Klinsmann refuses to reveal who his first choice World Cup goalkeeper is
BERLIN, Germany -- Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann will alternate goalkeepers Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann in the two warm-up games that will help determine his squad for the World Cup finals.
Klinsmann, who has resisted pressure to name his number one goalkeeper, has selected a 20-man squad for friendlies against Italy on March 1 and the United States on March 22.
Bayern Munich keeper Kahn will play against Italy while Arsenal's Lehmann will be in goal for the U.S. match.
Klinsmann has dropped striker Kevin Kuranyi and angered experienced defender Christian Woerns by denying him a recall.
Mike Hanke of Wolfsburg has been called up in place of the out-of-form Schalke forward Kuranyi - while Borussia Dortmund centre-back Woerns was upset with his omission, after being called up to a larger squad for fitness tests last month.
Defenders Robert Huth and Christoph Mezelder and Bayern Munich midfielders Sebastian Deisler and Bastian Schweinsteiger have been included, even though they have not been playing regularly for their clubs.
"I'm extremely disappointed, especially about the way this was done," said Woerns. "A journalist informed me about the decision. Klinsmann just left a message on my answering machine. That's not the fair English gentlemanly way to do it.
"It's been said that nominations are based on performance. But if I'm not on the team now then that's not apparently the case. They should openly tell me that it's not performance but rather that someone can't stand my face anymore."
Hosts Germany get the World Cup underway with a Group A match against Costa Rica in Munich on June 9. The final is on July 9 in Berlin.
Klinsmann said he hoped to name his final 23-man squad as close to the start of the tournament as possible, although FIFA has set a May 15 deadline.
"We want to push that back. It would be best for us to work with a large group of players for longer. Hopefully, we'll have time until shortly before the tournament."
Germany squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal)
Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Robert Huth (Chelsea), Marcell Jansen (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Hannover), Patrick Owomoyela (Werder Bremen), Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich), Sebastian Deisler (Bayern Munich), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Fabian Ernst (Schalke), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Gerald Asamoah (Schalke), Mike Hanke (Wolfsburg), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)
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