play with a 4-4-2 system in both teams curiously and an exciting game to watch and bet on.

Among the group, lack of aerial soccer and defensive effectiveness are flaws the “Ticos” have. Polish players’ height is something that could give them the advantage and something Costa Rica should worry about. Poland going forward is much better than defending, this becoming the key if the Ticos and Ecuador want to neutralize this squad.

The South American squad is highly concentrated in the same way as Costa Rica in looking forward on the aerial game but much more in the last defensive third of field. Coach Luis Fernando Suarez said he is aware of that and is focusing on that aspect to take advantage of other teams’ flaws.

On June 9th, two games from this group will take place. That group is on the watch of sports betting fans all around the world and their specific challenges and skills are the opening attraction in this tournament. We can’t miss it.

Germany 2 - 2 Japan

Japan stunned World Cup host nation Germany by snatching a 2-2 draw on the eve of the tournament.
Although Germany fielded a somewhat experimental line-up, the result will have done nothing to lessen the number of questions asked about boss Jurgen Klinsmann, who lives in the USA and only flies home for matches.
However, German football does seem to suffer from the same problems as the English version - their fans expect too much - and it must be remembered that Japan are ranked 18th in FIFA's list, one place above Germany.
After an up-and-down first-half at the Japanese raced into a two-goal lead after the break after Naohiro Takahara found the net after 57 and 65 minutes.
However, Germany are renowned for playing until the final whistle and they managed to escape with at least some pride in tact.
Miroslav Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger pulled the score level, but unless Germany do a lot better in their final warm-up game against Colombia the idea of a repeat of the 1966 World Cup final will seem even more ridiculous than it does now.
After the match, Klinsmann said: 'Obviously it feels better to equalise after being two goals down. A defeat would have been irritating but not the end of the world. We let them have too many chances.'
Unless Germany reach the final of the World Cup, I personally think Klinsmann will be sacked. And, on this performance, he might as well look forward to topping up his tan in California 365 days a year!

Germany: Lehmann, Ballack, Schneider, Frings, Klose, Metzelder (Nowotny 55), Borowski (Odonkor 63), Schweinsteiger, Mertesacker, Jansen, Podolski (Neuville 70). Subs Not Used: Kahn, Asamoah, Kehl, Friedrich, Hitzlsperger, Hanke, Huth.


Japan: Kawaguchi, Hidetoshi Nakata, Nakamura, Nakazawa, Yanagisawa (Tamada 81), Takahara (Oguro 76), Miyamoto, Fukunishi, Santos, Kaji (Komano 39), Tsuboi. Subs Not Used: Narazaki, Ono, Inamoto, Koji Nakata, Ogasawara, Endo, Doi, Maki.

Things can only get better for Germany

The lack of witnesses to Germany's first World Cup warm-up match in Switzerland was just as well.
Germany struggled to beat Servette Geneva 2-1 in a 70-minute practice match on Tuesday, with Michael Ballack and Gerald Asamoah getting the goals.
The match was played behind closed doors with no media allowed in, but assistant coach Joachim Loew was open with his criticism on Wednesday.
"We've started badly," Loewe said. "We played too deep and too square. That gave the opposition time to get back. We did some things well but not for the whole game."
Loewe's only excuse was that players have hardly had the ball at their feet since leaving Germany over a week ago.
"We couldn't keep up with the tempo required," he said. "Some of the players didn't have the freshness that they will have in two or three weeks. But we've really only been training with the ball on two days."
The good news for Germany was Christoph Metzelder's return to training on Wednesday. The Borussia Dortmund defender had been struggling with a calf injury.
"It went well," Metzelder told reporters. "I should be back to normal next week."
Germany will have another chance to impress on Thursday when they take on the Servette junior team.
The World Cup hosts arrived in Geneva on Sunday after a short "regeneration" camp in Sardinia, when the players spent more time working on their suntans than they did with the ball.
They will stay in Switzerland until May 30, apart from a brief trip back into Germany for a friendly international against Luxembourg in Freiburg on Saturday.
They have subsequent friendlies against Japan in Leverkusen on May 30 and Colombia in Moenchengladbach on June 2 before moving into their World Cup base hotel in Berlin on June 5.
Juergen Klinsmann's side play the first match of the World Cup against Costa Rica in Munich on June 9. The final is in Berlin on July 9.

