WORLD CUP 2006 / GERMANY

[kenny weir]

I was amused to see some postings on an Australian soccer site last week addressing the proposition "Which Socceroos would make the England squad?"

Now these folks are I suspect much more knowledgable than, even if they have in-built biases.

Still, all hands voted for Harry Kewell, with numerous other votes for the likes of Cahill, Schwarzer, Bresciano and others.

The same could be said of many of the forthcoming tournament's lesser lights in terms of their best players and where the stand when compared with the world's best.

But here's the rub - we have so little depth!

So the injuries to Kewell and Cahill are nightmares for us.

Still, many of the Aussies have been in good form.

Onward!

Our campaign really hots up next Thursday when the Socceroos play Greece at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Another nightmare: That is presentation night for the Australian Jazz Awards, of which I am on the judging panel. I'm planning to attend that envelope-popping function for the first hoiur and a half, then escape to watch the game on the adjacent big screen at Federation Square, thence returning to the jazzbo soiree.

[kenny weir]

A diversion ...

The FA Cup was being dicussed around the office this morning. It was a fabulous game, but like others I felt the extra time was of a much poorer standard, what with players fatigued and cramping up all over the place. And then came the penalties ...

Some of the possible options put up I had heard before, others I hadn't.

*Personally, I think two 15-minute halves of extra time is too much. May be 10 minutes each way, followed by an endless golden goal period.

*Another suggestion was removing a player from each side every five minutes or whatever.

*Another suggestion: Eliminating the offside rule.

BTW, I am much more than enough of of football fan to take a lot of the complaints about soccer being too slow scoring - we get plenty of that in Melbourne, home of high-scoring Aussie rule - with a smile and a shrug. Like y'all, for me a draw can sometimes be THE most exciting outcome.

BUT I am open to alternatives to dealing with extra time in games in which a result MUST be found.

[brownie]

A nice 'entrée' before the upcoming World Cup indigestion should be this evening's Champions League final at the Stade de France in suburban Saint-Denis.

Barcelona with Ronaldinho playing against Arsenal with Thierry Henry is bound to be a thrilling confrontation.

Hordes of joyous Barcelona and Arsenal fans have invaded the French capital and from what I have seen the Catalan fans should outnumber the British ones.

No favorite team here despite the fact that Arsenal has a good contingent of French players.

Let the best team win!

My apologies to the O. posters who asked me for tickets for this final. Was late at the starting gate and the researches went nowhere.

I'll be watching the game on TV tonight

[kenny weir]

I reckon the Champions League final was a bit of a fizzer, partly due to the umpiring - but only partly, not wholly as our commentators would have it.

The game just didn't seem to click, although Arsenal did really well to hold them out for so long.

The Arsenal keeper get a deserved red card, but the goal should have been allowed.

[brownie]

The Champions League final match turned out to be spirited with lots of fast actions and various sequences that kept the game very much alive with the two teams giving all out.

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's ouster early in the match changed the spirit of the match. The referee's decision was very harsh but justified. Arsenal was reduced to ten players for the rest of the match and the decision was even tougher on poor Robert Pires who had to leave the field to let Arsenal bring in substitute goalie Almunia.

Ronaldinho did not manage to score but Barcelona could count on veteran Henrik Larsson to mastermind the two goals for the team.

Catalan fans had good reasons to celebrate Barca's 2-1 victory.

Arsenal players could also leave the field proudly.

[scottb]

Those first 15 minutes were tremendous and Arsenal was having the better of the play. Henry looked to be on his way to a terrific performance. It was a shame the red card card changed everything.

I thought the ref was justified in the call but could have also played the advantage, given Barca the goal and allowed the game to continue 11 v 11.

I thought there were some terrible calls and no calls mostly in favor of Barca. I haven't had a chance to rewatch the first goal but some are saying there was an offsides missed.

[P.L.M]

Those first 15 minutes were tremendous and Arsenal was having the better of the play. Henry looked to be on his way to a terrific performance. It was a shame the red card card changed everything.

