U.S. Soccer Team Is Bottled Up, but Not Out, at East Berlin Hotel

There is water, water everywhere around the U.S. soccer team as it stays at a suburban resort hotel on Lake Mueggelsee. But for the players to get a drink, the trainer has to make a daily trip to the other side of the Berlin Wall to buy bottled water.

The Americans were warned by both hotel management and East German Soccer Federation officials not to drink tap water at the resort.

But if the Americans are feeling inconvenienced, it’s minor compared to the frustration of the East Germans, who are still smarting over their failure to qualify for this summer’s World Cup in Italy. They would like to take out their frustrations on a team that did qualify, the United States. The teams will play an exhibition game tonight at Jahn Stadium.

The U.S. team ran into a similar situation last week in Budapest and lost to Hungary, 2-0.

If the Americans win tonight, the most valuable performer might be the trainer, Ralph Riehl. He made a stirring comeback after the first day here last Thursday, when he went to a supermarket across the border and returned with seltzer water.