The World Cup Preview

By Graham Harvey

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

America loves “World Champions”.

Baseball has “The World Classic”, NFL crowns its version at the Superbowl, and the NBA finds theirs after a grueling season.However, this summer all these “local” events fade into insignificance when you realize that every country on this planet will be talking about, reading, and watching “THE World Cup” – no exceptions!

It’s taken time for a country that exports its culture to import the World’s favorite game. Even in 1994, those “funny men” running on grass in “silk pyjamas” did not catch John Doe’s imagination in America’s heartland.So what’s all the fuss about every four years when the world goes crazy and falls into a footballing trance while America carries on with their summer sports?Well, “The World Cup” embodies more than a team trying to win. Footballers transform into “warriors” – national heroes – and the football pitch becomes more than a piece of turf, it’s a battleground for global supremacy.

The World Cup is the only event where a team represents a country and 100% of its population gets behind them and lives every kick, breathes every goal, and cries at every defeat.As one famous British manager once told a reporter, "Someone said 'football is more important than life and death to you' and I said 'Listen, it's more important than that'."Footballers have been shot dead for missing penalties, and two nations went to war over a football match (El Salvador and Honduras).It’s the “global game” – that’s why American companies scramble to push their products into every country via this competition.

Look at Coca-Cola, Yahoo, and McDonalds – as you guys say, “They’ve got game!”So, who’s going to win?Of course, being English – you would think I would say England. But sadly, after “our” coach (well – he is Swedish really) got caught out by a number of faux pas like having close bedtime relations with an FA secretary (who also had intimate relationships with other high ranking members) who spilled the beans to a “fake Sheikh” in Dubai about the team and then had “secret” meetings (well, secret enough that Britain’s famous media hounds snapped photos of Sven going into these “secret” meetings) with top domestic clubs.You can see why your average “Brit” thinks Sven’s mind is not focused on the Cup.In fact, after all these little snags, the FA decided to wish him “Good luck and goodbye”.

Now, in your job – if your company says, “we’ve got a major launch happening and then you’re fired after it”, are you actually going to go the “Whole Ten Yards?” Not likely.In fact, the whole footballing world will be packed into one nation. Deals will be done for players, and it is not against the realms of reality that while Sven is thinking about where he will be in August, his agent will be on the mobile phone talking to rich European clubs about Sven’s future employment.Now, what would you rather focus on – an employer’s ultimate dream after already firing you or a shiny new multi-million dollar contract with one of Europe’s richest clubs? Go figure!For the duration of the World Cup, teams take over hotels and make them secure camps. So, within this secure zone, if you see Sven on the practice pitch or walking around the hotel with his mobile close by – it could be suggested that he is not waiting for Nancy (his other half) to call him to update him on missed episodes of “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives”!So who can win the Cup? Well, obviously it would be boring to say “Brazil”. But sadly, the talent within the side is amazing and a repeat of 2002 Japan’s victory is on the cards.

What about another European challenge? Well, everyone knows Italy has a great footballing history. However, the sport is in crisis – it’s so bad that Sven talking to another football club about joining them whilst under contract with the FA – is small fry when you consider what has surfaced in Italy.OK, think about this and I’ll put it in American sporting terms. Of course, before any American lawyers start firing off writs to me – I am not saying that any of the following could or would happen in the NFL.

