2011 Women's World Cup Preview - Germany

Jun 25, 2011 - 9:53 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Since falling behind in the 2003 World Cup final to Sweden, Germany has outscored opponents 23-0 in the tournament to win back-to-back titles and now hosts the 2011 competition.

"Obviously," German star Birgit Prinz said, "we're favorites."

Prinz has played on all three of Germany's World Cup finalists, as her storied career dates back to the 1995 final the Germans lost to Norway.

Although Prinz has lost her title as the world's best player - she won player of the year from 2003-05 but has finished second to Brazil's Marta in the last four years - Germany has cemented its status as the world's best team.

Brazil remains one of Germany's top challengers, but a 2-0 win in the final in China four years ago over the South Americans proved a gap remains between the countries. And now Germany has a three-peat in sight on home soil.

Prinz remains the backbone of the German team, and with 128 goals in 208 games all-time, it's hard to question her credentials. Prinz is the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 14 goals.

If everything goes as planned, she will retire from international play on July 17 in her hometown of Frankfurt, where the final of the 2011 World Cup will be held.

"It's one of the reasons I've kept training so hard in recent years: To be a part of this," said the 33-year-old Prinz.

Coach Silvia Neid's riches stretch far behind Prinz, as goalie Nadine Angerer, who stopped a penalty against Marta in the 2007 Cup final, and defender Ariane Hingst, a veteran of three World Cups, are just some of the talented veterans.

In Prinz's shadows, striker Inka Grings has been named Germany Player of the Year the last two years and was the leading scorer at both Euro 2005 and 2009 - two more tournaments Germany won.

And rising star Fatmire Bajramaj, who was born in Kosovo but fled to Germany with her family when she was 4, is among the younger players ready to emerge on the world stage.

"We want to realize our greatest dream, to win the World Cup three times in a row," Neid said. "For that, we'll have to play to the peak of our ability."

Germany has rarely failed to do that, as it has reached three of the last four World Cup finals and won the last five Euro finals and six of the last seven.

Neid admitted she's still yet to "decide who'll play in the opening match," on June 26 against Canada, but it's fairly certain the team will be ready.

Prinz insists there is no pressure on Germany and "we've got nothing to lose."

"Really it's a win-win situation for us," Prinz added.

But, anything less than another title this summer would be a disappointment.

PAST ACHIEVEMENTS:

-- FIFA World Cup qualifier: 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007.

-- FIFA World Cup first: 2003, 2007.

-- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1995.