Preview
United States v Czech Rep.
For the US and the Czech Republic, it will be a rematch of sorts when they meet in their World Cup opener today in Gelsenkirchen.
Sixteen years ago in Florence, Italy, the US played its first World Cup match since 1950 and was routed 5-1 by a Czechoslovakian team celebrating its nation's new freedom.
"You play this game in 1990, which we did, there was never a chance for the United States," US coach Bruce Arena said. "Today the world of soccer, or football, is shrinking. You have players from all these countries in this tournament that play for big clubs that are much more experienced, and they bring those experiences to their national team."
The Czechs, who lost to Greece in extra time in the semifinals of the 2004 European Championship, are ranked second by FIFA. The US is ranked fifth and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2004 World Cup, its best showing since 1930.
"They play fast soccer," Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky said. "We've seen what they're capable of."
The Czechs are banged up entering the game. Midfielder Vladimir Smicer (hamstring) was dropped from the roster, forward Milan Baros (strained foot tendon) missed his seventh straight day of training Saturday. Midfielder Pavel Nedved, the 2003 European player of the year, came out of practice on Thursday after hurting a knee.
"You can't believe everything you read in the papers," Arena said. "If you go by press reports, three or four of their top players [are] out. I would guess on Monday [today] that we're going to see them all on the field."
Jan Koller is perched at the top of the Czech offense, a 2.02m target towering above defenders and teammates. The striker has a Czech-record 42 goals in 68 caps, and containing Koller is one of the keys for the US heading into their World Cup match today.
For many months, it was unclear whether Koller would play in the tournament. He tore left knee ligaments while playing for Borussia Dortmund against Mainz 05 on Sept. 24, and many Czech fans were worried.
Koller had surgery on Oct. 7 and his projected rehabilitation time was eight months, but he returned May 2, then scored twice in his club's season finale against Bayern Munich on May 13.
Koller joined the Czech team for its World Cup preparations, and had injured his right thigh during training camp. But he started and played until the 71st minute on May 30 against Costa Rica, then scored twice and had an assist in a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago on June 3.
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