Meet USA's World Cup 2014 team | Newsday U.S. soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard Meet USA's World Cup 2014 team June 9, 2014 10:57 AM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertise here Meet the 23 players chosen to represent the United States men's national soccer team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Players are listed in alphabetical order. The tournament begins June 12, with Team USA's first game in group play on June 16 vs. Ghana. ( See USA's Group G full schedule ) JOZY ALTIDORE Born: Nov. 6, 1989 Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla. 21 goals in 68 international appearances ... Started all four American games at 2010 World Cup. ... In 2013 became the first American to score in five consecutive international matches. ... Played in all three U.S. games during the 2008 Olympics. ... Made his professional debut at 16 with the New York Reds Bulls in 2006.

Joined Villarreal in 2008, was loaned to Xerez (2009), Hull (2009-10) and Busaspor (2011), then sold to AZ Alkmaar for the 2011-12 season. ... Scored 19 goals in his first season in the Netherlands and 31 in his second, breaking Dempsey’s record for goals by an American in a European club season. ... Joined Sunderland for 2013-14 and scored two goals in 38 games, reminiscent of 2009-10, when he had two goals in 30 games for Hull. KYLE BECKERMAN Club team: Real Salt Lake Born: April 23, 1982 Hometown: Crofton, Md. 1 goal in 35 international appearances. ... Scored against Panama in quarterfinal of 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. ... Was teammate of Donovan and Beasley as U.S. finished fourth at the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Championship. ...

Has spent entire career in MLS with Miami (2000-01), Colorado (2002-07) and Salt Lake, where he has been captain since 2008. ALEJANDRO BEDOYA Born: April 29, 1987 Hometown: Weston, Fla. 1 goal in 27 international appearances. ... Scored against Guatemala in exhibition last July ahead of CONCACAF Gold Cup. ... Was on 30-man preliminary roster for 2010 World Cup, then was cut. ... After playing at Fairleigh Dickinson (2005-06) and Boston College (2007-08), has spent professional career in Europe with Orebro (2009-11), Glasgow Rangers (2011-12), Helsingborgs (2012-13) and Nantes (2013-present). ADVERTISEMENT Born: May 24, 1982 Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind. 17 goals in 115 international appearances. ... A midfielder for most of his career, has been moved to left back by the national team in recent years. ...

Was youngest member of 2002 U.S. World Cup team. ... Could become the first American to appear in four World Cups. ... Has played for Chicago (2000-04), PSV Eindhoven (2004-07), Manchester City (2006-07), Glasgow Rangers (2007-10), Hannover (2010-11) and Puebla (2011-present). ... In 2005 became the first American to appear in a Champions League semifinal, starting and playing until the 61st minute for PSV Eindhoven against AC Milan. ... Won Silver Ball as the U.S. finished fourth at the 1999 FIFA World Under-17 Championship, where Landon Donovan won the Golden Ball. MATT BESLER Born: Feb. 11, 1987 Hometown: Overland Park, Kan. 0 goals in 15 international appearances. ... Made national team debut against Canada in January 2013 and wound up starting six games in the final round of World Cup qualifying. ...

Was Notre Dame’s captain as junior and senior in 2007 and ‘08. MICHAEL BRADLEY Born: July 31, 1987 Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif. 12 goals in 84 international appearances. ... Son of former U.S. coach Bob Bradley. ... Trained with U.S. World Cup team in 2006 and made his national team appearances that May in exhibition against Venezuela. ... Scored against tying goal vs. Slovenia in 2-2 draw during 2010 World Cup. ... Had two goals against Mexico in 2009 World Cup qualifier. ... Received red card vs. Spain in 2009 Confederations Cup semifinal, causing him to miss final. ... Played twice at the 2008 Olympics. ...

Began pro career with New York-New Jersey MetroStars (2004-05), and has gone on to play for Heerenveen (2006-08), Borussia Moenchengladbach (2008-11), Aston Villa (2011), Chievo Verona (2011-12) and Roma (2012-14). Signed in January with Toronto. JOHN BROOKS Club team: Hertha Berlin (Germany) Born: Jan. 28, 1994 Hometown: Berlin 0 goals in 3 international appearances. ... Made national team debut in August at Bosnia-Herzegovina. ... The son of an American serviceman, was raised in Berlin and visited family in Chicago. ... Made debut with Hertha Berlin in 2012-13, helping earn promotion to the Bundesliga, and scored in his Bundesliga debut against Eintracht Frankfurt last Aug. 10. ... Missed time this season with broken elbow and strained knee ligament. ... Caused a commotion in April when he got a back tattoo, causing him to be benched for a club game.

GEOFF CAMERON Born: March 9, 1983 Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas 36 goals in 103 international appearances. ... Scored vs. Ghana in 2006 World Cup and vs. England in 2010 World Cup. ... Scored vs. Egypt, Spain and Brazil at 2009 Confederations Cup, where he earned Bronze Ball as third-best player. ... Played for New England (2004-06), Fulham (2007-12, 2014), Tottenham (2012-13) and Seattle (2013-present). ... Scored 60 goals for Cottagers, including 23 in 2011-12, then a record for an American with a European club. ... Goal on long chip beat Juventus and advance Fulham to the 2009-10 Europa League quarterfinals. Played in overtime loss to Atletico Madrid in the final. ... Scored three goals vs. Newcastle on Jan.

