To get you ready for the drama that will start unfolding on June 11 in South Africa, The Star and The Full 90 will introduce you to the teams, the key performers, what to look for and what to expect in this year's Cup.
Up next is a team that used to be the World Cup bad guy but now might be ... the good guy?Germany
Group DTHE BASICS• Nickname: Die Mannschaft (sounds awesome, just means: The Team)
• Colors: White, Red, Yellow and Black
• FIFA Ranking: 6
• How They Got Here: Qualified without a loss in a European group with Russia, Finland and Wales.
• World Cup Pedigree: 6 World Cups as Germany ('34, '38, '94, '98, '02, '06), runners-up once, third place and quarterfinals twice; 10 World Cups as West Germany ('54, '58, '62, '66, '70, '74, ' 78, '82, '86, '90), winners three times ('54, '74, '90), qualified for the knockout round every time; 1 World Cup as East Germany ('74), qualified for second round. THE PLOT
Will one of the world's foremost soccer villains continue their dramatic transformation into World Cup hero? THE DIRECTOR
Joachim Low
The master-technician has been a part of the German national team since 2004 when former coach Jurgen Klinsmann made him his top assistant. The team finished third in the '06 World Cup (losing late to eventual champion Italy) but Klinsmann resigned afterward. Low took over and led the team to second in Euro '08 (losing 1-0 to Spain in the final). He is often criticized in Germany, but that's because the Germans (pretty much the most decorated European soccer country ever) haven't won a World Cup title since 1990 and are kind of getting antsy. LEADING MAN
Miroslav Klose
This spot was reserved last week (when I started this preview) for Chelsea's midfield boss Michael Ballack. But he's now going to miss the World Cup with torn ankle ligaments. Into the leading man void steps the Bayern Munich striker, Klose. He knows a thing or two about World Cups, he's scored 10 goals in 14 appearances in 2002 and 2006. SUPPORTING CAST
Bastian Schweinsteiger (midfielder, Bayern Munich) is an imposing 25-year-old likely to fill-in as captain without Ballack and is on pace to become the all-time leader in caps for Germany; Lukas Podolski (forward, FC Koln), like Klose, is a tall striker of Polish parents who does better for his country than for his club; Philipp Lahm (left back, Bayern Munich) is the best left back in all of soccer and was probably the tournament's best player in 2006; Christoph Metzelder (defender, Real Madrid) and Per Mertesacker (defender, Werder Bremen) make up the hard to break down center of defense and are known in Germany as "die bruder schnarch und schleich" ("the sleepy and the slow"). LIKELY BREAKOUT STAR
Mesut Ozil
Of all the young players to keep an eye on in the Cup, the 21-year-old naturalized German (he also could have played for Turkey) is the player that will raise his profile the most. He can play just about anywhere on the pitch and was the highlight of Germany's European championship U-21 team in 2009. He plays for Werder Bremen (for now) in Germany. THE LIKELY VILLAIN
Jorg Butt
This might be slightly unfair, as it's not really Borg's fault that he's in this position. Obvious first choice 'keeper, Robert Enke, sadly committed suicide last year after battling depression. Borg is a serviceable netminder for Germany's best team (Bayern Munich) but he's not a world-class goalie and is the one weakness the Germans have. PRODUCTION NOTES
Low favors the strong midfield play normally found in a 4-4-2. Though, at times, he's tried a more defensive 4-2-3-1. Either way, scoring shouldn't be a problem for Germany. Neither should defending. But replacing the midfield possession provided by Ballack will be a huge issue. WHAT THEY'LL WEAR
They will probably wear their very drab white uniform most of the time. But it's the return of "Ze Black Shirts" that had England up in arms last year. The black shirts might dampen, slightly, the good guy image.
"Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"
Once feared (and, often, for good reason) on the old continent, this is a much softer and friendlier German team. Much like Darth Vader at the end of "Jedi," when he helps atone for his past mistakes by dumping the Emperor over a balcony to his death. This isn't meant to be a literal analogy, just a theoretical one. TRAILER
DO WHAT YOU WILL WITH THIS...
Melitta Bentz invented the coffee filter in Germany in 1908.CRITICAL BLURBS
Losing Ballack will be a huge, huge issue for Germany. He ran their attack and helped chase the ball down to recover possession. They have the youth to replace him physically, but what about his mentality? ... While Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history, Germany is the most consistent: They have qualified (as Germany, East Germany and West Germany combined) for 17 World cups and only once ('38) have gone home before the knockout stage. ... The draw didn't do them any favors. Ghana and Serbia are tough outs for anyone and Australia will be up for the Germans too. ... On paper, scoring goals shouldn't be an issue and keeping goals out their net also shouldn't be a problem. Winning the group and moving to the semis shouldn't be a surprise. ... Consistency might be an issue, as there are many fairly young players who will be trusted with key roles. ... Best-case scenario? A semi-final date with Spain (where anything could really happen). ... Realistic prediction? A semi-final date with Spain (where they lose on penalty kicks). POSSIBLE HOLLYWOOD MOMENT
Germany could settle some old scores this year. (No, not like the way you're thinking. This will be done on the soccer field.) Possible second-round foe? The USA (a rival for obvious reasons). Quarterfinals? Argentina (a rival who toppled the Germans in '86 and are just about even with Germany behind Brazil in the Cup pecking order). Semifinals? Spain (a continental rival who ousted them in Euro 2008). Finals? Brazil (a world rival who stand above them as the class of the soccer world).
Group A: South Africa, Uruguay, Mexico, France
Group B: South Korea, Greece, Nigeria, Algeria, Slovenia, USA, England
Group D: Serbia, Australia, Ghana, Germany
Group E: Japan, Cameroon, Denmark, Netherlands
Group F: New Zealand, Slovakia, Paraguay, Italy
Group G: North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal, Brazil
Group H: Honduras, Chile, Switzerland, Spain
Sources: World Cup 2010 (by Steven D. Stark and Harrison Stark); ESPN and Soccernet.com; FIFA; CIA Factbook
