When Germany and the United States meet in their third group match at the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup, it will be the first group stage meeting between the two nations at any FIFA women’s tournament, let alone a U-19/20 Women’s World Cup. Both Germany (2004, 2010) and the USA (2002, 2008) are the only two-time winners of this age-group tournament.
The rest of this post looks at Germany’s U-20 pool, playing time during qualification and later friendlies, formations used and positions of players, a discussion of key players, and Germany’s upcoming schedule, including known friendlies.
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CONTENTS
- How They Got Here
- Match-Ups in Previous U-19/U-20 Women’s World Cups
- Germany’s Upcoming Schedule
- Coaching Staff
- Key Players
- Players Unavailable Due to Injuries
- Germany’s Next Camp Roster
- Goal-Scorers In This Cycle (2011 Qualifying to Present)
- Minutes Played This Cycle (2011 Qualifying to Present)
- Line-Ups Used This Cycle (2011 Qualifying to Present)
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HOW THEY GOT HERE
As the winner of the previous UEFA U-19 Women’s Championship, which is held annually, Germany had a bye to the second round of the 2011 edition of that tournament.
For that round, Germany was grouped with Wales, Turkey, and Iceland. Only the top teams from each group, along with the overall best second-place finisher advanced to the final round, along with host Italy.
Germany got off to a slow start, as it could only manage a 1:1 draw with Wales. Germany then went on to defeat Turkey 2:0 and Iceland 3:0. Germany finished with 7 points, 3 points clear of second-placed Wales, who had 4 points.
For the final round, Germany was grouped with Norway, Spain, and the Netherlands. The top two teams from this group, and the other group, which included host Italy, Switzerland, Russia, and Belgium, would qualify for the Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
Germany won its first match versus Norway 3:1, then won 1:0 over Spain, and 2:1 over the Netherlands (with the game-winner coming in stoppage time). With those three wins, Germany topped the group and qualified for this tournament.
With no qualification spots at stake, the knock-out phase of the tournament was essentially ceremonial. In the semifinal, versus Switzerland, Germany’s southern neighbors tied the match at 1:1 late in the 38th minute, but Germany scored two second-half goals to secure the victory. Then, Germany faced Norway for the championship trophy. The two sides had a scoreless draw until the 29th minute when a Luisa Wensing header, off of a Ramona Petzelberger corner kick, broke the deadlock. No more goals would be scored until the second half, when Germany unleashed seven goals to turn the match into an 8:1 rout.
(For reports of these matches, follow the “Report” links on the Wikipedia pages for the qualifying tournament, starting here.)
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MATCH-UPS IN PREVIOUS U-19/U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUPS
The USA and Germany have met four times in this tournament, all during the knock-out phase, with the USA winning three of the four encounters.
2002: Semifinals (4:1 USA victory)
2004: Semifinals (1:4 USA loss)
2006: Quarterfinals (4:1 USA victory)
2008: Semifinals (1:0 USA victory)
2010: did not play each other
In 2004 and 2008, the USA’s lone goals were own goals scored by Germany: 2002, Annika Krahn; 2008, Bianca Schmidt.
Also worth noting: The USA and Germany met in the 2008 U-17 WWC semifinals as well, with the USA coming back to win that match 2:1, after a 6th minute Alexandra Popp goal. Four players from the USA’s 2008 U-17 WWC should make this year’s U-20 WWC squad: Crystal Dunn (starter in the match), Samantha Mewis (starter in the match), Morgan Brian, and Mandy Laddish. (USSoccer.com) A few German players from that match should make Germany’s roster as well.
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GERMANY’S UPCOMING SCHEDULE
From now until the teams leaves for Japan in mid-August, the team will convene three times, for about a week at a time. Two friendlies are scheduled: one in mid-July versus Norway and one in early August versus Sweden.