21, 2012, becoming the first American to score a hat trick in England’s Premier League. ... Fulham player of the year in 2010-11 and 2011-12. ... Nickhamed “Deuce,” his number with Tottenham and Seattle. ... Recorded rap song as part of 2006 World Cup marketing promotion. MIX DISKERUD Born: Oct. 11, 1988 Hometown: Dallas 0 goals in 19 international appearances. ... Tallest player on U.S. roster at 6-foot-5. ... Dual U.S.-Mexican citizen. ... Made national team debut against Brazil in August 2010 in first American match after World Cup. ... Returned to national team in January 2013 after a two-year absence. ... Helped Los Angeles Galaxy win MLS titles in 2011 and 2012. ... 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year. ... 2011 MLS Defender of the Year. ...

Loaned to Nuremberg in January 2012, he tore his left ACL in a collision with Timmy Chandler and was sidelined until July. ... Won 2008 NCAA title with Maryland. ADVERTISEMENT Born: March 6, 1979 Hometown: North Brunswick, N.J. 98 international appearances. ... Has spent the past eight seasons as the starter with Everton in England’s Premier League after six years with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and three seasons with Manchester United. ... Had 15 shutouts, one behind co-leaders Petr Cech of Chelsea and Wojciech Szczesny of Arsenal. ... On Jan. 4, 2012, scored on a 100-yard-plus, wind-blown clearance against Bolton’s Adam Bogdan, becoming the fourth goalkeeper to score in Premier League history. ... Had 3-0 shutout of Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup final and was voted Premier League goalkeeper of the year. ... Was a backup to Kasey Keller at the 2006 World Cup and the U.S. starter at the 2010 Cup.

ARON JOHANNSSON Club team: AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) Born: Nov. 10, 1990 Hometown: Mobile, Ala. 2 goals in 8 international appearances. ... Born in Alabama to Icelandic parents and moved to Iceland when he was 3. ... Attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, in 2007-08. ... Appeared in eight qualifiers for Iceland for the 2012 European Under-21 Championship, then asked FIFA for a change in affiliation last summer. ... Made U.S. debut in August and scored second-half, stoppage-time goal for 3-2 win at Panama in World Cup qualifier last October, then scored against Azerbaijan in May 2014. ... Played for Fjolnir in Iceland from 2008-10, Aarhus in Denmark (2010-13) and AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands (2013-present), scoring 26 goals this season. FABIAN JOHNSON Club team: Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany) Born: Dec.

11, 1987 Hometown: Munich 0 goals in 20 international appearances. ... Son of an American serviceman and a German mother, he played in the Germany youth national team system and started against England in the final of the 2009 European Under-21 Championship. He then switched allegiance to the United States in 2011 and made his debut that November in exhibition at France. ... Can play either right or left back or in midfield. ... Has played for 1860 Munich (2006-09), Wolfsburg (2009-11) and Hoffenheim (2011-14), and in February agreed to sign with Borussia Moenchengladbach for next season. JERMAINE JONES Born: Nov. 3, 1981 Hometown: Chicago 2 goals in 40 international appearances. ... Born in Frankfurt to an American father and German mother, Jones lived in the United States until he was 7 and would visit each year during vacations. ... Made debut for German national team as a substitute against Austria on Feb.

6, 2008, then appeared against Belarus on May 27 and England on Nov. 19 — all exhibitions. Was among Germany coach Joachim Loew’s final roster cuts for the 2008 European Championship, and in 2009 he asked FIFA for a change in affiliation last summer. ... Made U.S. debut in October 2010. ... Scored against Jamaica in 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup and vs. Scotland in 2012 exhibition. ... Has 72 club yellow cards since the start of the 2005-06 season, according to soccerway.com. ... Has played for Eintracht Frankfurt (1999-04, 2005-07), Bayer Leverkusen (2004-05), Schalke (2007-14), Blackburn (2011) and Besiktas (2014).

NICK RIMANDO first bundesliga : definition of first bundesliga and synonyms of first bundesliga (English) 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga The Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany 's football league system . The term Bundesliga also applies to football in Austria and is used to refer to the highest level league competitions in several other sports in the two countries . Germany was unusual, in that, unlike in most other countries, a unified national league structure was quite late in developing. The Bundesliga was not formed until 1963 and the structure and organisation of the nation's football leagues have undergone frequent changes right up to the present day. The league was originally founded by the German Football Association , but is now operated by the Deutsche Fußball Liga . The Bundesliga is one of the top 5 leagues in Europe, together with England's Premier League , Spain's La Liga , Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1 . The Bundesliga is currently ranked 4th by UEFA's league coefficient ranking. Contents 11 External links Overview The Bundesliga is composed of two divisions: the 1.

Bundesliga (although it is rarely referred to with the First prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (Second Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. The Bundesligen (pl.) are professional leagues. Since 2008, the 3. Liga (3rd League) in Germany is also a professional league, but may not be called Bundesliga because the league is run by the German Football Association (DFB) and not, as are the 2 Bundesligen, by the German Football League (DFL). Below the level of the 3rd league, leagues are generally often subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord (North), Süd (South) and West divisions, and the Oberligen (upper leagues) are composed of nine divisions representing federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas. The league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country.

