Bundesliga Fanatic

Joachim Löw’s 100th match in charge of the German national team ended in a 1-1 draw in a tightly-contested, and at times feisty, match in Milan.  Mats Hummels gave Germany the lead before Ignazio Abate equalized shortly after.  The result continues Germany’s near 20 year winless run against the Italians but gave Löw plenty of […]

The German national team will finish the calendar year with two international friendlies against its two most traditional rivals, Italy (November 15th in Milan) and England (November 19th in London), later this month.  The two fixtures were scheduled with preparation for next year’s World Cup in mind and will allow coach Joachim Löw to further […]

Germany officially sealed their place at the World Cup finals in Brazil next year following a dominant 3-0 win against the Republic of Ireland.  Goals from Sami Khedira, Andre Schürrle and Mesut Özil sealed the three points necessary to top the group and continue their unbeaten qualifying campaign.  With the goal of qualification reached, coach […]

It’s been nearly seven months since Mario Götze last made an appearance for the national team.  Bayern Munich’s big summer signing has been working hard to recover from an injury he picked up towards the end of last season that also ruled him out of the Champions League final.  Now Götze is finally rounding into […]

There were no real surprises on Friday when national team coach Joachim Löw nominated the roster for Germany’s last two World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Sweden on October 11 and 15 respectively.  The big news of course was Stefan Kiessling’s omission again while Max Kruse, Sidney Sam and Marcel Jansen were all welcomed back […]

This week was all about improved performances and consistency for Joachim Löw and Germany.  In the direct spotlight was Germany’s much-maligned defense which Löw and the players promised to improve ahead of their two World Cup qualifiers.  And they did. They finished the international break with an impressive 3-0 win against the Faroe Islands to […]

Germany’s 3-0 win in their World Cup qualifier against Austria was all about milestones.  Captain Philipp Lahm became only the 11th player to reach 100 caps for the national team while Miroslav Klose finally equalled a record most thought was unreachable, tying the great Gerd Müller as Germany’s all time top goalscorer. Meanwhile, coach Joachim […]

Germany’s official preparation for the 2014 World Cup did not start as coach Joachim Löw would have wanted.   In front of nearly 48,000 supporters at the Fritz Walter Stadion in Kaiserslautern, Germany had to come from behind twice to draw a Paraguay side that continually exposed their opponent’s defensive vulnerabilities. The match was supposed […]

Germany finished the second part of their US tour with a 3-4 loss to Jürgen Klinsmann’s US national team at RFK stadium Washington DC on Sunday.  The game was a great showcase for US Soccer’s centennial celebrations but it also underlined the strengths and weaknesses of Löw’s team and was a great opportunity to experiment and build […]

Two old acquaintances will meet in Washington’s RFK stadium on Sunday (kick-off 2:30 p.m. local time) as the US men’s national team play host to Germany as part of the festivities to celebrate the centenary jubilee of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Seven years ago, Joachim Löw and Jürgen Klinsmann were key actors at the 2006 […]