Gerald Asamoah, Schalke striker
Hat tip to Alfred Worcester for drawing our attention to the hosts announcing their final 23.
Goal
23 Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart)
12 Oliver Kahn (FC Bayern München)
1 Jens Lehmann (FC Arsenal London)
Defense
3 Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin)
4 Robert Huth (FC Chelsea London)
2 Marcell Jansen (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
16 Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München)
17 Per Mertesacker (Hannover 96)
21 Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund)
6 Jens Nowotny (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Mid-field
13 Michael Ballack (FC Bayern München)
18 Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen)
8 Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen)
15 Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart)
5 Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund)
22 David Odonkor (Borussia Dortmund)
19 Bernd Schneider (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
7 Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München)
Strikers
14 Gerald Asamoah (FC Schalke 04)
9 Mike Hanke (VfL Wolfsburg)
11 Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen)
10 Oliver Neuville (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
20 Lukas Podolski (1. FC Köln)
I guess the 100,000 petition to get Mehmet Scholl into the squad did not impress Klinsmann. But Scholl has been an injury liability in the past and Klinsi decided to play safe. Michael Ballack gets help from Torsten Frings and Bastien Schweinsteiger in the midfield. Gerald Asamoah and Lukas Podolski make up the attack along with veterans Miroslav Klose and Oliver Neuville. In goal, Germany have Jens Lehmann who has had a stellar year for Arsenal. He will rely on Robert Huth and Philip Lamm to keep the opposing attack at bay.
The pressure is on Germany as the host to do well. Recent WC’s have all been favorable to the hosts. The French winning outright in 1998 and South Korea and Japan exceeding expectations in 2002. Klinsmann has a personal stake in the matter, to show up the Bayern cabal and put to rest all those below the belt shots of his being in a California state of mind.