Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
US men’s team ready for World Cup to begin
SAO PAULO, Brazil — The U.S. soccer team arrived in Brazil late Monday morning, local time. Though it would arrive fresh off a monthlong training camp that left it winded and weary and three consecutive victories that left it comfortable and confident, midfielder Michael Bradley insists none of that will matter when the Americans line up to play Ghana in their World Cup opener nextweek.
“The reality is that these games mean nothing now,” Bradley said after Saturday’s win over Nigeria. “The reality is that nowit’s all about shifting focus and being ready on June 16 when we step on the field against Ghana.”
Well, the games meant a little — if only because of what was learned about the team.
Geoff Cameron is the steady, dependable center back the U.S. has been looking for.
Fabian Johnson, at right back, can be solid defensively and creative offensively, adding depth to the American attack, while Da Marcus Beasley is more than capable of playing on the other flank.
And although it took a while, the final game of the send-off series revealed that Boca Raton’s Jozy Altidore still knows how to score, with his two goals against Nigeria rewarding the confidence coach Jurgen Klinsmann has shown in him while ending a drought that had seen him go scoreless in 27 games for club and country.
For Klinsmann, Altidore’s breakout game plus the play of Cameron, John draw son and Beasley probably went a longway toward answering his final questions about who to play when the games start for real.
But the games also showed that the U.S. has to stay focused and stop making stupid mistakes late in the game, like the fouls the team committed that led to penalty-kick goals in the closing minutes of their last two wins.
“It’s important that we keep winning and have a winning mentality,” captain Clint Dempsey said. “We’ve got players scoring goals, getting confidence. What’s most important is that the whole team is playing well as a whole and that we go into Brazil on a good note.
“Our hard work is paying off. It’s still going to be a lot different when we go down to Brazil because that’s the big stage. That’s where it all matters.”
But howlong will it matter? The U.S., in the toughest of the eight four-team groups, needs to finish in the top two to avoid a quick trip home. To do that it needs at least a win and a against Ghana, Germany and Portugal — the latter two teams ranked among the top four in the world.
Surviving that crucible and reaching the second round would be a success, Klinsmann believes. And while Cameron wasn’t making any predictions about how far the U.S. will go, he says it’s likely to be farther than most people thought.
“We could turn some heads,” he said. “That’s our main goal.”