by blutgraetsche Mon May 18, 2009 2:06 pm
Like always, it's up to the Bremen Jungs to save the day.
What a great free kick by Trinks to win the title! Excellent game by Thy also.
Like the U19 Nationalmannschaft last year, this U17 team won all of their games, and was the best team in the tournament by far. Two major youth titles in two years, and our chances in the upcoming U21 Euro and U20 WC aren't too shabby either, especially in the latter. It's nice to see that the good work being done on the youth level for years, after the necesary reforms had been made, are finally paying off.
While to those who know a thing or two about German football this isn't a surprise - it was pretty clear for a while that a lot of very promising young players are coming through our ranks - it's still great to see these kids manage to reward themselves with titles, something that had been missing for a long time. And it's also remarkable that despite me shamelessly underlining the contribution of Werder Bremen, there is no 'dominant' club - the squad is made of players from most major German clubs (except Bayern I might add), in contrast to last years U19 (1860 München & Leverkusen). This is a very good sign, as it proves the higher degree of professionalism on the youth level, Bundesliga clubs have improved a lot in that respect in recent years.
Great win, nice title, congratulations youngsters!
And great prospects for the future!