Friday, June 09, 2006

Group A: Preview

This is an interesting group featuring the host nation, Germany, which has reached seven World Cup championship games and won three titles (the last in 1990). It appears the Germans should have little trouble getting out of the group stage. They were relieved to draw Costa Rica rather than the United States for the tournament-opening match on June 9 in Munich.

GERMANY
Despite some recent struggles, the Germans are expected to be a formidable opponent on home soil. Coach Juergen Klinsmann, the former national team striker, has come under fire for living in California and commuting to his homeland in the past year, and for his demotion of goalkeeper and national hero Oliver Kahn. Arsenal's Jens Lehmann will be the Germans' No. 1 keeper. Miroslav Klose and Oliver Neuville are proven scorers for Germany.
FIFA world ranking: No. 19.
Player to watch:
Michael Ballack, midfielder. Last week the 29-year-old Ballack signed a three-year contract to play for English Premier League champion Chelsea, after a trophy-laden run with Bayern Munich. Ballack scored the goal that beat the U.S., 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.

COSTA RICA
Talk about a tough opening match. The Ticos drew the short straw when they ended up facing Germany in the tournament opener. But the CONCACAF third-place team has realistic ambitions of reaching the round of 16 for only the second time, in its fourth World Cup finals appearance. "We are going to search for points from the first game against Germany," star striker Paulo Wanchope said. The U.S. beat Costa Rica, 3-0, in a home qualifier played last summer in Salt Lake City, but lost, 3-0, when it played the Ticos on the road.
FIFA world ranking:
No. 26.
Player to watch:
Paulo Wanchope, forward. He is Costa Rica's all-time leading scorer with 43 goals in 67 games, including eight goals in this round of World Cup qualifying. He has returned to play in Costa Rica after spending time with club teams in Europe and the Middle East, including stops with West Ham United and Manchester City.

POLAND
When Polish coach Pawel Janas named his World Cup roster last week, screams of anguish came from fans and media. Janas left out veteran goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, who helped Liverpool win the Champions League crown last year, and forward Tomasz Frankowski, who scored seven goals in Poland's World Cup qualifiers. Dudek was stunned by the announcement and said, "It still feels like an April Fool's joke." Germany and Poland will meet in a key group match on June 14 in Dortmund.
FIFA world ranking:
No. 29.
Player to watch:
Maciej Zurawski, forward. He did not score a goal in the 2002 World Cup, but the 29-year-old should be a much greater threat in this tournament. He helped Scottish side Celtic to a league championship during the past season, scoring 19 goals and earning the nickname "Magic" from team supporters. Zurawski scored seven goals in World Cup qualifying for Poland, which went 8-2 in its group, losing twice to England.

ECUADOR
Colombian coach Luis Suarez has led Ecuador since July 2004, helping the South American team qualify for its second consecutive World Cup finals. Ecuador is nearly unbeatable at high altitude in its home stadium in Quito, but how will it fare in Europe, in a group that includes two European teams? In the last World Cup, Ecuador lost to Italy and Mexico and did not advance past the opening round. It did score its initial World Cup victory in its third game, with a 1-0 decision over Croatia. The team will be without playmaking 24-year-old midfielder Franklin Salas, who has not recovered from a right knee injury.
FIFA world ranking:
No. 39.
Player to watch:
Ulises de la Cruz, defender. He is one of nine players returning from Ecuador's 2002 World Cup team. The wing back has plenty of national team experience with 107 caps and plays for English Premier League club Aston Villa.

GROUP SCHEDULE
June 9: Germany vs. Costa Rica, 11 a.m. (Milwaukee time) at Munich; Poland vs. Ecuador, 2 p.m. at Gelsenkirchen;

June 14: Germany vs. Poland, 2 p.m. at Dortmund;

June 15: Ecuador vs. Costa Rica, 8 a.m. at Hamburg;

June 20: Germany vs. Ecuador, 9 a.m. at Berlin; Costa Rica vs. Poland, 4 p.m. at Hanover.

Posted by Samvit :: 3:10 AM :: 0 comments

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