June 11-14: Training Camp in Hennef, Germany
July 9-15: Training Camp in Aschaffenburg, Germany (includes friendly vs Norway)
August 1-8: Training Camp (includes friendly vs Sweden on Sunday, August 5th*)
August 13: Travel to Japan
Source: DFB.de
*Edit, 6-June-2012: Found a short news article confirming the stadium and date (rp-online.de, in German)
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COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Maren Meinert
Assistant Head Coach: Bettina Wiegmann (also U-15 WNT head coach)
Goalkeeper Coach: Silke Rottenberg
The above trio were all on Germany’s 2003 Women’s World Cup champion squad and long-time veterans of the German WNT. Meinert and Wiegmann have been coaching the U-19s/U-20s together going back to 2005. Rottenberg joined Germany’s coaching staff in 2009.
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KEY PLAYERS
As German teams are usually stacked with talented players, some notable players are being left out of the present discussion, but the below four players are probably the main personality players on the squad.
One eligible player who seems to have graduated early from Germany’s youth ranks is attacking midfielder Dzenifer Marozsan, who has not participated in any U-19/U-20 matches during this cycle, even though she has a 1992 birthday. Marozsan has participated in the 2008 U-17 WWC and the 2010 U-20 WWC. In 2008, she was the leading goal-scorer (Golden Boot) and the best player runner-up (Silver Ball). In 2010, Alexandra Popp took the top accolades, while Marozsan only had one goal and three assists. For the senior WNT, Marozsan already has 7 caps and 3 goals. (DFB.de profile)
Ramona Petzelberger (forward, attacking midfielder): The captain and wearer of the #10 jersey has been utilized more as a withdrawn forward, rather than as a play-making attacking midfielder under Meinert. Petzelberger was the most valuable player of the 2011 U-19 qualifying tournament (UEFA.com). She appears to be the primary taker of corner kicks from the left corner (right-footed).
Isabella Schmid (center-midfielder): Described as the “central fulcrum” of the team and a scoring threat from distance, as well as a strong defender. (UEFA.com)
And, if they are called up… (See Notable Absences in the “Next Camp Roster” section)
Luisa Wensing (centerback, fullback): The FCR 2001 Duisberg starter already has 2 senior caps (Algarve Cup, 2012) and will probably be the new anchor of the back line, given Elsig’s injury.
Lena Lotzen (forward, wide-midfielder): The teammate of Sarah Hagen at Bayern Munich already has 3 senior caps (Algarve Cup, 2012). Earlier in the cycle, Lotzen was used mostly as a wide-midfielder, but more recently she has played up top. With five goals, Lotzen was the leading goal-scorer for Germany during qualifying.
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PLAYERS UNAVAILABLE DUE TO INJURIES
Johanna Elsig (centerback): Elsig, the anchor of the team’s back line, tore the ACL in her right knee at the end of May. (bayer04.de) Elsig played every minute of every match that she was eligible for during qualifying. (She missed the Iceland match due to accumulated yellow cards.) — Significance: Major
Kristin Demann (substitute centerback): In early April, Demann tore her ACL during a 2012 U-19 UEFA qualifier. (dfb.de) — Significance: Moderate
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GERMANY’S NEXT CAMP ROSTER
Germany’s next camp will be held in Hennef, Germany from June 11 to the 14th. Thirty-two players were called up, although Johanna Elsig was scratched due to her torn ACL, so the number is down to 31. (full roster, PDF format)
Notable Absences: Besides the injured players listed above, important players not called up include defender Luisa Wensing, midfielder/forward Lena Lotzen, and forward Eunice Beckmann. Both Wensing and Lotzen were on the roster for Germany’s senior WNT match versus Romania (30-May-2012), but did not see any playing time (DFB.de box score). Beckmann also appears to be healthy, so the reason for these three players not being called-up is not clear. These three players accounted for 10 of Germany’s 23 goals during qualifying: Lotzen, 5 goals; Beckmann, 3 goals, and Wensing, 2 goals. (Edit: Lotzen and Wensing were apparently given this camp off for rest/recuperation purposes.)
Table #1: Germany June Training Camp Roster
(Sorted By On-Field Percentage, then by date of birth.)
