Germany out of World Cup after loss to Spain

This year, the FIFA World Cup has been full of surprises. But the biggest surprise was Germany’s loss Wednesday to Spain 1-0 in the semi-final match.

Wednesday’s upset will go down with other surprises from this year’s cup: Uruguay making it to the semi-finals on the shoulders of one player, Diego Forlan; England goalie Robert Green scoring a goal for the opposing team, the U.S.; Brazil being sent home by the Netherlands; Lionel Messi, the player ranked No. 1 in the world, not scoring a single goal; Ghana making it to the quarter finals; and the strong and talented Mexico spending more time arguing with the referees than actually playing.

But the biggest surprise so far was Spain making it to the finals Wednesday night in a thrilling game against Germany. Spain has always been considered strong but always failed to make it this far. The best position Spain has ever held in the history of the World Cup is fourth place in 1950.

But the truth remains, this was a surprise. Germany was the favorite. Germany played with precision, skill and strength throughout the tournament. They mastered their passes and effectively covered the pitch. Although the loss of Michael Ballack was felt, the team played every game perfectly, with precision and direction. Philipp Lahm, Mesut Özil and Miroslav Klose all showed how good they are individually and together.

On Sunday, Spain faces the Netherlands, a very strong, technical and highly motivated team. The odds are against Spain but the hunger for their first World Cup may overcome that. As for Kaiserslautern, the best days are ahead.

Kaiserslautern’s soccer team, 1. FCK, is now in the Bundesliga with the season kicking off in mid-August. FCK will play strong teams like Bayern München, and fans will see rising stars like Florian Dick, who is expected to grow and be ready to represent Germany in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.