USA
Juergen Klinsmann Selects Strong Squad to Face U.S. Men
By Shane Killian
March 15, 2006
German national team manager Juergen Klinsmann has named an impressive squad for its friendly against the United States on March 22 in Dortmund. The 23 man roster is almost exclusively filled with German based players and should be very close to the country's final World Cup team.
Since the game is being held in Germany, German clubs were required to release their players for the game. The compositon of the German roster will differ significantly from the U.S. team which will be missing many key players.
Germany holds a 5-2-0 lifetime advantage vs. the U.S., including a March 27, 2002 match in Rostock in the USA’s penultimate match prior to selecting their World Cup roster.
The three-time FIFA World Cup champions have qualified successfully for every World Cup finals they have entered and Germany’s 16 overall appearances rank second only to Brazil (18).
Germany Roster
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich/Germany), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal/England), Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart/Germany).
Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin/Germany), Robert Huth (Chelsea/England), Marcell Jansen (Bor. M'gladbach/Germany), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich/Germany), Per Mertesacker (Hannover 96/Germany), Patrick Owomoyela (Werder Bremen/Germany), Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Manuel Friedrich (Mainz/Germany).
Midfielders: Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich/Germany), Sebastian Deisler (Bayern Munich/Germany), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich/Germany), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen/Germany), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen/Germany), Fabian Ernst (Schalke 04/Germany), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany).
Forwards: Gerald Asamoah (Schalke 04/Germany), Mike Hanke (Wolfsburg/Germany), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen/Germany), Lukas Podolski (Cologne/Germany)