In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national leagues of East and West Germany . Every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. As in other national leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division: A greater share of television broadcast licence revenues goes to 1. Bundesliga sides. 1. Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support. Average attendance in the first league is 38,000 per game — more than twice the average of the 2. Bundesliga. Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps 1. Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships. 1. Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and marketing of their team brands. This allows them to attract and retain skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities. The 1. Bundesliga is financially strong, and the 2.

Bundesliga has begun to evolve in a similar direction, becoming more stable organisationally and financially, and reflecting an increasingly higher standard of professional play. Internationally, the most well-known German clubs include Bayern Munich , Hamburger SV , Borussia Dortmund , Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen . Hamburger SV can lay claim to being the only club that has played continuously in the Bundesliga since its foundation. Effective from the 2008–09 season, the Bundesliga will reinstate an earlier German system of promotion and relegation: The bottom two finishers in the Bundesliga are automatically relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, with the top two finishers in the 2. Bundesliga taking their place. The third-from-bottom club in the Bundesliga will play a two-legged match with the third-place team from the 2. Bundesliga, with the winner taking up the final place in the following season's Bundesliga. For several years, a different system had been used in which the bottom three finishers of the Bundesliga had been automatically relegated, to be replaced by the top three finishers in the 2. Bundesliga.

(Before 1974-75 it was only four clubs that changed places instead of six). The season starts in early August and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). In recent years, games have been played on Saturdays (seven games beginning at 3:30 pm) and Sundays (two games beginning at 5:00 pm). A new television deal in 2006 reintroduced a Friday game (beginning at 8:30 pm) in place of one of the Saturday matches. History For more details on this topic, see History of German football Prior to the formation of the Bundesliga, German football was played at an amateur level in a large number of sub-regional leagues until, in 1949, part time (semi-) professionalism was introduced and only five regional Oberligen (Premier Leagues) remained. Regional champions and runners-up played a series of playoff matches for the right to compete in a final game for the national championship. On 28 January 1900, a national association, the Deutscher Fußball Bund (DFB) had been founded in Leipzig with 86 member clubs .

The first recognised national championship team was VfB Leipzig , who beat DFC Prague 7-2 in a game played at Altona on 31 May 1903. Through the 1950s, there were continued calls for the formation of a central professional league, especially as professional leagues in other countries began to draw Germany's best players away from the semi-professional domestic leagues. At the international level the German game began to falter as German teams often fared poorly against professional teams from other countries. A key supporter of the central league concept was national team head coach Sepp Herberger who said, “If we want to remain competitive internationally, we have to raise our expectations at the national level.” Meanwhile, in East Germany, a separate league was established with the formation of the DS-Oberliga (Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga) in 1950. The league was re-named the Football Oberliga DFV in 1958 and was generally referred to simply as the DDR-Liga or DDR-Oberliga. The league fielded 14 teams with two relegation spots.

Establishment The defeat of the national team by Yugoslavia (0–1) in a 1962 World Cup quarter final game in Chile was one impetus (of many) to the formation of a national league. Under new DFB president Hermann Gösmann (elected that very day) the Bundesliga was created in Dortmund on 28 July 1962 to begin play starting with the 1963–64 season. [1] At the time, there were five Oberligen (Premier Leagues) in place representing West Germany's North, South, West, Southwest, and Berlin. East Germany, under Soviet occupation, maintained its separate league structure. Forty-six clubs applied for admission to the new league. Sixteen teams were selected based on their success on the field, economic criteria and representation of the various Oberligen. The first Bundesliga games were played on 24 August 1963. Early favorite 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga champion (with 45:19 points) over second place clubs Meidericher SV and Eintracht Frankfurt (both 39:25). Qualifying system The qualifying system for the new league was fairly complex.

The league placings of the clubs playing in the Oberligen for the last ten seasons were taken into consideration, whereby results from 1952 to 1955 counted once, results from 1955 to 1959 counted double and results from 1959 to 1963 triple. A first place finish was awarded 16 points, a sixteenth place one point. Appearances in the German championship or DFB-Pokal finals were also rewarded with points. The five Oberliga champions of the 1962-63 season were granted direct access to the Bundesliga. All up, 46 clubs applied for the 16 available Bundesliga slots. Following this system, by 11 January 1963, the DFB announced nine fixed clubs for the new league and reduced the clubs eligible for the remaining seven places to 20. Clubs within the same Oberliga that were separated by less than 50 points were considered on equal rank and the 1962-63 placing was used to determined the qualified team.

[2] The breakdown for the five Oberligas was as follows: Oberliga Nord : Eight clubs applied for Bundesliga membership, of those Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen qualified early (11 January 1963). The third place went to Eintracht Braunschweig due to their third place finish in 1962–63 even though their overall points put them in seventh spot in the ranking, but within 50 points of third-placed VfL Osnabrück . Osnabrück finished seventh in 1962-63. [3] Points table: 10 Source: DSFS Liga-Chronik (German), page: B 12, accessed: 4 November 2008 Oberliga Südwest : Of the seven clubs from the league applying, the 1. FC Saarbrücken qualified early even though FK Pirmasens and Borussia Neunkirchen were less than ten points behind in the overall ranking and finished better in 1962–63.