I thought the ref was justified in the call but could have also played the advantage, given Barca the goal and allowed the game to continue 11 v 11.

the refering wasn't very good, that the least that we can say. And he has agreed later that he has blown his trumpet to quickly.

He should have give the goal to Barcelone and a YELLOW cart to the goal keeper.

This is what a real good ref will have done.

I thought there were some terrible calls and no calls mostly in favor of Barca. I haven't had a chance to rewatch the first goal but some are saying there was an offsides missed.

The goal was perfectly on side.

Edited May 19, 2006 by P.L.M

[porcy62]

Scandal is growing, involving the coach of italian team.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4989484.stm

Since football is the first religion in Italy, (catholic one should be the second, I think ) is like as they get the Pope with a prostitute.

Personally, I hate religions so I am waiting for the Pope scandal.

[Jim R]

Bruce Arena recently stated to the media that he hopes that all of this trouble in Italy will not affect the Italian team's preparation and performance. I believe he was sincere in saying that, and I feel the same way. I don't really think it will have too much of a negative impact... but I'm in no position to know one way or the other. Anyone have any opinions?

[porcy62]

Bruce Arena recently stated to the media that he hopes that all of this trouble in Italy will not affect the Italian team's preparation and performance. I believe he was sincere in saying that, and I feel the same way. I don't really think it will have too much of a negative impact... but I'm in no position to know one way or the other. Anyone have any opinions?

The son of Marcello Lippi, the italian team coach, is in the rank of the infamous GEA, as are some of the players. The italian goalkeeper Buffon is at the moment involved in a scandal about illegal bets. In Italy most of the people, according to recent polls, think Lippi should resigned. Psycologically speakin this is not the best way to start a championship, but nobody knows what will happen.

I think they have only one think to do: win the championship, otherwise they should try to find some contracts with foreigner team, or try some plastic surgery: I can assure you that in case of a defeat thousands of angry supporters will chase them in the streets.

Edited May 21, 2006 by porcy62

[kenny weir]

My God, it's great to see ...

In the midst of an Aussie rules season, Melbourne (the capital of Aussie rules) has gone football mad.

The Socceroos are in camp here and the papers/TV are full of it. They will play Greece tomorrow night at the MCG in front of 90,000+

Unfortunately, as a judge I am obligated to attend the awards night of the Australian Jazz Awards at Federation Square, but hopefully I will be able to sneak away to watch some of it on the Square's big screen.

But for me, an all-round footy slut, all is not lost ...

Tonight, Queensland plays New South Wales in the first State-of-Origin rugby league game.

The Super 14 rugby union final is this weekend (between NZ's Hurricanes and Crusaders), followed numerous Tests. The All Blacks are lookin' good, given the Wallabiy forward woes.

Then - the World Cup.

Bring it ALL on!

[scottb]

All my fears are becoming reality it seems. USA 0, Morocco 1.

Reyna injured (yeah, didn't see that one coming. OBrien will be next!)

Didn't get to see the game. I have no excuse because I now have a DVR! Sounds like the US dominated play but couldnt find the net and one mistake in the 90th minute leads to a goal and a Morocco win.

I think I've said it before but the US team's greatest weakness is the absence of a true goal scorer. We've got guys who CAN score but nobody who GOING TO score game in, game out, a goal every game to a game and a half. What Twellman is to the Revs, or Ruiz to FC Dallas, or Ruud to Man U, or Henry to Arsenal, or Drogba to the forces of evil, or Eto'o, or Shevchenko, or Borghetti, or Crespo, or anyone who is going to challenge the rest for the golden boot. I don't think you can win without one guy scoring goals consistently.

In our case someone is going to have to get hot during the tournament because by nature we don't have that guy on our roster.

[kenny weir]

In our case someone is going to have to get hot during the tournament because by nature we don't have that guy on our roster.

Hey, leave the Socceroos alone!

[scottb]

In our case someone is going to have to get hot during the tournament because by nature we don't have that guy on our roster.

Hey, leave the Socceroos alone!

If you mean your in the same boat, I disagree. I think the US has a stronger team the the Aussies overall but we don't have a guy like Viduka. He's got a nose for goal like I'm talking about.

