U.S. Is in the Eye of World Cup’s Storm : Soccer: Americans find calm while 23 other nations hang on every detail of their teams’ well-being.

In Argentina, soccer fans--everyone in the country old enough to kick a ball--nervously await the latest news about the injured big toe on the right foot of star midfielder Diego Maradona.

In Scotland, fans are updated daily in the newspapers, and hourly on television and radio, about striker Mo Johnston’s “mystery ailment,” believed to be a torn abdominal muscle. “Johnston Leaves Scots Quaking,” reads a headline in the Guardian.

The London press reports that the English team is in chaos, having been saved from a humiliating loss in an exhibition game against Tunisia by a last-minute goal. A Brazilian newspaper’s poll of the country’s leading doctors determines that one of the team’s key players, Romario, is unfit to play.

Spain’s coach, Luis Suarez, tells that country’s sports daily, Marca, that no one will commit suicide if his team does not win the World Cup. Marca is not so sure.

Four days before Friday’s opening game in Milan between defending champion Argentina and Cameroon, much of the world’s population is experiencing severe lightheadedness believed to be connected with World Cup fever.

The United States appears to have immunity, acquired through years of indifference to the world’s most popular championship.

North American sporting events need not apply for the designation, as Norwegian marathon runner Grete Waitz once so eloquently pointed out in a discussion of baseball.

“The World Series?” she said. “How many countries are playing?”

So, as the United States, making its first World Cup appearance in 40 years, opened its training camp Monday in this seaside resort about 10 miles from Pisa, all was appropriately calm.

No one was quaking. No one was even injured. Even if someone had been, it is doubtful the United States’ leading doctors would have offered opinions about whether he was or was not fit to play in Sunday’s opener against Czechoslovakia in Florence.

Not knowing what to expect, the U.S. Soccer Federation arranged to have security guards at the training camp, drawn from Italy’s police and military as well as the U.S. Army base at nearby Camp Darby. They had a quiet day Monday, when the only visitors were about 20 reporters who showed up for a morning practice. The afternoon practice was closed to the press.

U.S. Coach Bob Gansler patiently answered all questions, but he appeared to most enjoy the ones from an Italian journalist. Ever since the Italians announced that their players could not have sex during the month of the World Cup, officials from each of the 24 teams have been asked by reporters if they have a similar policy.

The Brazilians can have sex, but not the Irish. The Austrians announced that their team cannot have sex the night before games.

And the U.S. players?

“Not at halftime,” Gansler said last week.

Wives and girlfriends are not welcome at the camp, in the Italian Olympic training center, but Gansler said he could not prevent the players from visiting them in Florence.

“It’s not the moments of pleasure that concern me,” he said. “It’s the hours of pursuit.”

On Monday, the Italian journalist tried to bait Gansler into criticizing the Italian approach.

“Sex is very important to Latin peoples,” the journalist said.

“Sex is very important to Americans, too,” Gansler said. “That’s why there are 250 million of us.”

Otherwise, the only issue involved Eric Wynalda’s suitability to play midfield. He is a forward by experience and nature, but last month Gansler moved him to the midfield so that the team can have another scorer in the starting lineup.

Wynalda, who is from Westlake Village, says that he is not comfortable in the midfield, but he said Monday that he is more comfortable there than on the bench.

That is where he spent the last 40 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland in an exhibition game. Afterward, Wynalda let off steam, complaining that he was not suited for the position’s defensive responsibilities.

“I’ve had a lot of time to cool off,” he said Monday. “I was a little disappointed with the loss.

“As far as the position goes, I think I can handle it. I don’t think there’s any reason to pull me off the field. I’d like to be up front (at forward), though. That would be nice.”

Asked if he felt Gansler might move him out of the starting line-up, Wynalda said, “Anything’s possible.”

But Gansler did not seem to be leaning that way.

“Eric has played that position before, but it’s a learning experience for him to play it at this level,” he said. “He’s got to have some patience. He’s certainly more frustrated with his play there than I am.”

If Wynalda does not contribute, the man to replace him in the midfield might be UCLA freshman Chris Henderson, 19, who learned Monday that he is the youngest player in the World Cup.

“Hopefully, some day I can be the oldest,” he said.