I started writing this two-match report after the first instalment of Germany’s much-criticised post-season (or should I say tail of the season) tour against Ecuador in Boca Raton, but the second match against the United States would leave me somewhat uninspired and sapped of enthusiasm. But a report is a report, and I thought I had better get on with it – after all, we are going to have to wait until August’s meeting against Paraguay for the next one. Read more

It’s a warm and humid afternoon in Washington DC, and both teams make their way out into the RFK Memorial Stadium for what is the Nationalmannschaft’s final game of what has been a fantastic season for German football. The game sees former German coach Jürgen Klinsmann – now hoping to take the US team to the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014 – meet up with some of his former charges, among them former assistant Joachim Löw. Read more

The two teams walk out to a sparsely-populated stadium in Boca Raton, where most of the support appears to be for the yellow-shirted South Americans. It is a cloudy and somewhat humid afternoon in Florida, with a slight breeze and a few drops of rain in the air. Read more

So, we have our squad of twenty-three players for the two-match tour of the United States, numbered from one to twenty-four with no number nineteen. Weird. Maybe Paul Hardcastle had something to do with it.

With the entire core contingent from FC Bayern München unavailable and most of Borussia Dortmund’s first-choice internationals not on the shortlist either, Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw has managed to cobble together what looks like a half-decent squad with a mix of the retained, the recalled and four new recruits. Read more

In a couple of hours’ time, Nationaltrainer Jogi Löw will announce his squad for the upcoming end of season two-match tour of the United States, which sees the team take on Ecuador in Boca Raton followed by an encounter with the United States.

All well and good, were it not for the timing – which is truly awful. Read more

The recent ongoing debate over the concept the of the strikerless “False Nine” and Nationaltrainer Joachim Löw’s decision not to play a regular centre-forward in Germany’s more recent matches has prompted many to think that the era of the traditional Stürmer – the predator, the poacher, the six-yard area finisher – is about to witness its last days. Read more

I was all set to post up the eighth instalment of the One Cap Wonders series today, but other developments have pushed it aside. Namely, the ongoing saga regarding the use of images on the site.

Having arrived back home from work a couple of weeks ago I would find a rather grubby-looking envelope on my doormat, with a second-class stamp attached. Curious, I opened it and flicked through the pages to find myself staring at what was a familiar-looking image of Horst Hrubesch. Read more

Travelling through South-Eastern Bavaria, you will find yourself being instantly captivated by the unique atmosphere. The clean air, crystal clear lakes, rolling green valleys, and the breathtaking mountains that look particularly spectacular against the background of a sky matching the blue of the distinctive lozenges on the Bavarian flag. Read more

Think of those large house spiders you might occasionally see scuttling across your floor, usually during a warm summer evening. Just a blur of almost abnormally long, skinny legs, moving erratically and always managing to evade you as you try to corner it. Looking at this gangly arachnid you cannot understand how or why such an awkward looking creature is so surprisingly mobile, yet somehow it is. Read more

To all my followers, let’s just say that I was teetering on the brink of taking the entire site down this weekend and concentrating on keeping my writing project running offline. Yes, I cannot get the bloody images issue out of my head.

Of course, this would be cutting off my nose to spite not just my face but also the many others who have over the last three years or so have enjoyed the site. There have been some some fantastic comments and feedback and this has always been warmly appreciated. Read more