Zidane and Materazzi to meet on convict island

File this under the extremely bizarre department...

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is attempting to resolve the whole World Cup head-butting incident involving Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi by bringing the two world-famous soccer players together on Robben Island in South Africa.

For those not intimately acquainted with Robben Island it has been a penal colony for political prisoners and social outcasts for the past 400 years--and housed Nelson Mandela for many years.

No word on what kind of protective headgear Materazzi will be wearing.

Preview of the Final Match

Sam Beckwith is a freelance reporter who has written for English soccer magazines like "World Soccer" and "When Saturday Comes"—in addition to covering the Czech National Soccer Team for Prague TV. We spoke to him to get his predictions for the World Cup as well as get an insider look at the Czech team that will face off against the US World Cup team on June 12th.

Let's start off by getting your reaction to the team you cover most...the Czech Republic. What happened? Were they as good as they showed against the Americans or was the U.S. team that bad? And where does the Czech team go from here?

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure that out… Perhaps the Czech campaign shows how important an early goal can be for confidence.

Against the USA, they got one, and went on to play very well. (I also think the Americans badly underperformed.) Against Ghana, they conceded an early goal and seemed to panic. I've never seen so many normally reliable Czech players - Tomas Ujfalusi, Tomas Galasek, and even Pavel Nedved - play so badly.

I also think the loss of Jan Koller was a massive blow. Heading into the Ghana game, the Czech squad seemed very tense. Coach Karel Bruckner's pre-game press conference was extremely cagey - something the media here criticized him for - and they just didn't have the confidence you'd expect from a team that had won their opening game 3-0.

The Italy game wasn't quite as bad, at least in the opening 20 minutes, but it eventually followed a similar pattern.

Bruckner has just been given a new two-year contract, covering the Euro
2008 qualifying campaign, but it's going to be a struggle. The Czechs have a very difficult group - Germany, Ireland, Wales, Slovakia and Cyprus will all have hopes of qualifying - and they'll be without some of their key older players. Karel Poborsky has already said he'll retire from international football, Vladimir Smicer probably won't carry on playing for the national team, and Nedved is still making his mind up.

Aside from France and Italy were there any other teams that surprised you with their fine play during the Cup. Any disappointments? (You can mention the U.S. team. I know I want to.)

It's been a World Cup of relatively few surprises, but some teams surpassed my expectations, particularly Germany. They had some terrible results in warm-up games and though it's one of football's clichés that you should never write off the Germans, I didn't expect much from them.

I knew Ghana would be a strong team but the quality of their performance against the Czechs was totally unexpected.

And Argentina and Spain were two teams who I thought would disappoint but who played some sensational football in the early stages.
(Ultimately, though, they didn't get that far.)

I suppose that overall the USA campaign was a disappointment, but I thought their performance against Italy was heroic. I'd been talking the Americans up going into the opening game and felt a bit silly when the Czechs beat them so easily.

Personally, I found England hugely disappointing. Of the so-called "major footballing nations" they were probably the dullest team to watch, even though they grounded out results. With so many talented individuals in the squad, I expected a lot more. They didn't start playing well until they were down to 10 men against Portugal.

Italy seemed less than stellar in the early rounds of Group play. What happened to cause this sleeping soccer giant to finally awaken?

Apart from the USA game, I actually thought Italy played pretty well in the group stage. They deserved to beat Ghana, and though it pains me to say it, they played very well against the Czech Republic, which must have been a confidence-boosting win.

Of course, Italian preparations for the tournament were far from ideal. Their coach, Marcello Lippi, has been implicated in the Italian league's ongoing match-fixing scandal, and there were calls for him to resign only a couple of weeks before the World Cup began. Because of the scandal, however, the squad seems to have developed a bit of a siege mentality, and have begun to focus solely on their games.

Italy have also benefited from a relatively easy route through the playoffs. With all due respect, neither Australia nor Ukraine are among football's super-powers and the current German team, though it has a huge amount of spirit and support, isn't the most talented group of individuals.

Typically for an Italian team, their defense is very strong, but the current squad has some talented attackers too. Italy isn’t the most likable team - the endless play-acting drives me crazy - but you've got to respect them. They're now unbeaten in 24 games and have conceded only one goal so far in the finals - the own goal against the USA. Those are very impressive statistics.

