Match report from FIFA.com:
Germany pipped Ghana to the first place in Group F with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago at Changwon Main Stadium on Sunday 26 August.
 Even without their inspirational playmaker Toni Kroos, who sat out the game, the Germans always carried a threat and took the lead in the 5th minute, Fabian Broghammer weaving his way into the left side of the area before releasing a low drive past Jesse Fullerton.
As Trinidad and Tobago struggled to regroup, substitute Alexander Esswein made it 2-0 with a close-range header off a Henning Sauerbier corner on the half-hour mark. Esswein was again on the scoresheet in the 37th minute as he connected with a neat pass from Broghammer. The livewire forward could have made his hat trick seconds later, but Fullerton managed to parry away his powerful shot from 20 metres.
Captain Patrick Funk scored Germany's fourth goal of the night on 39 minutes when he steered home Sascha Bigalke's left-wing cross.
Eight minutes after the interval, T&T had a chance to pull one back, but Marcus Joseph's direct free from the right side of the box sailed narrowly over. Sheldon Bateau also had the opportunity to cut the deficit, but the defender mistimed his shot with just the keeper to beat.
The islanders remained pinned in their own half as Kevin Wolze's volley rattled their crossbar in the 81st minute. But Wolze was not to be denied, eventually scoring directly from a free kick three minutes into stoppage time.
Germany now head back to Cheonan for their Round of 16 match against USA on Thursday, while Trinidad and Tobago face the long journey home.
Goals Scorers: Fabian BROGHAMMER (5'), Alexander ESSWEIN (31', 37'), Patrick FUNK (39'), Kevin WOLZE (93')
| GER | Statistics | TRI |
|---|
| 21 | Shots | 11 |
| 8 | Corner kicks | 2 | | 1 | Yellow cards | 5 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 | | 46% | Possession | 54% |
And a German report from fussball-forum.de:
 While Trinidad & Tobago will play for pride, having no potential for advancing to the next stage, Germany will be fighting to top the group in order to avoid a tussle with Brazil in the Round of 16.
As things stand the second place finisher of group F is scheduled to play Brazil on August 29th in Gwangyang, while the winner of group F will play the yet undetermined runner up of group E on the 30th in Cheonan. This, most likely, would be a far less threatening Belgium or even Tajikistan.
The German trainer, Heiko Herrlich, has been quoted as saying it doesn't matter if they face Brazil now or later, but the incentive to top the group will be there. "We need to lay aside distractions to exit the group in a favorable position," commented German striker Sascha Bigalke, who scored the opening goal against Ghana on Thursday.
The German side will not be taking their final group game lightly. Herrlich pointed out that Trinidad was only down a single goal against Colombia and had a number of scoring opportunities entering the second half. Germany must maintain its concentration to avoid the pattern of their own previous matches against Colombia and Ghana where they ran up leads of 3:1 and 3:0, respectively, only to see their opponents answer with final scores of 3:3 and 3:2.
As for the junior Soca Warriors: They will be playing for pride and experience. In an interview following the 0:5 defeat to Colombia, keeper Glenroy Samuel said, "Now all we can do is hope for a miracle. We can beat Germany, though. I'm satisfied with the way I personally played, but unfortunately that wasn't enough. In any case, it's all good experience for us here at this tournament."
The standings of Group F going into the final match are:
| Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
Colombia
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 4 | | Germany | 2 | 1 | 1
| 0 | 6 | 5 | 4 | | Ghana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4
| 3 | | Trinidad & Tobago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Follow the action along with the Soca Warriors supporters at SocaWarriors.net on August 26 at 5:45 US Eastern time.
 A press release from the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation today expresses the sentiments of the Hollanders who hosted the U-17 T&T team during their preparations for the youth championship in Korea later this month:
Dutch message to T&T: Beat the Germans.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).
Trinidad and Tobago’s National Under 17 footballers departed Amsterdam bound for Seoul Korea with one final message from the many well wishers they encountered in Holland over the past week – “Beat the Germans!”
And nobody knew the significance of that wish in the T&T contingent more than Senior team head Wim Rijsbergen who was himself in the Holland line up when they lost 2-1 to the Germans in the 1974 World Cup Final. But before that though during the second World War, the Germans declared war on the Netherlands, invading in 1940 and taking control of the country for five years during which time 250,000 Dutchmen and women died before they regained their freedom.
So when the manager of the Papendal hotel Hans Blaauw and training center’s last words to the team was “Just make sure and beat the Germans” there was a little more to it than simply winning a football game. And on Saturday when skipper Leston Paul and his teammates caught eyes at the Vitesse Arnhem/Athletico Bilbao preseason game, the fans had three things to say. “Leo Beenhakker, Wim Rijsbergen and ‘beat the Germans in Korea'.”
