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Germans wary of familiar foes

''We already saw ... what they are capable of doing,'' coach Rudi Voeller says of U.S. team.

©Associated Press
June 19, 2002

SEOGWIPO, South Korea -- The Germans are well aware of the best the U.S. team has to offer, and they aren't about to underestimate one of the biggest surprises of the World Cup.

German coach Rudi Voeller used to wear the same uniform as American captain Claudio Reyna when the two played for Bayer Leverkusen in the mid 1990s. They meet again Friday when the U.S. team plays the three-time champion in the quarterfinals.

"He's a great player and a great guy, but all sympathies will have to cease Friday," Voeller said.

Voeller also coached Landon Donovan on that same German club team when the 20-year-old American striker was trying to make his mark in one of the world's top leagues.

Voeller said he believes his team has the edge and will reach the semifinals, though no one seems to be taking the U.S. team too lightly.

"We already saw in Rostock what they are capable of doing," Voeller said, referring to a March exhibition game between the teams in Germany, which the host won 4-2.

Four years ago, the Americans were tentative during a 2-0 first-round loss to the Germans in Paris, the first of three straight losses for the U.S. team at that World Cup.

"We can't give them as much respect as we did then," Reyna said Tuesday, a day after the Americans defeated Mexico 2-0 in the second round.

U.S. forward Joe-Max Moore, sidelined by a strained right hamstring, is 50-50 for the rest of the tournament.

DONOVAN HEADING BACK?: Donovan might leave Major League Soccer after this season and return to Bayer Leverkusen.

The forward signed with the German club when he was 16. After he didn't play for two seasons, MLS acquired him on a loan before the 2001 season and assigned him to the San Jose Earthquakes.

"I think that's what he's going to be doing," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said.

Voeller said he is certain Leverkusen will recall Donovan this year.

ARENA CONSIDERED SWAP: Brad Friedel has been one of the stars of the World Cup, saving two penalty kicks and getting a shutout. But Arena admitted for the first time Tuesday that he almost decided to alternate him with Kasey Keller.

Arena has used 19 of his 23 players, all but defenders David Regis and Steve Cherundolo (who is injured), and Keller and No. 3 keeper Tony Meola.

"I really think our team is best suited to play that way, because we have a lot of people who are comparable in many ways and have some interesting qualities that help our team against certain opponents," Arena said. "I was even considering a goalkeeping change at one point, because I really feel the one player who has been shortchanged a little here is Kasey Keller. He could easily be in the goal for us and do well."

After Arena elected to start Friedel, Keller has kept a low profile.

"Kasey, I think, has been a great professional," Arena said. "Certainly I can't say he has been elated and jumping for joy, but he is very happy for the team."

RATINGS: Though it started in the middle of the night for much of the country, the U.S. team's win over Mexico was the most-watched men's soccer game on cable television since the 1994 World Cup. Monday's game got a 2.29 cable rating on ESPN and was seen in 1.98-million households, Nielsen Media Research said. The game, which began at 2:30 a.m., was the most-watched program on cable last weekend among men 18-34 and the most-watched cable program ever 1-6 a.m. among men 18-34 and 18-49.

Where to watch

If you own a bar or restaurant that will open early Friday to show the 7:25 a.m. soccer game between the United States and Germany, let us know. Send us a fax, (727) 893-8782, or e-mail, sptsnews@sptimes.com, with the phone number, address and name of the establishment, and what time it will open. A list of places to watch the game will appear in Thursday's Times.

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