WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : TODAY’S GAMES AT A GLANCE
GROUP C at Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Germany vs. South Korea
* TIME: 1 p.m. PDT
* TV: ESPN
International Channel
* KEY MATCHUPS: Coach Berti Vogts of Germany has to shuffle his lineup for his team’s final Group C game because defender Thomas Strunz suffered a thigh-muscle pull Saturday morning during a light workout. Stefan Effenberg will replace Strunz. Guido Buchwald and Thomas Berthold also are expected to play a role on defense. Buchwald, who suffered a muscle pull last May in a game against Ireland, has recuperated. Germany hopes to break out of its first-round doldrums with an aggressive attack against the unpredictable South Koreans. Vogts will use a two-forward attack for the first time in the tournament. “We have just been too static in previous matches,” Vogts said. Joining goal-scoring threat Juergen Klinsmann probably will be Andreas Moeller, a creative midfielder who knows how to score. “I prefer a system with two real strikers, but it depends on the other team,” Klinsmann said. “To win (against South Korea), you have to attack to put on the pressure, so we need two strikers.”
* OUTLOOK: Although it leads Group C with four points, defending World Cup champion Germany has been less than impressive in its first two matches. The Germans defeated Bolivia, 1-0, and tied Spain, 1-1. If those results served as an awakening, then South Korea, enjoying its best Cup performance, will be in trouble. Germany is one of the favorites to win the tournament and wants to show it deserves that distinction. South Korea has failed to earn a victory, its best chance coming last week when it tied Bolivia, 0-0. The Koreans hope to play as they did in their opener in Dallas when they rallied to tie Spain, 2-2, with two goals in the last six minutes. Coach Kim Ho held his starters out of practice on a hot Saturday afternoon in Duncanville, Tex. “We think we can have a match like the one against Spain,” Kim said. “If we can keep it close, we can score at the end against a fatigued defense.” Temperatures are expected to reach 102 degrees, which could benefit South Korea. But can the Koreans realistically stay with the powerful Germans? “We have a lot of respect for them, but I don’t think they can keep up with us until the end,” Klinsmann said. Vogts was more cautious: “They play a carefree game,” he said. “They can be physically dominating.”
* OUTCOME: Germany needs to redeem itself, if not in the United States, then back home, where the press has been tough. South Korea needs a miracle--that is, a victory or a draw--to have any chance of advancing. Although some of the German players are concerned about the weather conditions, they should have enough in reserve to win. This should be South Korea’s World Cup ’94 finale, and it should be proud of what it accomplished. Germany, 2-0.
