Deutscher Fussball-Bund

Back in April I began posting on my favorite sports teams.  I continue that here, discussing my favorite international soccer team- the German national team, or "Deutscher Fussball-Bund," or "Mannschsaft."

Origins of Fandom

The European national teams play all year round, but there are really only two competitions they play in that mean anything: the Euro Cups (every 4 years, last played in 2012) and the World Cups (every 4 years, last played in 2010).  So, the national teams are only an "every 2 years" experience.  I lived in Germany from 2007-2011, so I was in-country for two competitions- the 2008 Euro Cup and the 2010 World Cup.  I had little interest in the 2008 competition; I watched a few games, and rooted for Germany, but didn't pay much attention.  In 2010, though, I fell in love.  The first game Germany played in that World Cup was against Australia, and they manhandled them 4-0.  It wasn't just the margin of victory that impressed me- it was the style of play.  The Germans passes were frequent and precise; the team as a whole was selfless.  It was one of the best examples of team play I've ever seen, and I was an instant fan. 

Here is one video showing some highlights from the tournament that so endeared me to them:



Recent History


Joachim Löw became coach in 2008, and the three competitions under his tenure have been quite good.  He keeps the squads young, continually feeding hungry, driven "kids" into the starting rotations, giving them valuable experience despite their youth.  The team, as previously noted, passes wonderfully, and has a lot of promise.  Sadly, they haven't won it all, yet- they placed as follows in recent tournaments:

Euro 2008: 2nd
World Cup 2010: 3rd
Euro 2012: lost in semi-finals

The make-up of the current team shows the increasing diversity in Germany.  You (obviously) have a slew of obviously German players, like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillip Lahm, and Per Mertesacker, but you also have those of mixed or foreign descent who were raised in Germany, like Mesut Özil (Turkish), Sami Khedira (German/Tunisian), Mario Gomez (German/Italian), and Lukas Podolski (Polish).  Regardless of heritage, the players are fantastic- there's so much talent here.

Final Thoughts

As I said, the national team experience is only every 2 years, and Löw likes to feed in young players, so every competition sees new faces on the squad, and you never know if your personal favorites will be back next time.  That's a bit sad, but regardless, this is a team worth watching.