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Löw names Germany squad

August 9, 2012

Germany named their squad for next week's friendly against Argentina on Wednesday - the first game since their semifinal exit at Euro 2012. Notable absentees include Phillip Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Mario Gomez.

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Germany's national soccer coach Joachim Loew arrives at a news conference before their Euro 2012 soccer match against Italy in Gdansk, June 26, 2012.
Image: Reuters

German national team coach Joachim Löw named his first team since the European Championship Thursday. It's just a 19-man squad that will face Argentina in Frankfurt, partly because of the missing trio from Bayern Munich.

Along with Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Gomez, the Arsenal pair of Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker have been left out after traveling with Germany to Euro 2012.

"Three days after this game the Premier League season begins in England," said Löw. "So for Per, who was injured for a long time, and Lukas, who is fighting for a regular place, it is more important to prepare with their club in London in the final days before the season starts."

Schweinsteiger and Gomez are both nursing injuries. The latter is expected to be out long term while recovering from ankle surgery this week, leaving 34-year-old Miroslav Klose as the only out-and-out striker on the roster. Lahm is expecting the birth of his child, and has been excused from the team.

Euro 2012 reserve goalkeeper Tim Wiese was also not called up. The 30-year-old left Werder Bremen in May after seven years with the club to sign for 1899 Hoffenheim. German goalkeeper coach Andreas Köpke said Wiese was not called into the squad "because we want to base our plans around our young goalkeepers for World Cup qualification, but he is not totally written off."

Midfielders Sven Bender, 23, and Julian Draxler, 19, are the new inclusions in the German squad.

The focus is on World Cup 2014 in Brazil for Löw, whose team lost to Italy earlier this summer in the semifinal of Euro 2012. Qualification group play starts next month with games against the Faroe Islands and Austria.

Germanyis the favorite in a Group C that also includes Ireland, Sweden, and Kazakhstan.

Full Squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hanover)

Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber (both Bayern Munich), Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer (both Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke)

Midfielders: Sven Bender, Mario Götze, Ilkay Guendogan, Marco Reus (all Dortmund), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira (both Real Madrid), Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller (both Bayern Munich), Andre Schürrle (Leverkusen)

Forward: Miroslav Klose (Lazio)

dr/mz  (AFP, dpa, Reuters)