[kenny weir]

If you mean your in the same boat, I disagree. I think the US has a stronger team the the Aussies overall but we don't have a guy like Viduka. He's got a nose for goal like I'm talking about.

Scott, bloody hell I hope you're right.

Certainly, Viduka finished the Euro season on fire. Hiddink has really got some hefty extra kick out of him. He's also been re-appoited capatain by Hiddink, in lieu of the now returned Craig Moore, who was injured for the qualifying stuff.

Edited May 24, 2006 by kenny weir

[Jim R]

Scott, be glad you didn't watch. I watched it live, and again on tape this evening (although it was painful, I wanted to look again closely to see what- and who- went wrong). The U.S. came out flat, and basically stayed that way throughout. Morocco played with twice our intensity, energy, and creativity. We played okay on defense for most of the match, but our attempts to go forward (which were slow and predictable) were consistently stifled by the swarming Moroccans. Our passing was rarely sharp, and we constantly gave the ball away by holding it for too long. Mastroeni (who replaced Reyna after he went out with a strained hamstring) and Beasley played pretty well, and that's about it aside from decent defensive efforts by Pope, Onyewu, and Gibbs (who started at left back). McBride had a very bad game, as did Donovan (he was in his timid, tentative mode), and Wolff (who was in the starting lineup) was Wolff. McBride failed to even put the ball on frame on two occasions when he was set up beautifully and had great opportunities to score. O'Brien sent Donovan into the area unmarked with a nice chip, and Donovan whiffed. It looked like he was afraid he was going to collide with the keeper, but he had plenty of time and space. He could have settled the ball and picked a spot, instead he tries a weak, timid full volley toe poke and comes up with nothing but air. Eddie Johnson (who subbed in late) also whiffed once, on a rebound from a Donovan shot, and also failed to even hit the target on a header that he should have put away. Steve Cherundolo, who was yellow-carded in the early going for a clumsy (very late) challenge, lost the ball on several occasions, and made a bonehead play that set up Morocco's goal on a counter-attack after a failed U.S. set piece.

Arena stated that he thought the Cary training camp left us worn out. Pretty obvious that this was part of the problem, but the bottom line is, we looked like shit in most phases of the game, even before we had faced any serious exertion. Arena and most of the players downplayed the problems in their postgame press conferences, and offered the usual b.s. that the only game that matters right now is on June 12. Well, I say get your act together soon, or you're going to be totally embarassed on June 12.

Edited May 24, 2006 by Jim R

[kenny weir]

Ah - Australia 1 Greece 0.

Quite a night in Melbourne. I managed to watch the first half while slinking away from the jazz award festivities. Fine goal by Skoko and some of the most assured playing I've seen by any incanation of the Socceroos. Hiddink had worked them extremely hard in the leadup, but it had little effect in terms of fatigue. The coach said he was satisfied with 70% of our effort, but very concerned about the other 30%. Which is as it should be - that's what these games are for. The absence of Cahill and Kewell was well covered, delivering Hiddink what he refrred to as a "welcome headache".

They're off to camp in Eindhoven today before playing the Netherlands next Sunday.

[rostasi]

All I know about this FIFA business

is that it's made a serious dent in my summer

schedule in Germany. Hotels are charging

three times as much on weekdays and SIX times

as much on FR/SA/SU.

get out of the towns, find a nice hamlet to spend time, rent a room from a friendly old lady.

Or save even MORE money and stay with a friendly, and oh so generous board member!

Well, I think I've got around these overpriced places,

but Couw's idea is what I'm doing for part of the time. A nice little place outside Köln

that I like to stay at in Unterbersten. Plus, Köln's Hotel Lint is giving me a discount probably

because of my devotion to their place, I suppose.

I'm thinking that the very last days of FIFA (doesn't it end on July 9?)

will be the CrAzIeSt in the cities, so I'm staying off the streets.

(It can't be as insane as the Pope's trip last summer can it?)

The positive side is that I can probably get some great pix!