PLAYER P. D.O.B. TIME% Benkarth, Laura GK 10/14/1992 46% Schmitz, Lisa GK 05/04/1992 31% Preuß, Anke GK 09/22/1992 8% Kämper, Meike GK 04/23/1994 Wiedner, Josephine GK 06/29/1994 ------------------------------------------------ Maier, Leonie DF 09/29/1992 84% Simon, Carolin DF 11/24/1992 60% Cramer, Jennifer DF 02/24/1993 52% Vetterlein, Laura DF 04/07/1992 16% Störzel, Laura DF 05/25/1992 15% Wiegand, Sandra DF 04/15/1992 14% Schöne, Clara DF 07/06/1993 8% Howard, Sophie DF 09/17/1993 Leiding, Katharina DF 03/17/1994 ------------------------------------------------ Hendrich, Kathrin-Julia MF 04/06/1992 81% Schmid, Isabella MF 03/06/1993 66% Hegenauer, Anja Maike MF 12/09/1992 40% Pyko, Marie MF 08/08/1993 36% Cengiz, Gülhiye MF 04/14/1992 Heinze, Karoline MF 10/15/1993 Jäger, Annabel MF 01/06/1994 Chojnowski, Silvana MF 04/17/1994 Barth, Merle MF 04/21/1994 Magull, Lina MF 08/15/1994 Dallmann, Linda MF 09/02/1994 ------------------------------------------------ Petzelberger, Ramona FW 11/13/1992 96% Rudelic, Ivana FW 01/25/1992 38% Rolser, Nicole FW 02/07/1992 36% Starke, Sandra FW 07/31/1993 Leupolz, Melanie FW 04/14/1994 Wolf, Isabelle FW 12/14/1994
The “Time%” column is the percentage of minutes that the player has been on the field for the team during all matches since Germany’s qualification began in March, 2011. For the full list of matches, see the list of line-ups, below.
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GOAL-SCORERS IN THIS CYCLE (2011 Qualifying to Present)
2011 U-19 Qualifying:
Lena Lotzen: 5
Ramona Petzelberger: 4
Eunice Beckmann: 3
Isabella Schmid: 3
Carolin Simon: 2
Luisa Wensing: 2
Ivana Rudelic: 2
Anja Maike Hegenauer: 2
Post-Qualifying Friendlies:
(As of La Manga, February 2012)
Leonie Maier: 2
Marie Pyko: 2
Ivana Rudelic: 2
Ramona Petzelberger: 1
Lena Lotzen: 1
Nicole Rolser: 1
Carolin Simon: 1
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MINUTES PLAYED THIS CYCLE (2011 Qualifying to Present)
The below tables omit a friendly versus Russia which occurred between the second group round and the final group round of qualifying. However, those minutes are included as part of the on-field percentage in the training camp roster table (the column “TIME%”).
Players who are known to be injured and unavailable, e.g. Elsig and Demann, are listed separately at the bottom of the tables.