The rumor persists that Saarbrücken was chosen because it was from the home state of the later DFB chairman Hermann Neuberger (Chairman from 1975 to 1992), a very influential figure in German football. [6] The DFB justified the choice of the 1. FCS with the fact that the club had a superior infrastructure to the other two. [7] The 1. FC Kaiserslautern also qualified. [8] Points table: Source: DSFS Liga-Chronik (German), page: B 12, accessed: 4 November 2008 Bold denotes club qualified for the new Bundesliga. 1 denotes club was one of the nine selected on 11 January 1963. 2 denotes club was one of the 20 taken into final selection. 3 denotes club was one of the 15 applicants which were removed from final selection. 4 denotes club withdrew Bundesliga application. Structure and competition The German football champion is decided strictly by play in the Bundesliga. Each club plays every other club once at home and once away. Originally, a victory was worth two points, with a draw worth one point and a loss no points.

Since the 1995–96 season, a victory has been worth three points, with no change in the value of a draw or loss. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes German champions. Currently, the top two clubs in the table qualify automatically for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League , while the third-place team enters the Champions League at the third qualifying round (see overview). The two teams at the bottom of the table are relegated into the 2nd Bundesliga, while the top two teams in the 2nd Bundesliga are promoted. The sixteenth place team (third last), and the third place team in the 2nd Bundesliga play a two-leg play-off match. The winner of this match plays the next season in the Bundesliga, and the loser in the 2nd Bundesliga. If teams are level on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Goal difference for the entire season. Total goals scored for the entire season. Head-to-head results (total points). Head-to-head away goals scored. Total away goals scored for the entire season.

If two clubs are still tied after all of these tiebreakers have been applied, a single match is held at a neutral site to determine the placement. However, this has never been necessary in the history of the Bundesliga. In terms of team selection, matchday squads must have no more than five non- EU representatives. Seven substitutes are permitted to be selected, from which three can be used in the duration of the game.

Changes in league structure Number of teams relegated (automatic relegation except as noted): 1963/64–1973/74: 2 1974/75–1980/81: 3 1981/82–1990/91: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga played a two-leg test match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga 1991/92: 4 1992/93-2007/08: 3 From 2008/09 on: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga playing a two-leg test match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga European qualification (as of 2008–09) 1st and 2nd place: Group phase of UEFA Champions League 3rd place: 4th qualifying round of Champions League for Non-Champions. Winners at this stage enter the group phase; losers enter the group phase of UEFA Europa League .

DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winner: Qualifies for 4th qualifying round of UEFA Europa League , regardless of league position. If the Cup winner qualifies for the Champions League, the Cup winner's place in the Europa League goes to the defeated Cup finalist if it is not already qualified for European competition—although the defeated Cup finalist will enter the competition a stage earlier than if it had won the Cup. This rule was retained from the Europa League's predecessor, the UEFA Cup. The team that benefits from this rule does not necessarily have to be a member of the First Bundesliga. For example, although the Second Bundesliga side Alemannia Aachen lost to Werder Bremen in the 2004 DFB-Pokal final, Alemannia secured an entry in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, because Werder qualified for the Champions League as First Bundesliga champions. Also, if both Cup finalists qualify for the Champions League, an extra Europa League berth is granted to the highest finisher in the First Bundesliga not already qualified for Europe.

This most recently happened in 2005, when the 2005 DFB-Pokal final pitted champions Bayern Munich against runners-up Schalke 04 , with Bayern winning. As a result, sixth-place Bayer Leverkusen received a berth in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup . 4th place: Qualifies for 4th qualifying round of Europa League. 5th place: Qualifies for 3rd qualifying round of Europa League. An additional place in the Europa League may also be granted via the UEFA Fair Play mechanism. This rule was maintained from the UEFA Cup. 16th place: Plays a two-leg relegation match (home and away) against the 3rd placed team of the 2nd Bundesliga. 17th and 18th place: Directly relegated to 2nd Bundesliga. The number of German clubs which may participate in UEFA competitions is determined by UEFA coefficients , which take into account the results of a particular nation's clubs in UEFA competitions over the preceding five years.

History of European qualification Up to and including 1996/97: German champion only 1997–99: Top two teams 1999–2008: Top two teams automatically into first group phase (only one group phase starting in 2003/04). Depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficients standing, either one or two other clubs (most recently one) entered at the third qualifying round; winners at this level entered the group phase. UEFA Cup/Europa League: Starting with the 1999/2000 season, the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winner automatically qualified. Depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficients standing, anywhere from zero to three extra participants could enter. Since the Cup Winners' Cup was folded into the UEFA Cup after 1999, the DFB was always entitled to enter a minimum of three clubs in the UEFA Cup, and was able to enter as many as four (the maximum for any European federation). Teams that entered via UEFA's Fair Play mechanism, or those that entered through the now-defunct Intertoto Cup , did not count against the national quota.