Rod

[scottb]

The reserves looked good tonight especially my boy Convey! Come on Jim, get on board the Convey train. You know I like Beasley too but Convey was the man tonight. His service into the box was terrific. Hopefully one these strikers will get a clue where to be to tap these in for goals.

Here's how I saw it...

I thought the front two did OK. Many times they were too close together, making the same runs, resulting in both of them missing the cross.

Wolff, well, was Wolff. Created several nice chances for himself and blew them all.

Convey was the man!

Dempsey was magical for 45 then cooled off in the second half a bit. Nice finish on the diving header! I could definitely see him and Convey coming off the bench for a spark on either side of the pitch.

I thought Olsen was a bit off. In the first half when we looked pretty sharp, he was the one missing passes and losing possession.

The defense as a whole looked pretty good. Boca and Albright did well getting forward. They were not quite as cohesive as a unit and on a couple occasions were beaten by the pace of the forwards (hard to tell if they were that fast or we were a step a slow, hopefully the former)

Howard looked a little off. Seemed to misjudge a few crosses. Wasn't really tested except on one free kick.

As a whole the team looked good. Great first half with a lot of chances and good service into the box. I think this is how the US has to play to win games at the World Cup, use our speed on the flanks, get balls into the box and use our strength to get on the end of crosses for goals.

The second half saw a bit more pressure from the visitors and a little less possession for the US than in the first half. Of course the red card (bogus!) changed things. When Donovan and Beasley entered the game I kinda felt like "hold on to your seats, these guys are going to bring the attack to the next level." But they didn't. Convey did much better on the left and Donovan made a few good plays but the team didn't look as sharp as a whole.

Overall, a step in the right direction and like Bruce said we're not preparing ourselves to play Morocco or Venezuela, we're preparing to play the Czech Republic on june 12th. I imagine we'll see more of the starters again on Sunday.

[Jim R]

I agree Scott, much better performance than the Morocco game (of course). Even though we got a 2-0 win, though, I'm still a bit concerned about our overall team chemistry and sharpness. I thought most of the first half was dismal. After about 30 minutes, I was beginning to wonder if it was going to be a repeat of the Morocco game. We put together some passes and got some crosses into the box, but as you said, nobody on the end of them. We were givng the ball away far too often, and players were not reading each other very well and not making good runs. The goal seemed to give us a confidence boost, but I would still have liked to see more creativity and coheshion in the attack.

I thought the second half was better in terms of our passing and getting into an organized attack. It was really nice to see EJ get an assist (definitely not his strong suit, imo), and Dempsey's finish was great. Ching looked sharp throughout the game, and I think he's beginning to regain his old form. It will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets. I still think McBride can be very good for us, but I wonder how willing Arena will be to insert Ching if McBride slumps during the WC.

I do like Convey, and he's definitely improved his confidence after the experience with Reading. To me, maybe the most impressive thing about Convey last night was his stamina. That should earn him some points in terms of being considered for a starting role in Germany. That will largely depend on Arena's strategy for each match, though. Convey will be a valuable weapon whether he starts or subs.

I thought Dempsey looked good last night, but I wouldn't quite say "magical". I think he can play better, in terms of taking on defenders and earning free kicks.

Olsen is still inconsistent. I think he's still an "energy" guy, a player who has more enthusiasm than anything else. With the number of quality midfielders we have now (and barring any further injury problems with Reyna and O'Brien), I really doubt that Ben will get to play much if at all in the WC.

I've been fairly impressed with our defense as a whole lately. A large question that's looming is where (and how much) Bocanegra fits in to the scheme of things. Obviously, he can play on the left, but it seems that he's going to be splitting duty with Pope at left central. I would like to see Lewis back in action against Latvia, Cherundolo back on the right, and see how we look with a true "1st string" defense in this final tune-up. Also, speaking of our defenders, the one thing that I've been looking for but haven't seen lately is Onyewu getting involved more (with his head) on set pieces. There was a stretch of qualifiers where that seemed to be one of our most dangerous weapons. Maybe Arena decided to put that card up his sleeve.

