Another German casualty

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP):

Germany defender Heiko Westermann will miss the World Cup because of a foot injury, adding to coach Joachim Loew's mounting injury worries.

Westermann broke a bone in his left foot late in Saturday's 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest.

The German football federation said the Schalke defender was ruled out after a scan yesterday in northern Italy, where Germany is preparing for the World Cup.

Westermann is the fifth German player - including captain Michael Ballack - to be ruled out due to an injury.

Options

The 27-year-old Westermann has 19 games for Germany and was an option at either central defence or on one of the flanks. He played as a left back Saturday.

"Heiko would have played an important role at the World Cup," Loew said. "He would have been important for us because of his versatility. He was in excellent phy-sical shape in training."

Westermann said he was "totally disappointed".

"That was a huge goal for me, to be at the World Cup," Westermann said. "I felt really well in training. Now, the only thing I can do is wish the team all the best."

Besides Ballack, Loew has lost designated starting goalkeeper Rene Adler and midfielders Simon Rolfes and Christian Traesch.

Westermann's injury leaves Loew with 24 players, with one to be cut before today's deadline. It was not immediately known if Loew would call up another defender to replace Westermann.