From 2006 through the final Intertoto Cup in 2008 , only one First Bundesliga side was eligible to enter the Intertoto Cup and possibly earn a UEFA Cup berth. For the 2005/06 season, the DFB earned an extra UEFA Cup place via the Fair Play draw; this place went to Mainz 05 as the highest-ranked club in the Fair Play table of the First Bundesliga not already qualified for Europe. Cup Winners' Cup (abolished after 1999): DFB-Pokal winner entered the Cup Winners' Cup. Today, that club enters the UEFA Europa League. Current members of the Bundesliga (2009–10 season) SC Freiburg , 1. FSV Mainz 05 , and 1. FC Nuremberg have just achieved promotion into the Bundesliga, replacing FC Energie Cottbus , Karlsruher SC , and Arminia Bielefeld , who finished at the bottom three spots of the table at the end of the 2008–09 season and thus were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga .

Verdiente Meistervereine In 2004, the honor of “Verdiente Meistervereine” (roughly “distinguished champion clubs”) was introduced, following a custom first practised by the Italian Football Federation [9] , to recognize sides that have won multiple championships or other honours by the display of gold stars on their team crests and jerseys. Each country's usage is unique and in Germany the practice is to award one star for three titles, two stars for five titles, three stars for ten titles, and four stars for twenty titles. The former East German side Berliner FC Dynamo laid claim to the three stars of a ten-time champion. They petitioned the league to have their DDR-Oberliga titles recognized, but received no reply. Dynamo eventually took matters into their own hands and emblazoned their jerseys with three stars. This caused some debate given what may be the tainted nature of their championships under the patronage of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi . The issue also affects other former East German and pre-Bundesliga champions.

In November 2005, the DFB allowed all former champions to display a single star inscribed with the number of titles, including all German men's titles since 1903, women's titles since 1974 and East German titles. [10] The DFB format only applies to teams playing below the Bundesliga (the top two divisions), since there the DFL conventions remain in force. BFC Dynamo Berlin have not followed this guideline and continue to wear three stars, rather than a single star inscribed with the number 10. Greuther Fürth unofficially display three (silver) stars for pre-war titles in spite of being in the Bundesliga second division . As of May 2008 the following clubs are allowed to wear stars while playing in the Bundesliga. The number in parentheses is for Bundesliga titles won. SpVgg Greuther Fürth (3) Media coverage Sky holds the rights to broadcast both first and second division matches on a pay-per-view basis. Deutsche Telekom holds the IPTV rights. Only two matches, the season opener and the opener after the winter break, are broadcast on free television, on ARD . GOL TV has exclusive U.S.

and Canadian rights to broadcast the Bundesliga. In Australia the Bundesliga is broadcast by Setanta Sports and digital channel One HD . Sport Klub has the rights to broadcast in Serbia. In Greece , most Bundesliga matches are broadcasted on OTE 's cable TV platform, Conn-X TV. The rights to broadcast the Bundesliga are generally marketed by the DFL . SportTV broadcast one live game per week for Portugal. In the United Kingdom the Bundesliga was formerly available to Setanta Sports subscribers with on average, two games shown per week. However after Setanta's UK division went out of business due to financial problems, Eurosport secured the rights to broadcast the Bundesliga in several European countries, on their secondary channel, Eurosport 2. From the start of the 2009–10 season, ESPN 's UK channel broadcasts live Bundesliga matches in the UK. In Australia four exclusive games per week from the Bundesliga are broadcast on Setanta Sports . Champions Main article: German football champions In total, 43 clubs have won the German championship. FC Bayern Munich have 21 titles, more than any other club. The clubs with the next most titles are BFC Dynamo Berlin (10; all accomplished in the GDR Oberliga) and 1.

FC Nuremberg (9). The clubs with the most Bundesliga titles besides FC Bayern Munich (20 titles) are Borussia Mönchengladbach (5) and Werder Bremen (4). Borussia Dortmund , Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart are tied with (3) in addition to FC Köln and FC Kaiserslautern who have (2) while TSV 1860 Munich , Eintracht Braunschweig , 1. FC Nuremberg and VfL Wolfsburg have (1). Season Fastest Goal: Ulf Kirsten ( Bayer Leverkusen ) after 11 seconds (against Kaiserslautern in 2002.) Club records Most positive club records are held by Bayern Munich . The major ones are: Most titles won: 20 Most games won in a season: 25 Fewest games lost in a season: 1 Most goals scored in a season: 101 Fewest goals conceded in a season: 21 Most consecutive victories: 15 (19 March–20 September 2005) Bayern is not the club with the most seasons in the Bundesliga, though.

Hamburg is the only club that has participated in each of the 46 seasons. At the far end Tasmania 1900 Berlin holds an extraordinary list of worst-of records, all achieved in their 1965–66 one-season Bundesliga spell. These records include: Most losses in a season: 28 Fewest games won in a season: 2 Most goals conceded in a season: 108 Fewest goals scored in a season: 15 See also 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga The Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany 's football league system . The term Bundesliga also applies to football in Austria and is used to refer to the highest level league competitions in several other sports in the two countries . Germany was unusual, in that, unlike in most other countries, a unified national league structure was quite late in developing. The Bundesliga was not formed until 1963 and the structure and organisation of the nation's football leagues have undergone frequent changes right up to the present day. The league was originally founded by the German Football Association , but is now operated by the Deutsche Fußball Liga .

