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Germany includes all injured stars in final squad

By WTOP Staff

NESHA STARCEVIC
AP Sports Writer

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany coach Joachim Loew included all of his injured stars in his final World Cup squad on Monday following a troubled training camp and an unconvincing 2-2 draw with Cameroon.

Among the players Loew named to the squad were goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender and captain Philipp Lahm and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who missed Sunday’s friendly against Cameroon while nursing injuries.

Loew cut three players from his provisional squad: defender Marcel Schmelzer, defender Shkodran Mustafi and striker Kevin Volland. Schmelzer has been bothered by a knee injury, while the other two have little international experience.

The final squad includes only one real striker, Miroslav Klose, who will be 36 by the time his fourth World Cup kicks off. Klose also sat out Sunday’s match, still not fully fit after a series of injuries this season.

Instead of Schmelzer, Loew picked his Borussia Dortmund teammate Erik Durm, who made his international debut against Cameroon. Also included were midfielders Christian Kramer and Matthias Ginter, who have three appearances between them.

“We have the right mixture between young, highly talented players and players with a lot of tournament experience, who know what’s it all about,” Loew said. “Our squad is well-balanced, we have two players for each position. The players have character, the team has character.

“With this team, we are flying to Brazil with confidence, we have big goals there.”

Loew has major problems two weeks before Germany’s opening match against Portugal, which was apparent in the friendly against Cameroon, another team bound for the World Cup. Some key players were out of form, while others could not even play because of injuries.

The team’s training camp in northern Italy also drew attention back in Germany — for all the wrong reasons.

Neuer and Lahm arrived late because of injuries and hardly practiced with the squad. The same goes for Schweinsteiger. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Kevin Grosskreuz also got into trouble for rowdy behavior and urinating in a hotel lobby while drunk before departing for camp.

Then, Loew had to give up his driving license for accumulating too many speeding tickets.

On top of that, two people were injured when a publicity stunt for the team’s main sponsor went badly wrong. Two players were involved in the car crash — Julian Drexler and Benedikt Hoewedes. Neither was injured but they reportedly have had trouble putting the accident behind them.

The team’s general manager Oliver Bierhoff made some rather clumsy attempts to play down the incidents, which didn’t help the situation. The team’s fans were further irritated by not being allowed to watch the team’s practices.

____

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover).

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal, England).

Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid, Spain), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Andre Schuerrle (Chelsea, England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich).

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio, Italy), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal, England), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich).

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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