“We were very pleased to have the National team of Trinidad and Tobago here at the Papendal with us for the last few days. We felt everything went well and we are particularly pleased to have played some part in the team’s final preparations before the World Cup in Korea. Here we know the importance of development and we are always willing to offer our facilities and advice in this regard. We surely will look forward to hosting more athletes from Trinidad in the future. My only wish is for you to beat Germany when you meet on the football field,” said Blaauw.
The team itself was in good spirits on Sunday as they checked out of the Papendal before an 11-hour flight to Seoul before taking the two-hour bus ride to Cheonan where T&T faces Ghana next Monday August 20.
“They are now seeing the picture and realize that it’s the simple things that count like not letting up easy chances. We are utilizing the sides of the park better now. In the second game we were more composed. We have the confidence to use our system of play The stay here served its purpose by breaking the long trip to Korea and having all the facilities at hand. We also saw how other professional teams in the area do it… training three times a day and so. We also looked at the sides of the field and saw scouts looking on as well,” Corneal told TTFF Media.
Rijsbergen also summed up his thoughts on the current state of the team.
“It’s not important if we win or lose these training games but its important that we realize that we need to a do a little extra. The teams will be strong in a World Cup but even if you are not as strong as other teams, if you work as a team an try very hard it will be harder for the opponent and you get better results which is what we saw with our senior team. Two or three yards extra can create a big problem in defense and hopefully the message comes when we play these kind of games. We can talk about good training and a nice complex but it’s important for us to do it as well and we were able to experience that over the last few days before going to Korea,” Rijsbergen added.
 Marlon Pompey, at 2.03 meters, is the new center for the basketball team, the Cuxhaven BasCats, of the 2nd Bundesliga Pro A.
Pompey was born April 1, 1983 in Trinidad, but was raised in Toronto, Canada. He was counted as a defense specialist at Texas A&M which ranked second behind Kansas in the Big 12 Conference last season and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. He was also invited to participate in the NCAA's slam dunk contest this year.
Coach Vilmantas Matkevicius is pleased with the signing saying, to acquire such an outstanding player from a top college team is simply fantastic and fits magnificently into our team picture.
Here is the press release in German:
 German goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel has been acquired by the Vancouver Whitecaps to back up Tobago born Richard Goddard between the sticks. From the Vancouver Sun:
Keeper goes global
Pfannenstiel crosses four continents to end up with Whitecaps
By: Dan Stinson
His new teammates might have thought they had it tough when they played six straight road games over 20 days in late June and the first two weeks of July. But that would rate as only a minor inconvenience in the nomadic career of Lutz Pfannenstiel, the latest and most widely travelled goalkeeper signed by the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Four continents, 19 teams, and more than 270 games of globe trotting preceded Pfannenstiel's July 3 agreement to ink a contract with the defending United Soccer Leagues First Division champions, who have struggled on the road but now have eight of their remaining nine regular-season games at Burnaby's Swangard Stadium.
"My early impressions are the talent in the squad is good," Pfannenstiel said Tuesday as the Caps prepared for a Friday home game against the Seattle Sounders following a marathon journey to the U.S. southeast and northwest that resulted in one win, two losses and three ties. "Travelling for long periods is hard on any soccer team, but I've seen enough of the Whitecaps to know that we can turn our recent struggles into positive results. The challenge is to make the most of these home games on the schedule."
A 34-year-old native of Zwiesel, Germany, Pfannenstiel was signed by the Caps following the departure of regular starting 'keeper Tony Caig on June 20 for what the club described as "personal reasons." Acquired as Richard Goddard's back-up, Pfannenstiel made a promising debut by posting a shutout in the Caps' 0-0 tie with the expansion Carolina RailHawks on July 3. But he also saw playing time in a 2-1 home-field loss to Miami FC on July 14 and in a 2-1 loss to the host Portland Timbers on July 19.
Pfannenstiel's pro career started in 1989, at age 16, with FC Bad Kotzting of Germany's Bavarian Oberliga. He was good enough to earn a transfer to famed German powerhouse Bayern Munich and had early dreams of remaining with the multiple Bundesliga champions. But Pfannenstiel soon realized his chances for regular first-team playing time with Bayern were very limited behind legendary starter Oliver Kahn.
 Today German U-17 coach Heiko Herrlich announced his squad for the World Cup tournament taking place in Korea from August 18 to September 9. They will face Trinidad and Tobago along with Ghana and Columbia in the opening round.
