Löw's new faces
May 16, 2013
Due to the Champions League Final and German Cup Final, Coach Joachim Löw had to name a new-look squad to take on the US and Ecuador during a May 22 to June 4 trip to the States.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund face off in the Champions League Final May 25 in London, while Bayern also take on Stuttgart June 1 in the German Cup Final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
Missing from the squad are 15 regulars, including Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller, Mario Gomez and Captain Philipp Lahm, as well as Marco Reus, Mario Götze and Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund.
Opportunity for young faces
But the success of German football in the Champions League means new opportunities for some of the Bundesliga's younger faces. Four players without an appearance for the senior side have been included: the Borussia Mönchengladbach-bound attacker Max Kruse, Mainz's Nicolai Müller and Sydney Sam and Philipp Wollscheid of Bayer Levekusen.
Other players returning to the German squad after an extended period away are defenders Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim) and Dennis Aogo (Hamburg) and midfielder Aaron Hunt (Werder Bremen).
Miroslav Klose is back in the squad after missing several months due to an injury. The 34-year-old Lazio striker is as usual far and away the most experienced player called in by Löw with 126 caps. His 67 goals puts him one short of tying the legendary Gerd Müller as Germany's all time leading scorer.
Sven Bender and Kevin Großkreutz of Dortmund have also been called into the squad, but along with Klose will wait to travel because of club commitments until the June 2 game against the US.
That game, which is part of the US Soccer Federation's 100th anniversary celebrations, will mark a reunion between Löw and US Manager Jürgen Klinsmann. Löw was an assistant to Klinsmann during German's successes as host country during the 2006 World Cup.
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Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Rene Adler (Hamburg), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover), Marc Andre ter-Stegen (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Defenders: Dennis Aogo, Benedikt Höwedes, Marcell Jansen (all Hamburg), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Philipp Wollscheid (Bayer Leverkusen).
Midfielders: Lars Bender, Andre Schürrle, Sidney Sam, Stefan Reinartz (Leverkusen), Sven Bender, Kevin Großkreutz (Both Dortmund), Aaron Hunt (Werder Bremen), Nicolai Müller (Mainz), Roman Neustädter (Schalke), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Max Kruse
Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio)