Germany Squad for Brazil Friendly Includes Gundogan, Reus But Not Ballack

Germany coach Joachim Loew’s squad for the Brazil v. Germany friendly on August 10 in Stuttgart features the following highlights:

●Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira have been omitted from the squad given the intensity of their touring commitments for Real Madrid
●Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan gets his first call-up to the German national team
●Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Marco Reus hopes to get his first start for the German national team
●Brazil born striker Cacau faces the country in which he was born
●World Cup 2002 star Michael Ballack has been omitted from the squad after failing to get along with coach Loew

Germany have not beaten Brazil since 1993 and can claim three victories, five draws and twelve losses against the South American powerhouses. The August 10 friendly offers Joachin Loew a golden opportunity to redress the win-loss ratio in the direction of Germany's favor given the strength of the German midfield and Brazil's recent difficulty scoring goals.

Germany Squad

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburg), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Dortmund), Christian Trasch (Wolfsburg)

Midfielders: Sven Bender (Dortmund), Mario Gotze (Dortmund), Ilkay Gundogan (Dortmund), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Koln), Marco Reus (Monchengladbach), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen)

Strikers: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Cacau (Stuttgart)

Kaka returns from injury in Real Madrid's derby against Getafe

2007 FIFA Player of the Year and Balloon d'Or Winner Kaka returned to competitive play for Real Madrid after a six month hiatus due to a knee injury in today's derby against Getafe. The Brazilian midfielder came on as a substitute in the 75th minute and enjoyed an uneventful 15 minutes of match play. Real Madrid won 3-2 thanks to two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal by Mesut Ozil, but Kaka's return from injury marked the highlight of the match. Speaking of his return, an ebullient Kaka remarked: 'I am very happy to finally be back and return to the pitch with my team-mates. I went through some very difficult moments during this period but at last I think it's over. I didn't know when I would return, if I would return, and I am very happy. I felt really good.' Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho commented that Kaka's return was "fantastic news for Real Madrid and for the Spanish League and soccer in general." An emotional Kaka went on to elaborate that he was deeply encouraged by his successful return to the pitch after enduring moments of darkness when he unsure about the viability of his career: “There were moments during my recovery when I didn’t know if I would every play again. Now that is over and I hope to get steady playing time so I can continue recovering my form.” Kaka dedicated his return to his family and wife, Caroline Celico because, 'above all...she knows what I went through.' Kaka's return to fitness is particularly timely for Real Madrid given the injury to Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is expected to undergo surgery for a back injury sometime in the next few months. Jose Mourinho's Los Blancos are now two points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, with 44 points and 46 points respectively from 17 games. Villareal trails in third place with 36 points.

Kaka Poised for Real Madrid Return After Resuming Pitch Training

Things are suddenly looking bright for the Brazilian midfield after the uninspired play of Elias, Ramires and Lucas against Argentina in Doha. In parallel with Ganso's recovery from a left torn ACL injury, Ricardo Kaka appears to be steadily recuperating from a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in August. Today, Real Madrid's website reported that Kaka had resumed training on the pitch and begun proprioception work, strength training and stamina training under the guidance of trainer Carlos Lalin. Proprioception work refers to the body's sixth sense for understanding how muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints communicate with one another. In the context of a sports injury, proprioception training gauges an athlete's sense of balance as well as its ability to sense movement and pain. Real reported that Kaka did not feel any discomfort during training and is expected to return to the pitch in January 2011. Whereas a flurry of media reports in October and November suggested that Kaka was entertaining the possibility of transferring from Real Madrid to AC Milan, Sao Paulo or Chelsea, the Brazilian playmaker's future under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid appears set in stone given Barcelona's 5-0 thrashing of Real Madrid the season's first El Clasico at the Nou Camp. Real Madrid's midfield quartet of Angel di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso struggled woefully against Barcelona's one touch passing and attacking game. Mesut Ozil faltered when denied space whereas Khedira chased the ball relentlessly but failed to obtain any significant possession that could be supplied to Alonso and subsequently to Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema. Against Barcelona, Real's midfield sorely lacked the creativity, vision and experience of a playmaker and attacking midfielder such as Kaka, who--in form--is probably the only player on the planet who can provide an effective counter-weight to Pep Guardiola's midfield maestro Xavi. Moreover, Higuain's probable absence due to back problems in the upcoming months means that Real could benefit from Kaka's trademark ability to swoop forward from midfield and score goals. Kaka's ability to compensate for the failure of Real Madrid's midfield should be painfully apparent to a master tactician such as Mourinho, so fans of the sex symbol from Sao Paulo should look forward to seeing the 2007 Balloon d'or and FIFA World Player of the Year in the number 8 shirt behind Cristiano Ronaldo as early as February.