Dreams of three

The German women's national team has won the last two World Cup titles, in 2003 and 2007. Now, head coach Silvia Neid has her sights set on an historic third consecutive title this summer at the World Cup on her home turf in Germany.

"Our dream is to win. It would be amazing if we could have another summer fairytale," she says, referring to the nickname given to the men's World Cup in 2006, which was also held in Germany. "We'd like to have a better finish, though," Neid says smiling. The German men in 2006 “only” finished in third place.

Neid hopes to accomplish her ambitious goal of a third title for Germany with a "nice mix in the roster."

"We have a team of several older and more experienced players, but young players as well who have their own significant accomplishments," she says.

The average age of the players on the women's team is 26, which Neid considers just right for her recipe for success.

Experience in the dugout

The 47-year-old Neid has been a coach at the national level since 1996. Before that, she was also a successful player with teams such as SSG 09 Bergisch Gladbach and TSV Siegen. Her resume as a player is quite impressive and includes seven German league titles and six German cups.

Soccer has been a part of Neid's life nearly from the day she was born.

"When I was two-and-a-half or three, I was chasing after my first soccer balls," she says.

She often played with her brother, her father or other boys in the neighborhood on local pitches. When she was 11, Neid joined her first team, SV Schlierstadt, in the south-western state of Baden Württemberg.

From there, Neid made her way through the ranks of German soccer and eventually found herself at the very top - the national team - as an 18 year old on November 10, 1982.

"I was very proud," she recalls. "It was such a good feeling to hear the national anthem in front of a good crowd of 5,000 people."

In that game against Switzerland, Neid became the second-youngest player at that time to play for the national team when she came on as a sub.

"I was lucky enough that my first contact with the ball ended up being a goal," she says.

Neid scored again in that match, helping Germany to a 5-0 win against Switzerland. By the end of her career as a player Neid had become one of Germany's all-time greats, earning a total of 111 caps before retiring in 1996.

Coach of the year

In the same year, the German Football Association hired Neid as a coach in its youth organization. The quick jump from player to mentor came as no surprise to Neid, whose life had always revolved around soccer in some way.

"That was always my goal: where can I play, where can I develop, where is the top of the womens' game?" she says.

In 2004, Neid - also a passionate golfer - led her team to second place at the youth European Championship and won the U19 World Cup. The next year, Neid moved up to assist head coach Tina Theune-Meyer with the national senior team, and the year after that Neid was at the helm of the team herself.

Five years later, on January 10, 2011, FIFA honored Neid with the world coach of the year award, given to her for her attention to discipline.

Now, Neid is pushing for the next in a long list of triumphs: a World Cup title as the host nation in 2011. The first step toward that goal will come in Germany's first match against Canada, a match that opens the tournament on June 26.

"I hope that we can get into tournament form as quickly as possible," Neid said. "When the stadium is full and everyone is cheering for us, I think we can do it."

Author: Arnulf Boettcher / mz
Editor: Darren Mara