GermanTeam again WORLD CHAMPION!!!

Sunday, 17.07.2005, 10:00 Uhr

The sun just rose GermanTeam wins penalty shootout against the NUBots and is World Champion! when two teams prepared for the competition. Two teams, as different as they possibly could be. One the one side the small, elite, closed and in the past successful CMU team from the USA, on the other side the 25 women and men, nice and openminded team from Germany. If one took a look at the results of the preliminaries, she would see an advantage for CMDash. The Germans never scored a 9:0 as CMDash, they also missed their clean west, regarding that they didn't win all of their games. Especially the precise and controlled gameplay is frightening the Germans. But once again, history doesn't count much in the Robocup and games cannot be used for predictions of future results. The German robots are fast at the ball and disturb the slower and exacter ball handling of the Americans. Thus the GermanTeam gets the more and better chances. Even though they look quite irritated and get under pressure at the beginning, after the first five minutes they score one goal after the other. At half time they lead with 3:0 goals, the own defense managed its weaknesses, finally the GermanTeam makes it into the final with a 5:0 victory. Emotions are high, also a German TV-team witnesses the success of they robots. Just after this game, the Australians from Newcastle, Team NuBots plays the World Champion from 2003, UNSW from Sydney, New South Wales, the same town from which the current vice world champion UTS comes from. With a 5:2 the NuBots team wins in the end and therefore will play today at 15:00 local and 8 o'clock German time against the Germans for the title of the World Champion.

The Finals are exciting as never before. The GermanTeam scores the first goal, but shortly after that, the Australians make a draw and score the 2:1. With strong will and last power the Germans make the 2:2. Just like a miracle the victory goal of the Australians can be prevented 10seconds before the ending. Now the penalty shootout starts. Here it is a heart beating final as well. The Germans make the 4:3, in their last second the Australians shoot the ball towards the goal - and ... missed. The GermanTeam runs onto the playfield and hug each other, the work of the last days and nights was rewarded. Now it's Party Time!!! (DG)

Saturday, 16.07.2005, 11:00 Uhr

GermanTeam beats Jolly Pochie 4:0! The GermanTeam was the favourite in this game, but in every game of a WC many unexpected things can happen. Until the first goal it takes eternity, even the second goal doesn't happen until shortly before the break. Later two other goals are scored, some other chances are being missed. There are some weaknesses remaining, but compared to the last days, a lot of progress was done. The second semifinal was won by team CMDash of the Carnegie-Mellon University and thus becomes our next opponent for the tomorrow semifinal. This game reminds to former WCs. Memories to the quarter final 2003 in Italy, when the GermanTeam lost after after a 20 minute penalty shootout. Memories to the revenge from last year, when the GermanTeam daclassified the CMU with a 9:0. But the arch rivals are back, much stronger than before. It promises to become a very exciting game, maybe the most exciting of the game. Tomorrow. 10 in the morning Japanese or 03 o'clock German time. (DG)

Friday, 15.07.2005, 13:00 Uhr

GermanTeam reaches quarter finals as Group Leader. The second game of the preliminaries starts at 12:15. A victory must be achieved to keep the possibility for the quarter final, but the Netherlands are first of the group. So we can expect an exciting game. The Dutch Aiboteam was beaten by the Germans with 5:0. A higher result would have been possible, everybody agrees and the goal difference is important. The Chinese are following up the Germans and defeat the Hamburg DogBots with 5:0. Now it is up to the Germans to achieve a high goal difference against the DogBots. But in the end they only score a 3:0. But the Chinese play weakly against the Dutch Aiboteam and make a draw only. So the GermanTeam becomes first of their group. Congratulations! (DG)

Thursday, 14.07.2005, 16:00 Uhr

GermanTeam and Wright Eagle - A game of equal forces. After further test games in the morning the first game of the second round begins. Opponents of the group are Wright Eagle from China, the Dutch Aiboteam and the Hamburg DogBots. All the teams are playing with GermanTeam code from 2004. The Chinese Wright Eagle put the Germans under high pressure and score the first goal quickly. The Germans draw the game luckily by an own goal of the Chinese. (DG)

Wednesday, 13.07.2005, 17:00 Uhr

GermanTeam becomes group leader in the robot foot ball. Today the GermanTeam members have to get up early. The first group game takes place at 10 o'clock, the opponent team is ARAIBO from Japan. The games was won with 4:0, but too few chances where used and thus a far higher victory missed. The second game against MiPAL from Australia was won as well with 5:1, one goal by the opponent showed strong weaknesses in the own defense and localization problems. Anyway, most important, the GermanTeam became first in their group and made it into the next round. (DG)

Tuesday, 12.07.2005, 10:00 Uhr

Silence before Storm. The gates of the exhibition halls INTEX in Osaka opened at 9. Too late if you asked the members of the German Team. Today was the last preparation day and it was used for testing extensively. At 11 was the first press appointment, where the German Team as the current World Champion won against the local challenger Team Asura under observation of many visitors with 1:0. The results in the test games against MiPal from Brisbane, Australia (3:0 victory) as well as the 1:0 vistory against the Chinese team Tsinghua couldn't hide the many problems which are to solve. In an evening test game was finally decided, which game configuration shall be used for the competitions. Candidates where the winner of the German Open, MSH from Dortmund and the current prototype of the German Team, who proved to be superior for the first time in a 3:0 victory and thus will play during the competition. We are excited what the next day will bring. (DG)

Monday, 11.07.2005, 11:00 Uhr

First Day at the Robocup. The first day at the Rococup in the INTEX exibtion hall was calm and quiet. Only the team members of Berlin and Bremen team were present. Basic work as the creation of the team network and server structures were finished, so that the work could begin. The first test match against the vice world champion 2003 from the USA, the UPennalizer, was weak. Quite some problems were revealed, but the game was won, anyway. The team members of Dortmund and Darmstadt reached Osaka in the evening. First strategies for the next days were discussed in a nice Japanese restaurant. (DG)

Sunday, 10.07.2005, 08:00 Uhr

The Aibo Team Humboldt reaches Osaka. The Berliner team members reach their Hotel "New Oriental" as planned. The weather was humid, cloudy and warm. The team found its way through the Osakian train net professionally. The city was explored after a short rest and electronic equipment had to be bought because the Japanese power plug system and voltages of 110 Volt caused bigger problems than originally expected. After a successful expedition a floor-internal internet connection was established and a team bath was taken in the hotel's whirl pool. (DG)

Saturday, 09.07.2005, 11:10 Uhr

Dear Reader, we are proud to have you with us at the other end of the world. We want to give you some impressions from "the other side",. about robot soccer, and the long way defending our title. And if there is time left we will present you one or another rice and noodle recipe, because we gained some information about it by now. (BA)