Germany coach Joachim Löw says time is right to step aside

Sport

Germany coach Joachim Löw says time is right to step aside

2021-03-11 21:44 Last Updated At：21:50

Given time during the coronavirus pandemic to reflect, Germany coach Joachim Löw decided to step aside earlier than expected.

“I always said that the team needs room, it needs time and development. It shouldn’t be held up because the coach perhaps wants to cling onto his position,” Löw said on Thursday in his first public comments since the decision was announced by the German federation on Tuesday.

The 61-year-old Löw said leaving after the European Championship this summer, instead of after the World Cup next year, will give his successor the time to prepare for Euro 2024 in Germany.

“Three years to prepare for a tournament in your own country is right,” Löw said.

Löw took over Germany after serving as assistant coach to Jürgen Klinsmann at the 2006 World Cup, and is one of the longest-serving coaches of a national team. He has been in charge for 189 games.

Löw led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title, but has been under increasing scrutiny as results suffered following a shake up of the team after the 2018 World Cup, which Germany exited in the first round.

“I think it was completely the right decision to start changes in 2019,” Löw said. “This young generation will reach their potential in 2024.”

Löw said his “full concentration” was on preparing the team for this summer’s tournament.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Ciarán Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP

Jo Adell robs 3 homers in what Torii Hunter calls the `greatest defensive game I've ever seen'

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — You’ve done something special when Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner known for his acrobatic catches, calls what you just did “probably the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”

That was the praise Hunter heaped on the Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell after the right fielder made three homer-robbing catches, the last a spectacular leaping grab while crashing into the seats near the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning, in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.

“I’ve never seen three home run robberies in one game, and I’ve never seen a guy on the third one fall into the stands, catch the ball and keep his feet in like he’s a wide receiver,” said the 50-year-old Hunter, a special assistant to the general manager who watched the game from the bench. “I was jumping up and down. I almost passed out.”

Adell, who struggled on defense for several years before transforming into a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, leaped high above the yellow line on the wall in straight-way right field to deny Cal Raleigh of a solo homer in the first inning, and made a nearly identical catch to against Josh Naylor in the eighth.

J.P. Crawford then led off the ninth with a drive toward the right-field corner, where Adell raced toward the ball, leaped to glove it, flipped over the low wall and fell into the first row of seats before holding his glove up to present the catch, which was upheld after a replay review.

“After the first one, I was pretty fired up,” Adell said. “When I got to the second one, which looked identical to the first, I thought, ‘Wow, my routes are on point tonight.’ The third one was just grit. Top of the ninth, you have to get it done. It was crazy.

“You just get there, then it’s decision-making. The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it (into my glove), fell over and ended up in somebody’s lap. I don’t know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me.”

According to Inside Edge, Adell has 10 home run robberies since 2020, tied with Kyle Tucker of the Dodgers for the most in the big leagues. The outfielders with the most home run robberies in the entire 2025 season were Jacob Young of the Nationals and Fernando Tatis of the Padres. Both had four.

This was believed to be the first time in baseball history a player has robbed three homers in one game.

“It was like a movie scene,” Hunter said about Adell’s third catch. “It was like the music was playing, then he caught the ball, then he went down and we didn’t see him anymore. The music paused, he came up and said, ‘Yeah!’ I started cheering and almost blacked out.”

Hunter, the former Minnesota Twins, Angels and Detroit Tigers star, has worked extensively with Adell on defense during the past few years.

“His impact has been huge,” Adell said. “It’s mental when you’re out there — it’s a mindset of going to get the baseball, being aggressive. Early, I was caught in between on some plays, and sometimes that happens.

“When you err on the side of being aggressive and trying to make the plays, you’d be surprised at how many plays you make. That’s the mindset Torii had all those years, winning all those Gold Gloves.”

P MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb