This won't be the last that you hear of this German team

So here's where you get to hear me boast for a few minutes about my heritage - der Deutschland. I think a lot of people that were new to watching the World Cup were quite impressed and quickly became fans of this German team. Under coach Joachim Low the Germans scored more goals than any other team in the tournament by a long shot with 16, the next closest team is the Netherlands with 12 to date and just the final to play (by the not to be negative, but don't expect a high scoring match in the final, they typically aren't and Spain doesn't concede many just two so far).

Low built off of what the Germans accomplished under Jurgen Klinsmann as the hosts in 2006 and although they finished in third place for a second straight World Cup, realistically they were the second best team in this tournament behind the team that beat them in the semifinals. They encompassed several different philosophies, the Brazilian flow, the Italian defending, and the English pace and movement for the most attractive style of football in this tournament.

A young squad people asked how Germany would cope without captain Michael Ballack, who suffered an ankle in injury in the FA Cup Final vs. Portsmouth, and I had said all along that Bastian Schweinsteiger would take his spot and do an even better job. I think my prediction came to fruition as Schweiny is one of two Germans up for the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. He probably won't win it because the winner of the award almost always comes out of the final, so look for either David Villa or Wesley Sneijder to take home that award, but Schweinsteiger was the best all-around player in this tournament.

Think about this by the way of the primary starters from this German team Schweinsteiger is 25, Thomas Muller is 20, Sami Khedira is 23, Manuel Neuer is 24 and the guy that is the real German No. 1 Rene Adler is just 25, Jerome Boateng is 21, Mesut Ozil is 21, Lukas Podolski is 25, Per Mertesacker is 25, and Philipp Lahm is 26. Just Miroslav Klose (32) and Arne Friedrich (31) probably won't be back for Euro 2012 or the Brazil World Cup 2014. In two year's time I fully expect this German team to be as dominant as Spain was over the past four years, and realistically Germany has the opportunity to win two or three big FIFA tournaments with this collection of talent.

Germany

Best Moment: Man there were a bunch, Mesut Ozil's goal vs. Ghana to win Group D was a stunner. The absolute dismantling of England in the round of 16 4-1 was a comprehensive result making critics world wide say England simply are over-rated. But I have to say the 4-0 win over Argentina was the best. I quite simply hate Argentina and when people were calling them the favorites after they wiped out a bunch of nobodies and got some help vs. Mexico, I wanted to vomit, so I thoroughly enjoyed when Germany took them apart piece by piece and showed the Albiceleste to be the frauds they typically have been over the past three or four World Cups.

Worst Moment: I know you want me to say Carlos Puyol's goal for Spain in the semifinal, which knocked them out of the final, but that's too easy. Germany did not deserve to win that match because they weren't the best team that day, but I would have liked to have seen that at full capacity. Thomas Muller was out because the referee in the previous game gave him one of the worst yellow cards I have ever seen for a deliberate hand ball, terrible, terrible decision. He was a vital part to how the Germans wanted to play and so I will say that decision by the referee was the worst moment.

Best Result: Already said it, the 4-0 drubbing of Argentina, I enjoyed every second of it from Muller's opening goal in the third minute to Klose's closer and likely last goal ever for Germany giving him 14 World Cup goals all-time and place him second tied with another German great Gerd Muller behind only Brazil's Ronaldo (15 WC goals).

Worst Result: The Serbia stunner in Group D was bad and an upset, but Germany were in this tournament to win it and played that way unlike some other teams, so getting knocked out by Spain for the second consecutive tournament was a tough pill to swallow.

Final Tally: Third Place - 5 wins, 2 losses, 16 goals scored, 5 goals allowed.

Best Player: Thomas Muller had five goals and three assists, which currently leads a group of four players tied with five goals for the Golden Boot because he also has three assists, so he will be the young player of the tournament. Mesut Ozil had a goal and three assists and is the other player from Germany up for the Golden Ball.

But Bastian Schweinsteiger as I said before was the best all-around player in this tournament, and I don't think there is any real debate about it. He completely made the Germans go on offense with three assists of his own, and was just incredible as well coming back to disrupt what other teams tried to do through the middle. You can bet your ass that there will be a white German Schweinsteiger jersey in my closet after I get back from vacation and have the funds to buy one. It's a superstition of mine not to buy the jersey before the tournament, but Schweiny is my boy.