TABLE #1: Minutes Played, 2011 UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship
2ND ROUND | FINAL ROUND | KNOCK. | PLAYER P. WAL TUR ISL | NOR ESP NED | SUI NOR | TOTAL Benkarth, Laura GK 90 90 90 | | | 270 Schmitz, Lisa GK | 90 90 0 | 90 90 | 360 Abt, Friederike GK | 0 0 90 | 0 0 | 90 Wensing, Luisa CB 90 90 90 | 90 90 90 | 90 90 | 720 Maier, Leonie FB 90 90 90 | 90 90 45 | 33 90 | 618 Simon, Carolin FB 90 90 90 | 90 64 0 | 89 58 | 571 Cramer, Jennifer FB 16 90 65 | 7 59 90 | 1 90 | 418 Hegenauer, Anja FB 0 0 25 | 24 26 66 | 57 26 | 224 Hendrich, K-J DM 90 90 90 | 90 90 45 | 90 64 | 649 Schmid, Isabella CM 90 53 90 | 90 90 45 | 90 90 | 638 Nati, Sofia CM 0 37 32 | 0 0 45 | 0 0 | 114 Lotzen, Lena WM 74 28 0 | 83 90 24 | 90 90 | 479 Pyko, Marie WM 55 0 11 | 0 0 90 | 0 32 | 188 Petzelberger, R. FW 90 90 90 | 90 90 90 | 90 90 | 720 Beckmann, Eunice FW 35 78 58 | 73 81 0 | 67 63 | 455 Rudelic, Ivana FW | 17 9 90 | 23 27 | 166 Rolser, Nicole FW 90 62 79 | 66 31 0 | 0 0 | 328 Savin, Claire FW 0 12 0 | | | 12 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Elsig, Johanna CB 90 90 0 | 90 90 90 | 90 90 | 630 Demann, Kristin CB 0 0 90 | 0 0 90 | 90 0 | 270
TABLE #2: Minutes Played In Friendlies Since Qualifying
PLAYER P. BEL | NOR USA SUI | TOTAL Benkarth, Laura GK 90 | 90 90 0 | 270 Preuß, Anke GK | 0 0 90 | 90 Wensing, Luisa CB | 0 90 90 | 180 Störzel, Laura CB 45 | 90 0 45 | 180 Maier, Leonie FB 90 | 45 90 90 | 315 Simon, Carolin FB 90 | | 90 Cramer, Jennifer FB | 90 56 0 | 146 Hegenauer, Anja FB 69 | 45 45 45 | 204 Vetterlein, Laura FB 45 | 20 34 45 | 144 Wiegand, Sandra FB 45 | 70 0 45 | 160 Schöne, Clara FB 45 | | 45 Hendrich, K-J. DM 45 | 70 90 45 | 250 Schmid, Isabella CM | 0 45 45 | 90 Selensky, Anja CM 21 | | 21 Lotzen, Lena WM 45 | 45 90 45 | 225 Pyko, Marie WM 45 | 76 0 63 | 184 Doppler, Annika WM | 5 34 27 | 66 Petzelberger, R. FW 90 | 90 90 45 | 315 Beckmann, Eunice FW 45 | 45 56 0 | 146 Rudelic, Ivana FW 45 | 20 77 90 | 232 Rolser, Nicole FW | 14 13 20 | 47 ----------------------------------------------------- Elsig, Johanna CB 45 | 90 90 90 | 315 Demann, Kristin CB 90 | 85 0 70 | 245
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LINE-UPS USED THIS CYCLE (2011 Qualifying to Present)
DFB.de has simple box scores, which, although not as detailed as US Soccer’s, do show the starting formation, line by line. This makes it easy to discern whether Germany used a 4-4-2, a 4-2-3-1, et cetera. Substitutes are listed in the normal USSoccer.com style.
Source links: 2011 U-19 schedule, 2012 U-20 schedule. Also, the line-up for the 2012 match versus the USA is incomplete, so the US Soccer box score was used to fill in the missing information.
