Germany FTW! and MLS Legend Loves VW

Before the holiday, we discussed Volkswagen's connection to the world's sport, soccer. Although the United States was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup tournament in the round 16, their defeat wasn't an easy feat for the Belgium National Team. Tim Howard showed us an amazing performance, even getting himself briefly named as Secretary of Defense of the United States on Wikipedia. I would have loved to see the Howard edit up until the end of the tournament, no offense of course to the actual Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, but unfortunately Wikipedia didn't deem it as an acceptable statement. The big story however comes from the motherland of Volkswagen Group. Germany had a stunning game against Brazil yesterday, practically massacring the host nation with a 7-1 win. The German National Team broke all sorts of records, including scoring 5 goals in the first 29 minutes. Jaw-dropping. Germany will be playing in the World Cup final game on Sunday versus either the Netherlands or Argentina, who will be facing off this afternoon at 4pm EST. I'd say it's safe to assume that most of us at Stohlman VW will be rooting for "zee Germans". Plus there's internet rumors swirling that everyone affiliated with Volkswagen Group will get a raise if Germany wins the World Cup. Fingers crossed, folks.

In related news, Volkswagen sponsored the Philadelphia Regional Junior Masters tournament in Lehigh Valley a few weeks ago. The kids showed an amazing amount of talent and teamwork in the beating hot sun, which wasn't unnoticed by special guest, MLS legend, John Harkes. A resident of Northern Virginia, Harkes was a former player for the New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, and our very own home team, winning two MLS Cups with DC United. He was also a member of the #USMNT (U.S. Men's National Team), appearing in the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups. Harkes recently was given a TDI Touareg by VWoA, and with it he drove up to the Philadelphia area to meet fans and the young players at the tournament, providing great insight to the kids about fine tuning their game. 

(John and I with his 2014 Touareg TDI)

Harkes took some time with me at the tournament to discuss his thoughts on his new whip. As a current Audi A6 owner, he felt that the Touareg was "comparable in quality and feel" to our cousin company's fit and finish. But that's not what really impressed John. "It's just like the commercials, I can just keep driving past gas stations without having to refuel.. The mileage is remarkable." Harkes also discussed how he remembered driving diesels when he played in England. He praised our diesels for how far along they've have come, from how quiet the Touareg's engine is, to the great performance thanks to the 406 lb-ft of torque. Harkes had been driving the Touareg TDI for about a month when we spoke, and he was in love and sold on the brand. We even discussed the possibility of him getting a Jetta for his son in the future. 

Mr. Harkes also took the time to throw a shout out to Stohlman VW, showing his appreciation for the great men and women that set Stohlman apart from the rest. We're fans of you too, John. Thanks for truly being an amazing individual on and off the field. 

Tweet us with your predictions for the final game this weekend @stohlmanauto. Until next time!

Esther Cho

VW Product Specialist

@esther_ch5

Gooolf! VW Loves the World Cup

(Photo from VWoA)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicked off a little over a week ago and the excitement around Stohlman VW cannot be contained. Soccer,  known as football outside of the U.S., has a fan base of close to 3.5 billion people around the world. Other sports with a large fan base include basketball with around 2-3 billion, baseball with over 500 million, and American football with 390-410 million. It's safe to say that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, which makes sense on why the World Cup final game is the most watched sporting event, period.

If you've been watching the tournament, you've probably seen commercials for the new GTI featuring famous sportscaster Andres Cantor. Andres Cantor is famous for his signature "Gooooooooool!" after a score in soccer. And if you follow Volkswagen of America on Twitter, you'll see that they've been tweeting after every goal scored in the tournament. 

Why is VW taking part in the World Cup excitement? Well why wouldn't they? Volkswagen is the third largest manufacturer in the world, and with the global headquarters in Germany, there's a very good chance most VW drivers and employees are soccer fans. Not to mention, Volkswagen Group has factories in 12 of the 32 countries that had teams qualify for the World Cup, including the United States.

(Volkswagen's Plant in Chattanooga, TN)

(Photo from DC United)

Volkswagen also is actively involved in soccer programs outside of the World Cup. In the United States alone, Volkswagen is a major sponsor for Major League Soccer, and was formally a title sponsor for DC United, with the emblem on the DC United jerseys. With Major League Soccer, Volkswagen also sponsors several tournaments, to encourage physical activity and the game of soccer to drivers in the U.S. and all over the world. 

¡Futbolito! is a English/Spanish 4x4 tournament put together by MLS and sponsored by VW and Wells Fargo. This large tournament has an Adult Premier, Adult Recreational, and Youth division in 8 cities throughout the United States, with cash prizes. ¡Futbolito!'s local tournament will be through DC United, and played July 19th, at Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, MD. Visit their website if you'd like more information and to register.

The Volkswagen Junior Masters is an international youth tournament that is played in over 22 countries. Junior Masters is the world's largest youth tournament for teams consisting of boys ages 10-12. Over 300 teams participate to qualify for the grand final, playing by FIFA tournament rules. The national champion of each country is invited to participate in the international Volkswagen Junior World Masters which occurs every two years, the next one taking place in 2016. The U.S. tournament has 10 regional tournaments for teams to qualify, then the qualifying teams compete at the National tournament, which is typically held at the same place and week of the MLS All Star Game. This year will be played on August 4-6th, in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit Volkswagen Junior Masters website.

It's clear that Volkswagen loves soccer, and the Stohlman folks definitely share the passion. Don't be surprised if you see the game playing in the show room this week, or if the staff is constantly checking their phones for a score update. The big drama will be on Thursday when the United States play Germany on the 26th at 12pm EST. Do we root for Germany, the origin of our favorite vehicles, or do we root for Team USA, our beloved home? I'll personally be rooting for Team USA, but I'd be happy with a tie as well. Team USA needs at least a tie to secure advancement, or they will face the possibility of elimination.

Who will you be rooting for on Thursday? Tweet us your choice @stohlmanauto. Until next time, Go #USMNT!

Esther Cho

Volkswagen Product Specialist

@esther_ch5