Germany women target hat-trick on home soil
Reuters - Friday 24 June 2011, 01:59
BERLIN - Holders Germany launch their bid
for an unprecedented hat-trick of Women's World Cup football
titles when they take on Canada in the opening game on home soil
on Sunday.
The 2003 and 2007 winners can count on noisy home backing
with organisers having already sold 80 percent of the 900,000
tickets for the June 26-July 17 tournament.
"We have a dream and that is to win the title at home. We
will do everything to make it come true," said Germany coach
Silvia Neid, who extended her contract to 2016 only days ago.
"It is special to have the World Cup at home. I will try to
enjoy every moment of it and hopefully we will be there until
the end."
In recent weeks Germany's players and their coach have seen
their faces splashed across the front pages of newspapers.
Public viewing areas for the matches have been set up in cities
to accommodate large groups of fans.
"World Cup winners," said German president Christian Wulff,
when asked how far Germany could go in the tournament. "I expect
fair and interesting games and I obviously hope that our team
can make the final and win it."
Wulff will join German Chancellor Angela Merkel and 70,000
fans in the stands of Berlin's Olympic stadium on Sunday, hoping
Germany will hit the ground running.
Top-ranked United States, twice winners in the past and the
reigning Olympic champions, will offer tough resistance in the
16-team tournament, as will Brazil, led by five-time world
player of the year Marta, in search of their first title.
"If we are at our best there is not a team in the world that
can beat us," said American forward Abby Wambach. "This team has
heart and the will and the desire to win."