The Bundesliga is one of the top 5 leagues in Europe, together with England's Premier League , Spain's La Liga , Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1 . The Bundesliga is currently ranked 4th by UEFA's league coefficient ranking. Contents 11 External links Overview The Bundesliga is composed of two divisions: the 1. Bundesliga (although it is rarely referred to with the First prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (Second Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. The Bundesligen (pl.) are professional leagues. Since 2008, the 3. Liga (3rd League) in Germany is also a professional league, but may not be called Bundesliga because the league is run by the German Football Association (DFB) and not, as are the 2 Bundesligen, by the German Football League (DFL). Below the level of the 3rd league, leagues are generally often subdivided on a regional basis.

For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord (North), Süd (South) and West divisions, and the Oberligen (upper leagues) are composed of nine divisions representing federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas. The league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national leagues of East and West Germany . Every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. As in other national leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division: A greater share of television broadcast licence revenues goes to 1. Bundesliga sides. 1. Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support. Average attendance in the first league is 38,000 per game — more than twice the average of the 2. Bundesliga.

Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps 1. Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships. 1. Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and marketing of their team brands. This allows them to attract and retain skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities. The 1. Bundesliga is financially strong, and the 2. Bundesliga has begun to evolve in a similar direction, becoming more stable organisationally and financially, and reflecting an increasingly higher standard of professional play. Internationally, the most well-known German clubs include Bayern Munich , Hamburger SV , Borussia Dortmund , Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen . Hamburger SV can lay claim to being the only club that has played continuously in the Bundesliga since its foundation. Effective from the 2008–09 season, the Bundesliga will reinstate an earlier German system of promotion and relegation: The bottom two finishers in the Bundesliga are automatically relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, with the top two finishers in the 2. Bundesliga taking their place.

The third-from-bottom club in the Bundesliga will play a two-legged match with the third-place team from the 2. Bundesliga, with the winner taking up the final place in the following season's Bundesliga. For several years, a different system had been used in which the bottom three finishers of the Bundesliga had been automatically relegated, to be replaced by the top three finishers in the 2. Bundesliga. (Before 1974-75 it was only four clubs that changed places instead of six). The season starts in early August and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). In recent years, games have been played on Saturdays (seven games beginning at 3:30 pm) and Sundays (two games beginning at 5:00 pm). A new television deal in 2006 reintroduced a Friday game (beginning at 8:30 pm) in place of one of the Saturday matches.

History For more details on this topic, see History of German football Prior to the formation of the Bundesliga, German football was played at an amateur level in a large number of sub-regional leagues until, in 1949, part time (semi-) professionalism was introduced and only five regional Oberligen (Premier Leagues) remained. Regional champions and runners-up played a series of playoff matches for the right to compete in a final game for the national championship. On 28 January 1900, a national association, the Deutscher Fußball Bund (DFB) had been founded in Leipzig with 86 member clubs . The first recognised national championship team was VfB Leipzig , who beat DFC Prague 7-2 in a game played at Altona on 31 May 1903. Through the 1950s, there were continued calls for the formation of a central professional league, especially as professional leagues in other countries began to draw Germany's best players away from the semi-professional domestic leagues. At the international level the German game began to falter as German teams often fared poorly against professional teams from other countries.

A key supporter of the central league concept was national team head coach Sepp Herberger who said, “If we want to remain competitive internationally, we have to raise our expectations at the national level.” Meanwhile, in East Germany, a separate league was established with the formation of the DS-Oberliga (Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga) in 1950. The league was re-named the Football Oberliga DFV in 1958 and was generally referred to simply as the DDR-Liga or DDR-Oberliga. The league fielded 14 teams with two relegation spots. Establishment The defeat of the national team by Yugoslavia (0–1) in a 1962 World Cup quarter final game in Chile was one impetus (of many) to the formation of a national league. Under new DFB president Hermann Gösmann (elected that very day) the Bundesliga was created in Dortmund on 28 July 1962 to begin play starting with the 1963–64 season.

[1] At the time, there were five Oberligen (Premier Leagues) in place representing West Germany's North, South, West, Southwest, and Berlin. East Germany, under Soviet occupation, maintained its separate league structure. Forty-six clubs applied for admission to the new league. Sixteen teams were selected based on their success on the field, economic criteria and representation of the various Oberligen. The first Bundesliga games were played on 24 August 1963. Early favorite 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga champion (with 45:19 points) over second place clubs Meidericher SV and Eintracht Frankfurt (both 39:25). Qualifying system The qualifying system for the new league was fairly complex. The league placings of the clubs playing in the Oberligen for the last ten seasons were taken into consideration, whereby results from 1952 to 1955 counted once, results from 1955 to 1959 counted double and results from 1959 to 1963 triple. A first place finish was awarded 16 points, a sixteenth place one point.

Appearances in the German championship or DFB-Pokal finals were also rewarded with points. The five Oberliga champions of the 1962-63 season were granted direct access to the Bundesliga. All up, 46 clubs applied for the 16 available Bundesliga slots. Following this system, by 11 January 1963, the DFB announced nine fixed clubs for the new league and reduced the clubs eligible for the remaining seven places to 20. Clubs within the same Oberliga that were separated by less than 50 points were considered on equal rank and the 1962-63 placing was used to determined the qualified team. [2] The breakdown for the five Oberligas was as follows: Oberliga Nord : Eight clubs applied for Bundesliga membership, of those Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen qualified early (11 January 1963). The third place went to Eintracht Braunschweig due to their third place finish in 1962–63 even though their overall points put them in seventh spot in the ranking, but within 50 points of third-placed VfL Osnabrück .

