Three-time World Cup winner and defending European Champion Germany is set to sacrifice style for success. Hurdling the United States is its ticket to the second-round.
The most important game. The German press reports that Berti Vogts has one videotape dedicated to each U.S. player. Even if that's an exaggeration, one thing is certain: Vogts sees his opening game against the U.S. as Germany's most important of the first round.
A win virtually assures Germany's second-round passage. Even a loss to Yugoslavia would then barely harm its chances of reaching the round of 16 – because its final game is against weak Iran.
The Germans are known for their tournament savvy – the ability to pace their way through a competition with the proper results at the right time. They want the U.S. win under their belts. That would alleviate pressure in the remaining first-round games, enabling them to conserve their energy for the later round games.
Defensive minded. Don't expect Vogts to worry about winning style points. At the 1994 World Cup, his attack-minded squad exited in the quarterfinals – the worst German performance since Vogts ended his playing career at the 1978 World Cup with an own goal against Austria.
In 1996, Vogts won his first title as coach. His German squad was forgiven its gray workmanlike style because, for one, the tournament's other teams set such low standards. Secondly, his squad was depleted by injuries.
Vogts has dismissed any notion of an entertaining German team. ''If we start with bicycle kicks and back-heels, we'll be second-class in no time.'' Fighting spirit and diligence is what makes the Germans win, he says.
So he might play with only three attacking players – two forwards and one offensive midfielder supported by a throng of defenders behind them.
Room for both? Andy Moeller and Thomas Haessler are Germany's most innovative and skillful midfielders. Vogts said he may not play them both.
Moeller's a speedster with an excellent shot. Haessler's a fine dribbler. Vogts is fond of Moeller, whom he coached on German youth national teams. But going into his third World Cup – after two European Championships – Moeller is still trying to shed the reputation as a choker on the big stage.
Old but experienced. Vogts puts one of his favorite phrases to test – ''There are no old or young players, just good and bad players'' – because never has Germany brought such an aged team to a World Cup. Twelve players over 30 – including each of the four forwards – bring the average to 29.9 years. When West Germany last won the World Cup, its average age was 26.6. Eight players from that squad are on Vogts' roster.
Prodigal Son. Matthias Sammer, dubbed the best German libero since Franz Beckenbauer, engineered the Euro '96 win, then couldn't recover from a variety of injuries. So Vogts brought back Olaf Thon, who had debuted at 18 in 1984 but was absent for four years before his reprieve. Then Thon got hurt.
Vogts had said that Lothar Matthaeus would never again play for Germany. With Thon questionable, ''never'' became 41 months.
Matthaeus, 37, had had a bitter feud with Juergen Klinsmann – once challenging him to a TV debate. Matthaeus was known to feed dirt on others to tabloids and Vogts considered him disruptive.
Everyone has made up – for now.
The frontline. If the Vogts plan is to win with defense and tenacity, the scoring chances must be converted when they come. And he has four excellent strikers. Besides Klinsmann, there's Oliver Bierhoff, who shot Germany to the Euro '96 crown after Vogts' wife advised him to play the late-bloomer. He is the Italian league's leading scorer. Ulf Kirsten is Bundesliga top marksman for the third time, and Olaf Marschall hit 21 goals this year.
(by Soccer America senior editor Mike Woitalla)