But consider what the outcry would be if the New England Patriots were stripped of their two Superbowl titles. Or if the owner, Robert Kraft, dictated who the on-field umpires would be for all their matches. Or picture the Patriots’ owner locking umpires in their dressing rooms after a game because they didn’t give “favourable” decisions, the owner’s son running the most influential sports agency in NFL, and this same man dictating who gets bought and sold within the whole NFL community. What would happen if the Pats’ leading QB admits to gambling on NFL matches although it is banned? Then the NFL chief commissioner resigns, and to cap it all George “Dubya” Bush takes some time off from his “crusade” in the Middle East to appoint a new commissioner to oversee the “damaged” sport.

This scenario is exactly what has happened in the past month in Italy. The Azzuri are truly “blue” and the dark cloud of corruption hangs over the Italian dream – there’s too much baggage being taken to Germany.So, if you discard England and Italy – two of the favourites – where are the dark horses to run against the thoroughbred Brazilians? Holland and Spain usually turn up, and when everyone thinks they’ll be the “belles of the ball” – they trip up on the global dance floor and never see it out to the end. France are always a side that oozes class. Thierry Henry is in his prime, Gallas and many other EPL stars are at their peak – but can eleven stars gel into one cohesive unit? Germany for a month will tell.The minnows always have no chance. Sorry Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia et al.

The winner is easy to predict – it is always the football fan that feasts on this extravaganza. The team that lifts the trophy – well – you always want a pundit to give his opinion and take a good stance. I apologise, but yes, I am realistic and yes, I know my football and yes, I want to be next to a young nubile Brazilian girl when they lift The World Cup on July 9th, 2006!

Germany takes strong anti-racist stance

Germany pledged on Thursday to take a tough stance against xenophobia at next month's soccer World Cup and dismissed a warning that black fans risked attacks in some parts of the country.
"I think during the world championship everyone can feel safe, wherever he will be in Germany. We are prepared," Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told reporters.
"No one who would try to make attacks on foreigners, people of colour, will succeed."
He was speaking a day after a former government spokesman said non-whites should avoid parts of Brandenburg, the former east German state surrounding Berlin, because "they would possibly not leave there alive".
A German-Ethiopian man was beaten into a coma last month by attackers in Potsdam, Brandenburg's capital, in an incident which ignited a public debate about racism.
German far-rightists plan to demonstrate in support of anti-Israeli statements by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when Iran play Angola in the eastern city of Leipzig on June 21.
It is still unclear whether local authorities will permit the rally. Schaeuble said the government would use all available legal means to prevent the World Cup being exploited.
"I think whoever will try to abuse the world championship for political means will fail, especially extremists of the right wing," he said.
Leipzig is the only one of the 12 World Cup venues in former communist eastern Germany, where far-rightists draw their strongest support.
Germany officials see the 32-nation sports festival as a chance to present their country to the world as welcoming, open and tolerant, and never tire of repeating the tournament slogan: "A Time to Make Friends".
German soccer chief Theo Zwanziger told a pre-World Cup conference in Berlin: "We Germans would like to show we are patriots but not nationalists."
"The German soccer association will take a very decisive stand against any kind of racism and xenophobia. We will not tolerate it. We will keep our eyes open. The creeping poison of racism can be very, very dangerous."
Asked to elaborate, Zwanziger told Reuters: "It's an enduring problem...Go to our stadiums, look what sort of things go on, what kind of banners, what kind of songs are sung.
"I can't say that at the moment we are free from racist ideas, not just in Germany but in the whole of Europe...I don't think we have a situation where we need to get excited, but we need to watch out."

Friendly Match Luxembourg vs. Germany

Luxembourg is one of the tiniest countries in Europe, and is also one of the ones with less or none achievement at all in soccer. Luxembourg last made it to a European Soccer Championship in 1963, and to date this is the greatest claim to soccer fame for Luxembourg sandwiched between France, Germany and Belgium.

The Luxembourg Soccer Association's naming of former Danish star Allan Simonsen as head coach in January 2002 indicates a new level of commitment. The European player of the Year in 1977 was asked to nurture young talent and build a strong national team for the future.

