I called it four years ago. After watching Germany play in the 2010 World Cup, I guessed they would win this one. They had, and still have a good balance of youth and experience. They had, and still have excellent teamwork and technical skills. But I think what made me call it was the look on their faces after they won the third place game in 2010. What I remember is a look, not of depression or frustration, but of fierce determination on so many of their faces.
I must confess, when they crashed out of the Euros, I had my doubts. And there are plenty of players on the team that I am not particularly fond of. Neuer, Gotze, Lahm, Schweinsteiger... they all seem to have huge egos that they don't even try to hide under a facade of dignity or honor. On the other hand there are other players I really admire, especially Khedira and Klose. So I wasn't really cheering for them or against them, just watching to see how they would do.
And they exceeded my expectations. The game against the US showed us what we could do, and our loss by one goal seemed not so bad compared to the Brazil-Germany game. (As a side not, Klinsman has been credited as starting the trend that fueled Germanys rise to dominance, and now he is the US coach. My personal opinion is that he has and will continue to great things for US soccer.) The final was a tedious game, but it was all worth it when Gotze finally put the ball in the back of the net with a beautiful goal.
I don't have a call for the next World Cup. I didn't get to watch as many games this time, so I didn't get any vibes. But I am glad they only come around every four years. I don't think I want to watch so many penalty shootouts so close together for a while.
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