Loew quits veteran Ballack from national squad

     BERLIN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- After a long back and forth¹, German international veteran midfielder Michael Ballack will no longer belong to the national squad², head coach Joachim Loew confirmed on Thursday.

    This is the result after talks between head coach Joachim Loew and long-term team captain Michael Ballack.

    "The past few month have shown that many young players are brought into focus with good prospects³. I have discussed this issue with Michael in all candor⁴. The time has come to take a clear position," Joachim Loew said.

    The 35-year-old Michael Ballack joined the German national team in 1999 to make 98 official matches scoring 42 goals until 2010.

    "Michael was for a decade a leader and an important player in the national team and has an enormous stake in the tremendous success at the World Cup 2002. He shaped an era and he always played for the team I observed at World cup 2006 and the Euro 2008, " added Loew.

    Due to a partial demolition⁵ of the ankle following a challenge from midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng on 15th May 2010 in the English Cup final between Chelsea and Portsmouth, Ballack lost his position in the squad to miss the Wolrd Cup 2010.

    It is unknown if Ballack will confirm his farewell game against Brazil on August 10.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

5 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。