08 February 2006
Americans Face Talented Opponents in World Cup Football Tournament
U.S. assistant coach rates first-round opponents Czech Republic, Italy, Ghana
Washington -- The U.S. national team will face three talented foes -- the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana -- when it plays in the first round of football's World Cup championship starting in June, says the American team's assistant coach, Glenn Myernick.
Myernick, interviewed by the Washington File February 6, called the World Cup "truly one of the most difficult sporting events in the world" because of the long process to qualify for and then win football's premier event. Football is called soccer in the United States.
The United States is fielding one of 32 teams from almost 100 countries worldwide that emerged from many months of qualifying rounds to play in the World Cup, which is played every four years. Germany is hosting the 2006 Cup from June 9 to July 9.
Countries that emerge from the World Cup's opening round of 64 games, played in 12 German cities, will compete in a second stage of 16 teams, followed by quarterfinal and semifinal matches. The July 9 championship game is in Berlin.
Advancing beyond the first round will take the Americans' best effort, the coach said. Football experts have dubbed the four-team "E" bracket the Americans have been placed in -- one of eight brackets for the opening round -- the "Hammer Group" because the competition is so strong.
Before the U.S. team starts World Cup competition, it is playing a series of "friendlies" (preparatory games) against international squads -- such as Guatemala on February 19 in Dallas. Guatemala's star is Carlos Ruiz, nicknamed "Pescadito" (The Little Fish), who is also a standout in the U.S. professional league, Major League Soccer.
UNITED STATES VERSUS CZECH REPUBLIC, JUNE 12
The United States opens its official World Cup play against the Czech Republic June 12 in the city of Gelsenkirchen. The Czechs are ranked No.2 in the world, behind Brazil, the defending World Cup champion. The team's goalkeeper, Petr Cech, is rated the world's No. 1 player at his position, a stupendous feat considering that Cech is only 23 and most top goalkeepers are much older. Myernick said the position requires physical skill and proper positioning to stop shots that opponents blast at the goalkeeper.
"It's very rare to find a No. 1 goalkeeper in the world in his early 20s, so that's a testament to Cech as a player," said Myernick, whose own football credentials include being voted winner of the Hermann Trophy in 1976 as the United States' top collegiate player.
Pavel Nedved and Jan Koller are two other standouts for the Czech team, Myernick said. Nedved's career includes being voted the European Player of the Year in 2003. He currently plays for Juventis, the first-place team in the top-flight Italian Serie A League. Nedved, who plays the position of midfielder, has yet to declare whether he will compete in the World Cup, "but there's no reason why he shouldn't," Myernick said.
Koller is another player still questionable for the Cup, because of a knee injury. Koller is a standout because he is his country's leading goal scorer and because of his 6'7" height -- football players are rarely that tall. Koller, a "striker," has said he expects to be fit to play in the World Cup.
UNITED STATES VERSUS ITALY, JUNE 17
Italy, ranked 12th in the world, will play the United States June 17 in Kaiserslautern. Myernick calls the Italians "almost a staple" at the World Cup, because Italy is a three-time winner of the championship and a frequent qualifier for the tournament. Most players on the Italian national squad stay at home and compete in the tough Serie A League, unlike the Czech Republic, whose better players join club teams in other countries.
Standouts for the Italians include defender Alessandro Nesta, who has been described as the most complete player in the world at his position, and forward Francesco Totti. Totti is considered the Italians' "playmaker," whose artistry with maneuvering the ball sets up his teammates to score goals.
UNITED STATES VERSUS GHANA, JUNE 22
The United States plays Ghana, ranked 50th in the world, June 22 in Nuremberg. Myernick says Ghana's team, nicknamed the "Black Stars," is "very, very good" because of the players' athleticism.
Ghana will be a big threat in the World Cup, Myernick said, if it can get its full complement of players healthy by June. Ghana was eliminated in the first round of the African Cup of Nations in January but the team was lacking its four top players, three of whom were injured, including superstar midfielder Michael Essien.
Myernick singled out Essien as a player with a "fantastic reputation" for penetrating opposition defenses.
Ghana is also the birthplace of U.S. 16-year-old football prodigy Freddie Adu, who plays for Washington’s D.C. United in the American football league. Adu became the youngest player ever to play for the U.S. national team when he was put in as a substitute for a January 22 "friendly" against Canada.
Should the Americans advance to the second round, they would meet a team from the Group F bracket (Brazil, Croatia, Australia and Japan).
U.S. COACH’S PREDICTIONS ON WORLD CUP WINNER
Asked to predict the 2006 World Cup winner, Myernick selected five-time Cup champion Brazil because of the team’s depth at each position on the team. Myernick said Argentina, Portugal and Holland are other strong possibilities, and that Germany should not be overlooked because it is the host country for the event.
The U.S. team is ranked seventh internationally. As for the U.S. chances to capture its first World Cup, Myernick said his team needs to win, at a minimum, one game -- and must play to a draw in another game -- to advance beyond the tournament's first round.
Myernick added that advancing from the rugged "Hammer Group" would represent a great victory for the United States, which is playing in the World Cup for the fifth consecutive time since 1990. The task will not be easy for the Americans, competing in what is considered the ultimate challenge in team sport.
This reality is reflected by U.S. National Team Coach Bruce Arena's comment that "qualifying for the World Cup was fantastic, and anything we can do that is positive in 2006 is a real plus as we continue to move forward with the sport in our country."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
