May 23, 2006
KLINSMANN NAMES GERMANY ROSTER
Nowotny, Odonkor are Surprise Selections

Expatriot coach Juergen Klinsmann continued to defy the expectations of German soccer's higher-ups when choosing his 23-man World Cup roster, including uncapped David Odonkor, a midfielder of Ghanaian ancestry who plays for Borussia Dortmund, as part of a midfield contingent led by Michael Ballack.

At the other end of the spectrum, Klinsmann resurrected the national team career of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jens Nowotny, who will make his first international appearance since 1994 on soccer's largest stage.

Klinsmann is also looking for goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to log a bit more time on the World Cup field than he did in Arsenal's Champions League final against Barcelona, where he was red-carded in only the 18th minute.

World Cup 2002 wunderkind Miroslav Klose is part of a front line contingent that also includes Oliver Neuville and Gerald Asamoah.

The full German roster:

Goalkeepers: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal/ENG), Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart)

Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Robert Huth (Chelsea/ENG), Marcell Jansen (Borussia Monchengladbach), Per Mertesacker (Hannover), Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Jens Nowotny (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), David Odonkor (Borussia Dortmund)

Fowards: Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne), Mike Hanke (VfL Wolfsburg), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Monchengladbach), Gerald Asamoah (Schalke 04)