U.S. soccer coach Bruce Arena confesses he might have to play a "hunch" in the next day or so in choosing between goalkeepers Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel for his starter in the World Cup opener against Portugal.

To Arena, they're that close in ability.

To Arena, they're like Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

"They're both outstanding," he said. "Whatever decision I make is a good one."

Keller, 32, and Friedel, 31, both of whom are making their third World Cup trip, have established themselves at the highest level in Europe. They don't just play occasionally. They're stars there.

"Goalkeeper is really the only position we can compare our players to some of the world-class players out there," ESPN soccer analyst Ty Keough said. "That's not to take anything away from a guy like Claudio Reyna, who's a very good player and has achieved quite a lot in Europe. But realistically, it would be a stretch to call him "world class' at his position. Goalkeeping is something that we will definitely rely on."

More so than the Diamondbacks do when Johnson or Schilling has the baseball.

The most often used quartet of defenders -- Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, David Regis and Tony Sanneh -- have been exposed by quicker forwards. That puts their keeper on the spot to be spectacular.

Case in point: Friedel made 13 saves in a 2-1 United States win against Uruguay in a recent World Cup tuneup. That's not counting a tying goal that officials disallowed, seemingly in error.

Case in point: Keller made a diving, left-handed stab to prevent a goal in the opening minutes of an exhibition against Jamaica a few days later. Forward Ricardo Fuller had gotten behind Pablo Mastroeni on the play.

Case in point: In the team's final exhibition before leaving for South Korea, Pope slipped and allowed an easy goal against Friedel by Netherlands midfielder Roy Makaay in the final moments of the first half. Midway through the second half, Regis, targeted all day by the Dutch, carelessly misplayed a ball that gave forward Andy van der Meyde an open net against Keller for the 2-0 win.

Given that the United States isn't an offensive juggernaut like France, Argentina or Brazil -- it mustered just one goal in three games in the 1998 World Cup -- it's a team with virtually no margin for error.

Allowing one cheap goal is bad enough. Allowing a second might be insurmountable.

"We're not going to outscore opponents on this level 4-3," Keller said. "We know we have to keep it tight in the back if we're going to give ourselves an opportunity. That's just what we have to deal with. I've played on a lot of teams like that. Most of us don't play for a Manchester United or a Bayer Leverkusens that just smash teams."

"We know the wins are going to come from defending well as a team," Agoos said.

Defense doesn't start with the back four. The midfielders and forwards must help disrupt and shut down an opponent's attack.

That job became harder after Chris Armas, a mainstay at defensive midfield the past few years, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 16th minute against Uruguay.

If the recent exhibitions are an accurate indication, Arena won't use a pure defensive midfielder but rather will ask Reyna, the playmaking midfielder, to take more defensive responsibilities. But no matter what Arena does, his keeper will assume more of the burden, too.

But then that goes with being an ace.

"They're both athletic, although Brad's highly athletic," Arena said. "His fitness now is absolutely incredible. He's got range. His feet are better than Kasey's. But Kasey's maybe a little better reaction-save keeper."

Keller started the first two games in the 1998 World Cup and has played solidly for Spain's Rayo Vallecano and, for the past two seasons, Tottenham Hotspur in England.

"I feel I've continually improved," he said. "I've been very fortunate in that I've had no big injuries and, for the most part, I've been playing regularly the last four years. That helps. More experience. That's what goalkeeping's about, having as much experience as you can have."

Likewise, Friedel insists he has blossomed since most American sports fans last saw him in a 1-0 loss to Yugoslavia in the 1998 World Cup.

"The great thing about it is every single day you learn something," he said. "Every game's different. It's never the same. Every training session is different. It's never the same. And when you play with and amongst the best players in the world, you're going to get better and better as long as you keep a good attitude about things and work hard."

Friedel added that the pressure to hurl a shutout on the world's largest stage can be an advantage.

"We're in a very fortunate position of always being the underdog," he said. "We don't perceive ourselves as underdogs, but that's the perception of the world. So, if you play one of the bigger teams, all the pressure's on them; none of it's on us. We're not going to go out and play with the likes of Brazil, but we can beat them. There's no doubt about it."

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