U.S. Team Hopes to Make a Name for Itself
They know Claudio Reyna and DaMarcus Beasley and that’s about it. The rest of the U.S. World Cup players are mostly no-names to some of their Italian counterparts.
“Hopefully,” U.S. captain Reyna said Friday, “they’ll remember them after the game.”
Trying to stave off elimination, the Americans take the field today against some of the sport’s splashiest stars.
After their quarterfinal finish four years ago, the Americans hoped to become contenders in the world’s game. But their opening 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic made them look as though they didn’t belong.
“We better have a bit of an attitude that we can play and that we’re ready to play over 90 minutes, or else we’re not going to be successful,” said U.S. Coach Bruce Arena.
The Americans had been staying at Ramstein Air Base, a short distance from Fritz-Walter-Stadion. With about 50,000 military personnel and civilians, the base provides some of the comforts of home.
“We have American channels in the rooms so guys can kind of feel at ease a little bit,” Reyna said. “A lot of people that we saw I think put our game into perspective right away ... seeing some of the troops that were just back from war.”
Italy has three World Cup titles.
After remarks by midfielder Andrea Pirlo and defender Fabio Grosso about their knowledge of the U.S. team, or lack thereof, Italy Coach Marcello Lippi made a point Friday of reeling off a good chunk of the American roster. As if to prove a point, he singled out Reyna, Beasley, Landon Donovan, Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson, Bobby Convey and Clint Dempsey.
“They’ve got many weapons,” he said, adding that for his players to underestimate the U.S. team “would be a real serious mistake.”
Arena promised lineup changes: Beasley could be benched, as could midfielder Pablo Mastroeni or defenders Eddie Lewis or Steve Cherundolo. John O’Brien could start in the midfield and Johnson at forward. They both provided spark when they entered at halftime against the Czechs.
Because of their poor goal difference, the Americans probably need a win to keep alive their hopes of advancing; four points might not be good enough to get out of the group.
Italy’s outside back, Gianluca Zambrotta, who sat out the opener with a thigh injury, is ready to play. Midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, recovering from a strained right thigh, probably won’t start.