The squad is:
Goal:
Fabian Giefer (Bayer Leverkusen)
Kevin Trapp (1. FC Kaiserslautern)
Rene Vollath (1. FC Nürnberg)
Defense:
Mario Erb (Bayern München)
Kai Bastian Evers (Borussia Dortmund)
Matthias Haas (Bayern München)
Konstantin Rausch (Hannover 96)
Nils Teixeira (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfield:
Sascha Bigalke (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Mehmet Ekici (Bayern München)
Patrick Funk (VfB Stuttgart)
Tony Jantschke (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Toni Kroos (Bayern München)
Sebastian Rudy (VfB Stuttgart)
Jonas Strifler (TSG Hoffenheim)
Kevin Wolze (Bolton Wanderers)
Forwards:
Fabian Broghammer (TSG Hoffenheim)
Dennis Dowidat (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Alexander Eßwein (1. FC Kaiserslautern)
Henning Sauerbier (Bayer Leverkusen)
Richard Sukuta-Pasu (Bayer Leverkusen)
 Marc-Anthony Honore becomes the first Trinidadian volleyball player to go pro by signing with VfB Friedrichshafen of the 1st Bundesliga in Germany and winner of the 2007 European Champions League. From Newsday:
Honore to play pro-volleyball
IT’S OFF to Germany for local volleyball star Marc-Anthony Honore. The talented national player recently signed a professional contract with German volleyball club Friedrichshafen, reportedly the number one club in Europe.
After an exceptional college career Honore is hoping to move on to the next level in the sport.
By signing the contract he has become the first Trinidadian player to go professional in volleyball. Four years ago he was the first local male player to earn a volleyball scholarship to the United States.
His achievements on and off the courts have also earned him several national awards among college players.
In fact, Honore re-wrote the record books at college, claiming all but one of the categories. His performances drew the attention of several clubs across Europe, from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany.
But it was with Friedrichshafen that he decided to sign as a middle hitter/blocker for the 2007/2008 season.
It’s just another step, rather a leap for the 6’ 7” talented player who has been dubbed ‘‘inhuman” by his opponents, “grasshopper” by his former teammates at St Francis University, Pennsylvania.
 A display commemorating the Soca Warriors World Cup appearance in Germany is slated to open on July 9th in the Rotenburg city hall. Rotenburg was the host city for the Trinidad and Tobago national team during the tournament.
Rotenburg's sports minister Reinhard Lüdemann, pictured above, made the announcement to the Rotenburger Kreiszeitung last week. Display cases are currently being speced out and they will be filled with items collected over last summer including photos from the reception of the team along Gerberstrasse, the official reception at the Heimatsmuseum, and the many parties that took place on the "Pferdemarkt" as the town square is known. Also on display will be the key to Port of Spain that was presented by its mayor to the mayor of Rotenburg, t-shirts, the famous T&T scarf, jerseys, autographs, and World Cup pins. All of this will document the event which represents a milestone in the history of Rotenburg according to Lüdemann.
A DVD of containing a two hour slide show of photos will also be made available to the public.
Here is the full story in German from the Kreiszeitung:
From TTFF Media:
T&T FOOTBALL STARS TO FEATURE ON LOCAL TV SHOW
 Trinidad and Tobago Football fans can look forward to a host of exciting and passion filled programming on local television over the coming weeks featuring some of the country’s footballers plying their trade overseas.
This will all be part of the Football ’07 program produced by 20/20 productions and the scheduled to begin airing on TV 6 from June 17, 2007.
German producer Markus Harm who linked up with the Soca Warriors during the two-match playoffs with Bahrain and subsequently followed the team in Germany has relocated to Trinidad having been wed to a Trinidadian woman and has begun working with 20/20 Productions.
Over the past two months he has visited several of T&T’s pros in the UK and among his work has been a half hour documentary dedicated to Dwight Yorke on his announcement of having retired from international football. Interviews and footage with Yorke, Stern John, Carlos Edwards as well as club manager Roy Keane will be part of the edition.
Starting on June 17 will be a special segment on Russell Latapy after Harm visited the player at Falkirk nearing the end of the season. There will also be features on Edwards as well as Jason Scotland and Marvin Andrews.
Footage of the Soca Warriors fun day at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last month is also expected to be part of the upcoming programmes.
“It’s just that we realize the interest in Trinidad and Tobago’s football and particularly the players based outside and this has grown too since the team’s appearance in Germany. It’s an opportunity to showcase the country’s football both home and abroad,” Harm told TTFF Media recently as he looked ahead to the premier of the Latapy segment.
Action of this country’s team at the Digicel Shield and CONCACAF Gold Cup will also be included.
From the T&T Express:
Trinidad and Tobago's national Under-17 footballers will open their FIFA Under-17 World Championship campaign against Ghana on August 20 in Cheonan, South Korea.
The official draw for the event was held yesterday in Seoul, where T&T head coach Anton Corneal, team manager Christo Gouveia and FIFA vice-president and chairman of the tournament's organising committee Jack Warner were in attendance.
The junior Soca Warriors, who qualified by beating Jamaica 1-0 in Kingston earlier this month, will also face Germany, the last team to qualify for the Finals, and Colombia in Group F matches which will take place in Cheonan, Ulsan and Changwon.
|
