Soccer's World Cup is coming soon

By Adam Bagni
Collegian Staff
April 26, 2006

As the summer approaches, sports fans will be rewarded with the only real event that has traditionally signified world dominance. Whether you’re a fan of soccer or not, it’s the world’s most important and exciting sporting event. It’s time to start getting excited about the World Cup.

This year’s event, kicking off June 12 for the United States against the Czech Republic, is set to be one of the most competitive tournaments in recent memory. Showcasing the increased interest in soccer in the United States, all 64 matches will also be televised in English for the first time in America on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.

With that being said, the pressure is on the United States to perform well in Germany for a number of reasons. First of all, expectations are high for the Americans after their riveting performance in South Korea in 2002. While experts claimed they would struggle to advance out of pool play, the United States stunned the world by upsetting football powerhouse Portugal and tying the host South Koreans.

The United States followed that up with a remarkable win over Mexico, while shattering American television ratings records for the timeslots the games appeared in. The United States finished their World Cup competition with a narrow 1-0 loss to Germany, which garnered them massive amounts of respect throughout the world football community.

In addition, the United States is currently ranked fifth in FIFA’s World Rankings, the highest the country has ever been. Expect the pressure of “popularizing soccer in America” to play a factor, as it usually does.

However, don’t expect it to be easy for the Americans. Not only do they start pool play in Group E (the so-called “Group of Death” with the United States, Czechs, Italy and Ghana), but they also look like they are headed on a crash course towards defending champion Brazil in the first elimination round. Add the fact that the United States just recently played very poorly in an international friendly in Germany (a 4-1 loss on March 22), and this tournament could get ugly for Uncle Sam very quickly.

The success of the U.S. team is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of two individuals-Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and goalkeeper Kasey Keller of Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany). Look for Donovan to continue to cement himself as the face of American soccer, creating numerous scoring chances through his excellent use of space and passing abilities. If he’s given room at the top of the box, his striking abilities could mean lights out for the opposition as well. At the opposite end, Keller is going to have to come up big often, on a defense that has numerous question marks. The key for him is not to be over aggressive.

The 23-man U.S. roster is set to be announced by manager Bruce Arena this Tuesday, May 2 (ESPN, 6 p.m.). Here are my predictions, with starters in italics:

Formation: 3-5-2

Goalkeepers (3):
Marcus Hahneman (Reading FC – England), Tim Howard (Manchester United – England), Keller

Defenders/Fullbacks (9):
Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC – England), Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus –Germany), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover 96 – Germany), Cory Gibbs (ADO den Haag – Holland), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United – England), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege –Belguim), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake), Jonathan Spector (Charlton Athletic – England)

Midfielders/Halfbacks (8):
DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven – Holland), Bobby Convey (Reading FC – England), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), John O’Brien (ADO Den Haag – Holland), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City – England)

Forwards/Strikers (4):
Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Brian McBride (Fulham FC – England), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)

bagnia1@lasalle.edu