Anyway, I'm more relieved than impressed in terms of our effort against Venezuela (relieved that we didn't lay another egg). I think we need to do at least as well or better against Latvia tomorrow. We need to be sharper and quicker with our passing and decision-making; and accurate in terms of finishing.

Oh- I'm not at all happy that we've now lost both Hejduk and Gibbs. Albright is okay, but he's not as quick as Hejduk, not as good with the ball, and of course less experienced internationally. I think Gibbs was still in the process of improving his ability to read the game, but his athleticism was impressive. Berhalter is of course very experienced, but he's a bit slow and prone to mental lapses. Hopefully the rest of the cast will stay healthy, and Albright and Berhalter won't be called upon to face too much pressure.

One last thing... I've been watching some vhs tapes from 2002, and one thing that strikes me is how good Reyna was. I think maybe we've taken him a bit for granted (and it's easy to do, considering the type of things he does well). I heard an interview with Donovan the other day, and he was talking about Reyna, his experience, and how he taught Landon the art of knowing when to "go" and when to lay back. It's a subtle thing- not necessarily translating to "go forward" and "stay back", but more about exerting yourself and taking chances vs relaxing and letting the game develop around you. I think Reyna really does have that ability to be aware of the ebb and flow of a match. It's also about field vision and leadership. The way he set up that first goal against Mexico in the 2nd round in '02... that was special. I'm really beginning to think that we will need him if we're going to succeed in Germany. It's great to have Mastroeni to make a lot of the same kinds of plays, though... I just wonder if either of them are going to be as strong and as durable as they were in the later matches in 2002.

[scottb]

Concerning Boca fitting in, Pope has been shakey in the league lately and I could see Boca in left-center with Lewis left.

By our assessments I guess I'm an optimist. I thought the first half went pretty well. We possessed the ball well in the midfield. As I mentioned Olsen had some trouble but mostly things were OK. The attack was mostly breaking down at the final pass. If they could clean up that last step, the goals would be there. I think McBride is better at positioning himself to get on the end of those I think he would've score on a couple of those balls in from Convey, Albright and Dempsey.

[Jim R]

By our assessments I guess I'm an optimist. I thought the first half went pretty well. We possessed the ball well in the midfield. As I mentioned Olsen had some trouble but mostly things were OK. The attack was mostly breaking down at the final pass. If they could clean up that last step, the goals would be there.

I basically agree, it's just that possessing the ball and being "OK" are not enough. I thought they could and should have created more scoring chances in the first half. I remember thinking at about the 30 minute mark that they hadn't really gotten off a good shot yet. I used to be a forward when I played, so I'm more critical about (and actually pay closer attention to) the overall attack and finishing, as opposed to defense and midfield buildup. So, yeah, if we had been better in terms of our final few passes, we would have created more good chances. But we weren't, and we didn't. With only one more tune-up match to go, I'd like to see us start to shift into high gear. As you've pointed out before (and I've always agreed), we need to have somebody step up and score goals in the WC. Creating good chances has to be more of a routine, so that we don't have to rely on clinical finishing every time we get a good look at the goal (since we lack that type of player up front). Since we don't have that one great goal scorer, it's going to have to be via good chemistry and creative play around the area that we create chances, and frankly I think we're behind the curve in terms of being ready for June 12th in that respect.

[scottb]

USA v Latvia

Good news - dominated the game

Bad news - only scored one goal

I thought the "reserves" actually looked sharper the other night.

I've alway thougt Eddie Johnson was a bit overrated. I agree he's got loads of potential and has success at the MLS level but internationally I don't think he's quite there and I hope we're not banking on him at the world cup. Johnson had numerous chances in the first half. Wasted them all. McBride had essentially two chances. The first required one the best saves of the match and the other found net. Yet it seemed that Johnson was the main target. Too many offsides. You get the feeling that even when he gets through 1 v1 with the goalie he's not going to be able to finish. I know it's hard to score when the opposition is just sitting back with 10 guys behind the ball. But there were plenty of chances for everyone and only one goal.