Osnabrück finished seventh in 1962-63. [3] Points table: 10 Source: DSFS Liga-Chronik (German), page: B 12, accessed: 4 November 2008 Oberliga Südwest : Of the seven clubs from the league applying, the 1. FC Saarbrücken qualified early even though FK Pirmasens and Borussia Neunkirchen were less than ten points behind in the overall ranking and finished better in 1962–63. The rumor persists that Saarbrücken was chosen because it was from the home state of the later DFB chairman Hermann Neuberger (Chairman from 1975 to 1992), a very influential figure in German football. [6] The DFB justified the choice of the 1. FCS with the fact that the club had a superior infrastructure to the other two. [7] The 1. FC Kaiserslautern also qualified.

[8] Points table: Source: DSFS Liga-Chronik (German), page: B 12, accessed: 4 November 2008 Bold denotes club qualified for the new Bundesliga. 1 denotes club was one of the nine selected on 11 January 1963. 2 denotes club was one of the 20 taken into final selection. 3 denotes club was one of the 15 applicants which were removed from final selection. 4 denotes club withdrew Bundesliga application. Structure and competition The German football champion is decided strictly by play in the Bundesliga. Each club plays every other club once at home and once away. Originally, a victory was worth two points, with a draw worth one point and a loss no points. Since the 1995–96 season, a victory has been worth three points, with no change in the value of a draw or loss. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes German champions. Currently, the top two clubs in the table qualify automatically for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League , while the third-place team enters the Champions League at the third qualifying round (see overview).

The two teams at the bottom of the table are relegated into the 2nd Bundesliga, while the top two teams in the 2nd Bundesliga are promoted. The sixteenth place team (third last), and the third place team in the 2nd Bundesliga play a two-leg play-off match. The winner of this match plays the next season in the Bundesliga, and the loser in the 2nd Bundesliga. If teams are level on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Goal difference for the entire season. Total goals scored for the entire season. Head-to-head results (total points). Head-to-head away goals scored. Total away goals scored for the entire season. If two clubs are still tied after all of these tiebreakers have been applied, a single match is held at a neutral site to determine the placement. However, this has never been necessary in the history of the Bundesliga. In terms of team selection, matchday squads must have no more than five non- EU representatives. Seven substitutes are permitted to be selected, from which three can be used in the duration of the game.

Changes in league structure Number of teams relegated (automatic relegation except as noted): 1963/64–1973/74: 2 1974/75–1980/81: 3 1981/82–1990/91: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga played a two-leg test match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga 1991/92: 4 1992/93-2007/08: 3 From 2008/09 on: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga playing a two-leg test match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga European qualification (as of 2008–09) 1st and 2nd place: Group phase of UEFA Champions League 3rd place: 4th qualifying round of Champions League for Non-Champions. Winners at this stage enter the group phase; losers enter the group phase of UEFA Europa League .

DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winner: Qualifies for 4th qualifying round of UEFA Europa League , regardless of league position. If the Cup winner qualifies for the Champions League, the Cup winner's place in the Europa League goes to the defeated Cup finalist if it is not already qualified for European competition—although the defeated Cup finalist will enter the competition a stage earlier than if it had won the Cup. This rule was retained from the Europa League's predecessor, the UEFA Cup. The team that benefits from this rule does not necessarily have to be a member of the First Bundesliga. For example, although the Second Bundesliga side Alemannia Aachen lost to Werder Bremen in the 2004 DFB-Pokal final, Alemannia secured an entry in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, because Werder qualified for the Champions League as First Bundesliga champions. Also, if both Cup finalists qualify for the Champions League, an extra Europa League berth is granted to the highest finisher in the First Bundesliga not already qualified for Europe.

This most recently happened in 2005, when the 2005 DFB-Pokal final pitted champions Bayern Munich against runners-up Schalke 04 , with Bayern winning. As a result, sixth-place Bayer Leverkusen received a berth in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup . 4th place: Qualifies for 4th qualifying round of Europa League. 5th place: Qualifies for 3rd qualifying round of Europa League. An additional place in the Europa League may also be granted via the UEFA Fair Play mechanism. This rule was maintained from the UEFA Cup. 16th place: Plays a two-leg relegation match (home and away) against the 3rd placed team of the 2nd Bundesliga. 17th and 18th place: Directly relegated to 2nd Bundesliga. The number of German clubs which may participate in UEFA competitions is determined by UEFA coefficients , which take into account the results of a particular nation's clubs in UEFA competitions over the preceding five years.

History of European qualification Up to and including 1996/97: German champion only 1997–99: Top two teams 1999–2008: Top two teams automatically into first group phase (only one group phase starting in 2003/04). Depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficients standing, either one or two other clubs (most recently one) entered at the third qualifying round; winners at this level entered the group phase. UEFA Cup/Europa League: Starting with the 1999/2000 season, the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winner automatically qualified. Depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficients standing, anywhere from zero to three extra participants could enter. Since the Cup Winners' Cup was folded into the UEFA Cup after 1999, the DFB was always entitled to enter a minimum of three clubs in the UEFA Cup, and was able to enter as many as four (the maximum for any European federation). Teams that entered via UEFA's Fair Play mechanism, or those that entered through the now-defunct Intertoto Cup , did not count against the national quota.

