Beckenbauer Wants Stable National Team

Nine months before the 2006 World Cup gets underway, German soccer legend and head of the organizing committee Franz Beckenbauer said he is concerned about the state of Germany's national team and the way national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann is running the squad. "Klinsmann is still looking for the right team," Beckenbauer said at a convention in Dessau on Tuesday. "We all want to help the national team, but at the moment Jürgen Klinsmann is not letting us." The Kaiser also added that while some changes in the lineup are to be expected, "Klinsmann eventually has to find his formation" and that the current setup is "not optimal." Günter Netzer, a former national team player and current soccer commentator, agreed with Beckenbauer that "the team should be coming together." The two German soccer experts should be pleased that Klinsmann said he plans to concentrate on a smaller number of players in Germany's next matches against Turkey on Oct. 8 and China on Oct. 12.