BERLIN -- Last year, from the depths of his Oberhausen fish tank, the late Paul the Octopus made a big splash at the World Cup in South Africa. Upon my arrival in Germany this week, I was delighted to see that a competition is under way to find his successor in time for the 2011 Women's World Cup that kicks off here on Sunday. In that spirit, here's a finals prediction: Another new sensation will flourish under the glare of the World Cup klieg lights -- Germany midfield starlet Kim Kulig.
The 21-year-old playmaker was one of the stars of Germany's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup triumph last year on home soil, where she scored two goals and won bronze ball honors. On Sunday in Berlin, shrewd Germany coach Silvia Neid will entrust the Herrenberg native with the reigns of the German engine room that for so long rested in the capable hands of Renate Lingor.
Lingor, like the dearly departed cephalopod soccer prediction guru, rarely put a foot wrong come World Cup time. A two-time champion, she pulled the strings throughout Germany's back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2007. Legendary players are tough to replace, but Neid's side has barely missed a beat since Lingor stepped aside after the 2008 Beijing Games. And one of the main reasons is Kulig.
Kulig's impressive performance at Women's Euro 2009 culminated with a goal in the 6-2 German victory over England in the final. While the technically gifted and tremendously soccer savvy Lingor resembled 1970s men's midfield legend Wolfgang Overath, Kulig carries the air of the young Bastian Schweinsteiger: blonde locks, powerful build and classic all-action German full-throttle game.
In other words: She's going to be hard to stop. And in midfield partner Simone Laudehr, Kulig has the perfect foil. The most dynamic midfield tandem in the women's game can go forward and track back. And Kulig can strike from long range, as evidenced by both of her goals in the 2010 U-20 Women's World Cup semifinal victory over South Korea. For such a young player, she is a remarkably consistent performer.
For good reason, two-time defending champion Germany is the heavy favorite to raise the trophy again in Frankfurt on July 17. The goalkeeper and a good portion of the back line (which didn't concede a goal at the 2007 Women's World Cup) return to the game's biggest stage looking to keep that streak going. And it's not a far-fetched idea to think that the Germans will run the shutout table again. They have not conceded a goal in their past five games, displaying the high-precision discipline that it seems every German citizen wants to impose on the Greek economy. And the offense has a constellation of stars, led by Birgit Prinz, who know how to make an impression on the net at the other end of the field.
Whether any team can impose its will on Germany remains to be seen, but there is every chance Kulig will impose hers in this tournament. If she does, that's going to be a massive problem for any team with Women's World Cup-winning aspirations.
In Poland, a kulig is a winter sleigh ride tradition. Over the next month in Germany, there is every chance that Fraulein Kulig will help maintain the German tradition of women's soccer dominance, and in the process become the game's next big star.