Luxembourg has participated in every qualifying stage since 1934 and it has not qualified in any. In this year qualifying stage they ended with no points and no goals in last place of their group.

Among the accomplishments Germany has gained over the years we can quote; three times world cup winner, four times vice world champion, two third places in a World Cup, three times European championship and two times runners up in a European championship. Also they participated in all the World Cups since 1954 and have played in all European championships since 1972.

With a quick look at the history of this country it’s easy to figure out why they’re one of the favorite teams to win this year edition of the World Cup. On top of that, they’re the hosting country, which adds more in their favor; since all the games they play will count with the support of the entire country.

So with that said we can add that Germany like all the other national teams will use these friendly matches to fine-tune those last minutes details that can make a big difference when it comes to important tournaments like this, mostly when a team is so young like this they can’t leave any room for error.

The Germany team needs to give a good performance in this World Cup in order not to let their fans and their country down. In order to do that, they need to make the best of this friendly match to be fully prepared for the tournament.

These matches are fun to watch since there’s are no points at stake the teams play lose and without pressure; that’s why if you like sports betting this is a good chance to bet on your favorite team.

Friendly Match Germany vs. Japan

Most teams are preparing for the World Cup next month in Germany and the hosts are not the exception. They have a series of games before the inaugural game against Costa Rica on June 9th and one of these games is against Japan. A squad that is very fast and can give some problems to the German defense. The game against the Japanese team will be a very good preparation match before the big competition starts.

Although they have a rather easy group stage, Germany captain Michael Ballack says that he is unsure of how the host nation will fare at next month's FIFA World Cup because so many young players form the nucleus of Jurgen Klinsmann's team.

"Everyone must be aware that a surprise is possible with this young team - but also an early exit," Ballack said in SportBild magazine. "However the minimum target has to be to reach the quarter-final or semi-final."

With that in mind the German squad is well aware of their need for preparation before the World Cup starts. They need to get to know each other as a team and most importantly try not to let the youth be a big issue in the tournament. The more they prepare it will be better for the young players to feel the confidence needed to approach a competition like this.

Now on to Japan; without a doubt one of the best Asian teams maybe just behind South Korea. Football is getting big in Japan they have an incredible infrastructure that hosted the last World Cup which gave the country an important boost to football.

That and the fact that they have a great canter of young and talented players could make this country a real tough adversary for the World Cup in the future.

One of the teams they will face to prepare for the World Cup is Germany on May 30th in Leverkusen. This will be a good match up for both teams as final preparation for the World Cup. Since it’s a friendly game and so close to the start of the competition it will probably be a game of strategy testing and without rough play to take care of the players and avoid injuries.

Most books will probably have a line for these friendly games were usually exhibition soccer is what we see due to the lack of points at stake. So if you like soccer and sports betting this is a good opportunity to test your knowledge in soccer.

Ballack: Germany could exit WC early

Germany captain Michael Ballack has warned the World Cup host nation not to expect too much from its young team.

"Everyone should be aware that a positive surprise is possible with this young team - but an early exit as well," Ballack was quoted as saying in Tuesday's edition of Sport-Bild weekly.
Ballack said the three-time World Cup champion's team was not stable enough to set a minimum target of the quarterfinals or the semifinals.
"We have many players on our roster who could still play for the under-21 team. Many players are still learning, many are a long way from reaching their zenith," Ballack said.
Ballack urged coach Juergen Klinsmann to consider Bayer Leverkusen's 32-year-old central defender Jens Nowotny for the final roster, saying the team could use his "class and international experience."
Nowotny, who missed the first half of the season with torn knee ligaments, was invited to a recent fitness test for World Cup hopefuls.
Klinsmann will announce his 23-man roster on Monday, one day before the team begins its preparations in Sardinia for the World Cup.
Klinsmann's proclaimed goal for the June 9-July 9 tournament is to win.