World Cup Hotties: The battle for Group G!

The battle for Group G rages on with the US facing Germany and Ghana facing Portugal. Any team can go forward depending on the outcomes of today’s matches.

Here is how each team stands:

-Germany (4 points, goal differential +4) -- Advances and wins group with either a victory or draw against the United States.

-United States (4 points, goal differential +1) -- Advances and wins the group with a victory against Germany. A draw also qualifies them.

-Ghana (1 point, goal differential -1) -- Advances with a win against Portugal and a United States or Germany loss while overcoming goal differential.

-Portugal (1 point, goal differential -4) -- Advances with a win and a United States or Germany loss while overcoming goal differential.

Today we zero in on the machinery which is the German team and the massive battle of the coaches. Germany’s coach Joachim Low used to be an assistant for Jurgen Klinsmann, currently the US coach. Together they are credited for revamping the German brand of football to much success. After the 2006 World Cup (where Germany reached the semi-finals), Klinsmann recommend that Low take over. Low was seen as a tactical genius, helping the team reacht eh final of the Euro 2008 and semi-finals of the World Cup. The two coaches remain friends, but there is also intense rivalry and competition at stake in today’s match.

It’s a good thing the Americans and their coach are hungry for a win. Sadly Forbes reported today that Germany’s top 3 players earned more in the last year than the ENTIRE US football team. (nevermind the fact that the highest earning athlete in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo who has been lacklustre thus far…).