I like Beasley but Dempsey has looked more dangerous to me. O'Brien doesn't seem quite ready although there are glimpses of brilliance. Convey wasn't as good as the other night but I might still take him over O'Brien at this point.

I actually think we will have more success in the World Cup where the opposition will be better and not packed into the box (unless they get an early lead.)

Overall, I'm a little worried now. With that kind of domination you should beat a team 3 or 4 to nil. WE NEED SOME GOALS!!

[Jim R]

Like the Venezuela match the other day, I watched this one twice. Scott, you basically said everything I was going to say. Johnson was up and down. He got screwed a couple of times (bogus offsides call when he was through for a breakaway; a couple of fouls that weren't called), which I think threw him off balance a bit. Still, he didn't time his runs well enough. WAY too many offsides calls (legit ones) against him, and his shots weren't good enough. Also, there were a couple of occasions when Johnson failed to make a pass that would have sent a teammate into the area. He either doesn't have the necessary vision, or he's too selfish with the ball at his feet sometimes. I thought it was very interesting the comment Balboa made regarding who will likely start on June 12. He said Onyewu will likely be in (in place of Conrad, who played tonight), and I agree. He also said Reyna will be in if he's healthy, and that the other player from tonight's game that would likely be on the bench on June 12th... Eddie Johnson (he suggested that Donovan might play in a very high midfield position, essentially as a 2nd forward). Pretty interesting comment from someone who may have more behind-the-scenes knowledge than the average person in the media. He also said that Convey was pushing Beasley hard for a starting midfield spot, and I agree- that's a toss-up right now, especially since Beasley had a weak game tonight. DeMarcus was too indecisive when he got into good attacking positions, his two (?) shots on goal were extremely weak, and he didn't pass the ball particularly well. Just didn't look very confident, imo. As you said, Convey wasn't as good tonight either, but I thought he was better than Beasley.

O'Brien is kind of a puzzle right now... he looked pretty sharp at times, dictating the pace and creating direction in Reyna's absence, and putting some nice balls into the box. At other times, he looked tired and somewhat lost. He doesn't look as physically strong as he did in 2002, and he definitely doesn't seem to have enough stamina to go 90 minutes (but maybe he can still contribute some valuable minutes anyway). I was a little disappointed that Dempsey didn't get into the game tonight. I have a feeling that Arena really sees his relative inexperience as a big issue, despite Clint's aggressiveness and solid performances this year. I still think he deserves to get significant playing time in the WC, and our attack will suffer without his creativity and energy in setting up attacks and set pieces.

I thought Cherundolo and Pope played well tonight, while Conrad and Lewis were both kind of shaky at times.

Bottom line re tonight's match... (to echo what you said) it's really pretty sad that we could only score one goal with that kind of midfield domination. It was almost as though Latvia knew they could just sit back and let us come at them, without worrying that we might score. Our build-up is too slow and predictable, even if it appears to be efficient at times. I think we'd be better off mixing up our attack, doing less crossing from the flanks and playing more combinations up the middle (and the occasional attempt to have Donovan or Beasley simply try to run at the defense alone when an opportunity presents itself). You have to keep a defense off balance, and "keep them honest". As good as McBride's finish was on the one goal we got, that's basically a very predictable play, where a lot of defenders had time to pack in and try to stop it. A top notch defense is going to prevent that goal most of the time. There were at least three or four times tonight where one of our players (Beasley, Johnson, Convey come to mind) had a clear opportunity to shoot from around the edge of the area, and didn't pull the trigger. Some of them were loose balls, and some were great passes that went to waste. As the old saying goes- if you don't shoot, you can't score. As I said after the Venezuela match, I'm concerned about our chemistry (especially as it relates to creating attacks). I'm just not seeing much of the kind of quick combination play that takes a defense by surprise and sets up good scoring chances.

[Brad]

Less than a week to go . Nice article in the Sunday NYT Sports Magazine supplement about the American team.

Here's another article in today's sports section by George Vecsey:

THEY are no longer a novelty act. The Americans who arrived at the World Cup with sleepy faces and lethargic motions yesterday have been this way before. As soon as they get over the first stupefying blast of jet lag, they will be in a familiar place.

