A Friendly Flurry to Pass Time

Seven months since the last World Cup and 40 months until the next, what’s a soccerholic to do?

Fortunately, there are weeks such as this to relieve the tedium. No fewer than 41 international matches will be played in the next seven days, with 68 teams, among them seven of the Korea/Japan quarterfinalists, getting a bit of a run-around.

They might be only friendly games, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting. For instance:

China’s Haan Dynasty

World champion Brazil has raised a furor by demanding that its European-based stars drop everything and travel halfway around the world to beat up on China in the “goat city” of Guangzhou.

European clubs are not happy with this development and will be even less thrilled should Ronaldo or Rivaldo or Ronaldinho return injured.

The game marks Dutchman Arie Haan’s debut as China’s coach. Haan replaced Bora Milutinovic, who is biding his time in Mexico City and waiting for his next chance.

Milutinovic, incidentally, flew to Los Angeles on Tuesday to watch Mexico and Argentina at the Coliseum and hobnob with Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid.

Haan, meanwhile, has his players running three-a-day workouts -- surely an unpopular regimen -- and Reuters reported last week that he had “stolen away to an Italian restaurant in Kuming to avoid Chinese fare.”

Bottom line: The Brazilians in a romp, and the Chinese left wondering why their women can do so well what their men can’t seem to do at all.

Living to Roo the Day

The tabloid carving knives came out for Sven Goran Eriksson when England’s Swedish coach contrived to do no better than tie unheralded Macedonia in a Euro 2004 qualifying game in October.

Should the overrated English team slip again, this time against Australia, Eriksson will probably be put on the first ferry to Stockholm.

The Socceroos have a few Leeds United players and not much else. They are mobile, because that’s what Aussies are, and motivated, because it’s the old colonial thing again, but it’s tough to see them prevailing.

Eriksson has a habit of making headlines and he was at it again Friday, this time denying British media reports that he is a candidate to take charge of Barcelona this summer.

“Those reports are incorrect,” Eriksson said on the English Football Assn. Web site. “I have never talked to Barcelona.”

Bottom line: England steals the game or Eriksson puts through a call to Spain.

American Reggae

Jamaica has called up nine of its England-based players for its home game in Kingston. The United States has called up none of its European-based players.

That means U.S. Coach Bruce Arena has a built-in excuse if things go awry, which is unlikely. It also means Jamaica’s Coach Carl Brown has no ready excuse.

The Americans are 1-0-4 in Kingston, with three of those four ties ending scoreless. Bottom line: Great atmosphere, bad field, indifferent soccer. At least the music is good.

Rising From the Ashes

The funeral pyre of its 1-0 Tuesday night loss to Argentina B still smoldering in Los Angeles, Mexico heads to Phoenix, where Ricardo Lavolpe will try once again to beat a South American opponent and earn his first victory as coach of the Tricolor.

To aid that cause, he has called in defender Rafael Marquez from AS Monaco in France to bolster his brittle back line, along with midfielder Ramon Morales and striker Jared Borgetti.

Colombia is the opponent this time, and should not be much of a challenge for the Mexicans, especially considering that Colombia’s Coach Francisco “Pacho” Maturana was having trouble getting soccer-ignorant U.S. Embassy officials in Bogota to understand why his players should be given U.S. entry visas.

Chances are, Colombia will not field its best team, which is just as well because Mexico’s starting 11 isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders either.

Bottom line: Big crowd, ugly match.

The Real Argentina

Argentina A will be in Amsterdam for a match against the Netherlands that invariably will have everyone recalling the 1978 World Cup final. Argentina won, 3-2, in overtime, in Buenos Aires but probably only because the Dutch were without Johan Cruyff, who put his own interests before those of his country and skipped the tournament.

Bottom line: Potentially the best game of the week, with the Dutch taking it by the odd goal in three.

War Zone I

Israel is banned by UEFA from staging international games at home. The reasons are in the news headlines almost every day. The last such game there resulted in bloodshed.

Armenia is ignoring the UEFA ban and is sending its team to play the Israelis in Tel Aviv, and probably will face sanctions because of it, as will Israel.

Bottom line: The result is meaningless, whatever the outcome. That the game is played without tragic incident is all that matters.

War Zone II

Turkey will be on the front line of any Iraqi unpleasantness, but for the moment the Turks are enjoying their third-place finish in the 2002 World Cup and their new status as a soccer power, of sorts. Ukraine is coming to see if Turkey is the real thing.

Bottom line: The Ukrainians will find out in a hurry.

Czech, S’il Vous Plait

France, well on the comeback trail after its collapse in Korea, intends to defend the European title it won in 2000 when Portugal 2004 rolls around. The Czech Republic, runner-up to Germany in Euro ‘96, should provide a decent test.

That might be one reason why Coach Jacques Santini has recalled three veterans -- forward David Trezeguet, midfielder Robert Pires and defender Bixente Lizarazu for the match.

Bottom line: The French have the edge, but Paris is a nice place to visit.

Any Portuguese in a Storm

Portugal has found out very quickly that its new coach, 2002 World Cup winner Luis Felipe Scolari of Brazil, means business.

In selecting his debut team for the game against Italy in the port city of Genoa, Scolari axed goalkeeper Vitor Baia, 33, and forwards Joao Pinto, 31, and Nuno Gomes, 26.

Scolari says Portugal can win the European Championship when it serves as tournament host next year. Italy’s Coach Giovanni Trapattoni needs a morale-boosting victory but is without playmaker Francesco Totti and striker Alessandro Del Piero, both injured.

Bottom line: Scolari might soon be checking to see how many Brazilians are eligible to play for Portugal.

Spanish Vacation

Trust the Germans to find a bit of sun in the middle of winter by arranging a game against Spain on the holiday island of Mallorca.

Coach Rudi Voeller will have been further warmed by the return of winger Sebastian Deisler from a knee injury. Deisler could be a key player for Voeller come 2006. For the moment, though, the coach has called up two new faces: TSV 1860 Munich striker Benjamin Lauth and VfL Wolfsburg defender Tobias Rau.

Fourteen players from Voeller’s World Cup runner-up squad are included, with another four others sidelined by injury.

Spain, unbeaten since Inaki Saez took over as coach last year, has five players from European champion Real Madrid.

Bottom line: If the Germans really are only there for the sun, the Spanish will win.