Germany 1, Wales 1 (31-March-2011, UEFA U-19) — 4-4-2:
Benkarth
Maier, Elsig, Wensing, Simon
Pyko (Beckmann, 55′), Hendrich, Schmid, Lotzen (Cramer, 74′)
Rolser, Petzelberger
Germany 2, Turkey 0 (2-April-2011, UEFA U-19) — 4-4-2:
Benkarth
Cramer, Wensing, Elsig, Maier
Simon, Schmid (Nati, 53′), Hendrich, Rolser (Lotzen, 62′)
Petzelberger, Beckmann (Savin, 78′)
Germany 3, Iceland 0 (5-April-2011, UEFA U-19) — 4-4-2:
Benkarth
Cramer (Hegenauer, 65′), Demann, Wensing, Maier
Simon, Schmid, Hendrich, Rolser (Pyko, 79′)
Petzelberger, Beckmann (Nati, 58′)
Germany 5, Russia 0 (11-May-2011, friendly) — 4-4-2:
Abt
Maier (Schöne, 46′), Elsig, Demann (Steck, 60′), Vetterlein (Cramer, 45′)
Rolser (Pyko, 46′), Hendrich (Nati, 46′), Schmid (Lotzen, 46′), Simon (Hegenauer, 46′)
Beckmann ( Rudelic, 46′), Petzelberger
Germany 3, Norway 1 (30-May-2011, UEFA U-19) — 4-4-2:
Schmitz
Simon, Wensing, Elsig, Maier
Lotzen (Cramer, 83′), Schmid, Hendrich, Rolser (Hegenauer, 66′)
Petzelberger, Beckmann (Rudelic, 73′)
Germany 1, Spain 0 (2-June-2011, UEFA U-19) — 4-4-2:
Schmitz
Simon (Hegenauer, 64′), Wensing, Elsig, Maier
Lotzen, Schmid, Hendrich, Rolser (Cramer, 31′)
Petzelberger, Beckmann (Rudelic, 81′)
Germany 2, Netherlands 1 (5-June-2011, UEFA U-19) — 4-4-2:
Abt
Cramer, Demann, Elsig, Wensing
Hegenauer (Lotzen, 66′), Petzelberger, Hendrich (Schmid, 46′), Pyko
Nati (Maier, 46′), Rudelic
Germany 3, Switzerland 1 (8-June-2011, UEFA U-19 Semifinal) — 4-2-3-1:
Schmitz
Wensing, Elsig, Demann, Simon (Cramer, 90′)
Hendrich, Schmid
Maier (Hegenauer, 33′), Petzelberger, Lotzen
Beckmann (Rudelic, 67′)
Germany 8, Norway 1 (11-June-2011, UEFA U-19 Final) — 4-2-3-1:
Schmitz
Wensing, Elsig, Cramer, Maier
Hendrich (Hegenauer, 64′), Schmid
Beckmann (Rudelic, 63′), Petzelberger, Simon (Pyko, 58′)
Lotzen
Germany 4, Belgium 0 (25-Oct-2011, friendly) — 4-2-3-1:
Benkarth
Maier, Elsig (Störzel, 46′), Demann, Simon
Hendrich (Schöne, 46′), Hegenauer (Selensky, 69′)
Pyko (Wiegand, 46′), Petzelberger, Beckmann (Vetterlein, 46′)
Lotzen (Rudelic, 46′)
Germany 1, Norway 1 (9-Feb-2012, La Manga friendly) — 4-4-2:
Benkarth
Wiegand (Vetterlein, 70′), Störzel, Wensing, Cramer
Pyko (Rolser, 76′), Hendrich (Rudelic, 70′), Hegenauer (Maier, 46′), Doppler (Demann, 5′)
Beckmann (Lotzen, 46′), Petzelberger
Note: Störzel, a centerback, got a red card very early in the match. That forced Meinert to sub-in a defender, Demann, for a midfielder, Doppler. So, for most of the match, Germany was playing an incomplete 4-3-2 or 4-4-1 formation.
Germany 0, United States 1 (11-Feb-2012, La Manga friendly) — 4-4-2:
(This is Germany’s only loss this cycle.)
Benkarth
Cramer (Vetterlein, 56′), Wensing, Elsig, Maier
Beckmann (Doppler, 56′), Schmid (Hegenauer, 46′), Hendrich, Rudelic (Rolser, 77′)
Petzelberger, Lotzen
Germany 5, Switzerland 0 (13-Feb-2012, La Manga friendly) — 4-4-2:
Preuß
Wensing, Elsig, Demann (Rolser, 70′), Vetterlein (46. Wiegand, 46′)
Maier, Hendrich (Störzel, 46′), Schmid (Hegenauer), Pyko (Doppler, 63′)
Rudelic, Petzelberger (Lotzen, 46′)
Germany will play two more friendlies: Norway (again, for the fourth time this cycle) in July, and then Sweden in early August.
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