Aussies Arrive in Germany
The Socceroos have arrived in Germany today to a warm reception at their plush hotel base in Friedrichsruhe and then got straight down to business, with a light run at their training base in nearby Oehringen.
The Socceroos have arrived in Germany today to a warm reception at their plush hotel base in Friedrichsruhe and then got straight down to business, with a light run at their training base in nearby Oehringen.
They arrived into Stuttgart from Rotterdam on a specially chartered flight from its major sponsor Qantas, where they were greeted by a large contingent of media on the airport tarmac. They were quickly whisked away straight to the newly renovated and converted castle the Wald & Schlosshotel in Friedrichsruhe.
Hundreds of locals waited at the team hotel for their arrival and to see the players that will call their region home for at least the next two weeks.
Passing through town, the Australian flag could be found outside many homes, leaving no doubt the town of around 20,000 has embraced the team.
After a quick bite to eat and some rest, Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink ordered a light training session at the newly renovated local stadium in Oehringen, sporting a lush new playing surface. Again another crowd awaited the players coach and cheered as they went through the gates and then tried to grab any vantage point they could to watch the behind closed doors session.
Everyone trained this afternoon, despite the yesterday-s very physical match against The Netherlands, which ended in a very encouraging 1-1 draw. John Aloisi did light running away from the main group, after copping a slight cork from yesterday-s game.
"Everything's fantastic," said Australia's head of delegation Phil Wolanski. "The hotel accommodation's fantastic, the pitches are great, you can't ask for much more can you.
"We got a wonderful reception from the locals, with people lining the streets, flags everywhere - just so welcoming."
Equally excited was Oehringen's mayor Jochen Kubler, who hopes their town-s hospitality will help them in their quest for World Cup glory.
"We are friends to the Australia team," he said. "We hope they will get more power from the region to go into their first game (against Japan)."
A scheduled morning session was cancelled for tomorrow, with an official Mayor-s Reception in Oehringen to be held in the early afternoon. The afternoon training session is the dedicated FIFA session that is open to the public.
On Wednesday evening, the Socceroos will play their third and final practice game, playing Liechtenstein in Ulm.
Their first match of the 2006 World Cup™ finals is against Japan on June 12 in Kaiserlautern.