There was a time, back in 1990, that the United States national soccer team was like a child's crusade, but this is the fifth consecutive World Cup for the Americans, and they know how to do certain things, even the little details.

Certainly, German fans have not forgotten the 1-0 victory over the Yanks in the quarterfinals in South Korea four years ago, after which knowledgeable German fans (and reporters and players and even Franz Beckenbauer himself) volunteered that the Americans had outplayed the Germans.

This stuff sticks. Now there are expectations. The American team arrived with a been-here, done-that attitude — not cocky by any means, simply professionals who have been this way before. Fresh off the overnight flight from the States, Manager Bruce Arena had the lads out stretching in the bracing morning air. Why, the German reporters asked. Moving around a little seemed like a novel concept to him, Arena replied, his New York sense of irony seeming to be intact.

The Americans are certified quarterfinalists now. These credentials will hang around their collective necks in the next few weeks when they venture forth into their Group of Death against the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana. Like American shareholders, always looking for new growth in the company, casual sports fans will ask, "Well, they made the quarterfinals last time, why not the semifinals this time?" It doesn't work that way, the American players quickly note.

With experience come aches and pains. Claudio Reyna, the captain, was moving gingerly, saying his aching hamstring seemed to be improving. He was injured and could not play for the United States in 1994 when they advanced to the second round, but played every minute in 1998 although Jens Jeremies of Germany hammered him in the first five minutes of the first game.

In 2002, Reyna played maybe his best game for the national team, roaming the right side against Mexico, not merely controlling but creating. But that was then.

"We have a lot to prove," Reyna said yesterday. "All 32 teams have something to prove. Yes, 2002 was a big year for us, but now we want to play three good games and get out of the first round. Our squad has grown a lot."

Arena noted how the 1990 team members, innocents abroad who lost three in a row in Italy, were almost all former college players, but now all 23 players are in professional leagues in Europe or Major League Soccer back home.

"We never like to think about expectations," Arena said. "Obviously, our standing has risen, but we're still on the outside looking to get in."

Arena calls himself an outsider, but he does have his ways of running his second World Cup adventure. He has heard how the American players went stir crazy in their rural chateau in Burgundy in 1998. He put the team in Seoul in 2002, and now has the team ensconced in a fancy chain hotel in the heart of this proud old port city, near the waterside warehouses operated by the burghers of Hamburg for centuries, not far from the bawdy pleasures of the Reeperbahn.

"It suits our mentality not to be locked up," Arena said.

Most World Cup coaches take their players to monastic retreats, with strict rules against nearly anything. Politely, the local news media wanted to know why Arena was exposing his players to such distractions.

"If we have to worry about that, then we have no chance whatsoever," Arena said with a smile.

The German reporters had also smoked out the fact that the players' wives and families are along for the ride — in fact, staying at another chain hotel nearby.

"Well, it's family," Arena said, nicely. "We've been told that we're stupid and ignorant Americans, but our players are with their families all year round, so why not here?"

Perhaps recalling how Ronaldo of Brazil celebrated winning the 2002 Cup by announcing that his enforced celibacy was about to end — and soon — the reporters delicately asked if the American players could stay in the same room with their families or would the families be in separate rooms?

"Both," Arena said, ending that line of questioning.

The German reporters also noted the stringent security surrounding the American team. Arena shrugged it off, saying: "When security is handled well, you don't notice it. I think we're being handled very well."

The reality is that the American players are more visible than most players in a World Cup, as demonstrated by the gracious way Reyna and Steve Cherundolo tumbled out of bed for a 1 p.m. news conference yesterday. Reyna, who proved himself with a couple of German squads early in his career, couldn't rouse any latent German-language skills, but Cherundolo, who plays for Hanover 96 in the Bundesliga, seemed comfortable in his recently acquired German.

Language skills are the least of it. The Americans have been picking up a number of talents in recent years. But basically, the challenge starts all over again this month. Four years ago doesn't count.

Edited June 3, 2006 by Brad