WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : WORLD CUP ’94 / DAILY REPORT
The U.S. team practiced in the heat and humidity of suburban Detroit on Thursday, but the players appeared to handle the conditions coolly.
U.S. Coach Bora Milutinovic moved practice back more than an hour, placing the players on the field at Oakland University at midday, under a blazing sun and stifling humidity.
Perhaps Milutinovic was trying to prepare his team for the rigors of Saturday’s opening game in the Silverdome at nearby Pontiac. Last summer, Germany played England in the Silverdome under sweltering conditions. The 77,000-seat indoor stadium is not air-conditioned.
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U.S. midfielder Claudio Reyna practiced lightly but did not take part in any of the scrimmages. Reyna suffered a strained right hamstring in practice last week and is still not fully recovered. He said that if the game had been played Thursday he could not have started.
Teammate Roy Wegerle showed no effect of his knee injury, but he said he has been told he will not start Saturday.
“Depending how we play against Switzerland, I think there’s a good chance that he’ll start against Colombia,” assistant coach Steve Sampson said.