From 2006 through the final Intertoto Cup in 2008 , only one First Bundesliga side was eligible to enter the Intertoto Cup and possibly earn a UEFA Cup berth. For the 2005/06 season, the DFB earned an extra UEFA Cup place via the Fair Play draw; this place went to Mainz 05 as the highest-ranked club in the Fair Play table of the First Bundesliga not already qualified for Europe. Cup Winners' Cup (abolished after 1999): DFB-Pokal winner entered the Cup Winners' Cup. Today, that club enters the UEFA Europa League. Current members of the Bundesliga (2009–10 season) SC Freiburg , 1. FSV Mainz 05 , and 1. FC Nuremberg have just achieved promotion into the Bundesliga, replacing FC Energie Cottbus , Karlsruher SC , and Arminia Bielefeld , who finished at the bottom three spots of the table at the end of the 2008–09 season and thus were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga .

Verdiente Meistervereine In 2004, the honor of “Verdiente Meistervereine” (roughly “distinguished champion clubs”) was introduced, following a custom first practised by the Italian Football Federation [9] , to recognize sides that have won multiple championships or other honours by the display of gold stars on their team crests and jerseys. Each country's usage is unique and in Germany the practice is to award one star for three titles, two stars for five titles, three stars for ten titles, and four stars for twenty titles. The former East German side Berliner FC Dynamo laid claim to the three stars of a ten-time champion. They petitioned the league to have their DDR-Oberliga titles recognized, but received no reply. Dynamo eventually took matters into their own hands and emblazoned their jerseys with three stars. This caused some debate given what may be the tainted nature of their championships under the patronage of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi . The issue also affects other former East German and pre-Bundesliga champions.

In November 2005, the DFB allowed all former champions to display a single star inscribed with the number of titles, including all German men's titles since 1903, women's titles since 1974 and East German titles. [10] The DFB format only applies to teams playing below the Bundesliga (the top two divisions), since there the DFL conventions remain in force. BFC Dynamo Berlin have not followed this guideline and continue to wear three stars, rather than a single star inscribed with the number 10. Greuther Fürth unofficially display three (silver) stars for pre-war titles in spite of being in the Bundesliga second division . As of May 2008 the following clubs are allowed to wear stars while playing in the Bundesliga. The number in parentheses is for Bundesliga titles won. SpVgg Greuther Fürth (3) Media coverage Sky holds the rights to broadcast both first and second division matches on a pay-per-view basis. Deutsche Telekom holds the IPTV rights. Only two matches, the season opener and the opener after the winter break, are broadcast on free television, on ARD . GOL TV has exclusive U.S.

and Canadian rights to broadcast the Bundesliga. In Australia the Bundesliga is broadcast by Setanta Sports and digital channel One HD . Sport Klub has the rights to broadcast in Serbia. In Greece , most Bundesliga matches are broadcasted on OTE 's cable TV platform, Conn-X TV. The rights to broadcast the Bundesliga are generally marketed by the DFL . SportTV broadcast one live game per week for Portugal. In the United Kingdom the Bundesliga was formerly available to Setanta Sports subscribers with on average, two games shown per week. However after Setanta's UK division went out of business due to financial problems, Eurosport secured the rights to broadcast the Bundesliga in several European countries, on their secondary channel, Eurosport 2. From the start of the 2009–10 season, ESPN 's UK channel broadcasts live Bundesliga matches in the UK. In Australia four exclusive games per week from the Bundesliga are broadcast on Setanta Sports . Champions Main article: German football champions In total, 43 clubs have won the German championship. FC Bayern Munich have 21 titles, more than any other club. The clubs with the next most titles are BFC Dynamo Berlin (10; all accomplished in the GDR Oberliga) and 1.

FC Nuremberg (9). The clubs with the most Bundesliga titles besides FC Bayern Munich (20 titles) are Borussia Mönchengladbach (5) and Werder Bremen (4). Borussia Dortmund , Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart are tied with (3) in addition to FC Köln and FC Kaiserslautern who have (2) while TSV 1860 Munich , Eintracht Braunschweig , 1. FC Nuremberg and VfL Wolfsburg have (1). Season Fastest Goal: Ulf Kirsten ( Bayer Leverkusen ) after 11 seconds (against Kaiserslautern in 2002.) Club records Most positive club records are held by Bayern Munich . The major ones are: Most titles won: 20 Most games won in a season: 25 Fewest games lost in a season: 1 Most goals scored in a season: 101 Fewest goals conceded in a season: 21 Most consecutive victories: 15 (19 March–20 September 2005) Bayern is not the club with the most seasons in the Bundesliga, though.

Hamburg is the only club that has participated in each of the 46 seasons. At the far end Tasmania 1900 Berlin holds an extraordinary list of worst-of records, all achieved in their 1965–66 one-season Bundesliga spell. These records include: Most losses in a season: 28 Fewest games won in a season: 2 Most goals conceded in a season: 108 Fewest goals scored in a season: 15 See also

Question: The word Eintracht in German soccer/sports club names equates to?
Answer: United