Was the Brazil team too cocky going into the quarter final?

I'm not sure that cockiness was a factor - I just think that they came up against a France team finally playing to its full potential. Up until then, I don't think they'd been seriously tested. They looked good against Japan, and in sections of the Ghana game, but, for all their talent, they rarely looked more than the sum of their parts. And when they fell behind against France, they didn't seem to have the character to bounce back.

Turning to the final game...what can we expect in this match? What are the keys to a France victory? Keys to an Italian victory?

I think again that the first goal will be vitally important. If Italy goes up 1-0, and can sit back, defend, and hit France on the counter-attack, they'll be very difficult to beat. If that's the case, it'll probably be a frustrating and rather dull final.

If France scores first, though, it could be very exciting. Italy will be forced to push forward and leave gaps in defense that Thierry Henry, for one, will be happy to exploit.

Age might also be a factor. Many of France's top players - Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram - are in their thirties, and coming to the end of a long tournament, played in very hot conditions. Even after going to extra time against Germany, I'd expect Italy to be fresher in the latter stages of the game.

Who do you see coming out on top in the final match?

Unfortunately, I think the first scenario - the one where Italy scores first, defends, and bores our socks off - is the more likely. But it could be a classic.

And one last question--as an Englishman abroad do you think Wayne Rooney will have any fallout from his undisciplined behavior against Portugal?

Beyond a two- or three-game ban, and a little press criticism, probably not. The English fans and a lot of the media have been quick to lay blame for England's exit elsewhere. England's Swedish coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson, has come in for a lot of flack over squad selection and tactical decisions.

Bizarrely, the Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo has also become a figure of hate for many fans. Despite playing with Rooney at Manchester United, Ronaldo seemed to urge the referee to send Rooney off following the stamping incident, which hasn't gone down well at home. Within 48 hours of England going out of the tournament, someone had even set up an anti-Ronaldo website!

Le Tour Is Great, But Soccer Rules In Strasbourg

(This is direct from our Tour De France blogger James Raia who is currently in France covering the race--and noticing many French men and women are mostly concerened with World Cup soccer.)

Like bicycle racing, cricket and sailing, soccer is a sport of acquired taste. I don't particularly understand its popularity. A 1-0 match? A game decided in penalty kicks? Referees taking over a game? Players
feigning injuriess? I don't think I'll ever be a fan.

I don't understand cricket or sailing, either. But I appreciate those who have a passion for it, and now I have some idea of the passion of soccer fans — at least those in Strasbourg.

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For the rest of this article check out the Active Tour de France special section.

What happened to U.S. Soccer in Germany?

Jamie Trecker is one of the most controversial and interesting voices in U.S. Soccer. As a columnist for Fox Soccer Channel, he has written extensively on the crucial issues affecting soccer in the U.S. We spoke to Jamie one last time to get his take on the USA's performance at the World Cup and what changes U.S. Soccer can make to improve their chances four years from now. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of eteamz and Active.com.

Coach Bruce Arena has taken a lot of flack for his indirect criticism of MLS and how it doesn’t prepare players for international play. Is he wrong? Is sending more of our players over to Europe really the answer?

No, and yes. Arena’s problem is that he can’t evaluate talent. Arena sees players in an MLS context where they look much, much better than they actually are. To his credit, he has worked hard to create opportunities to see the likes of Donovan, Mastroeni, Pope, et. al. in tougher settings, but we all know that friendly games are no longer places to breed talent and that if a player consistently plays in a weak league he will have great difficulty lifting his game against better players.

Look at Ukraine (the quarterfinalist with by far the fewest `name’ players) and how they struggled against Spain and Italy. Dynamo Kyiv and Shakthar Donetsk as players are apparently as far away from the big arena as those at Los Angeles, Chicago and Kansas City. That is not the players’ nor the managers’ fault and it may not be the media’s fault for over-hyping the U.S. side either.

The problem is that those who DO watch World soccer (and I don’t mean just league soccer — I mean the world game all around) knew the U.S. was not a high- quality team and that it lacked any players who could dominate. But because most people lack that knowledge (and it is not their fault) there are people actually believing that Clint Dempsey (off two average WC games) will be a future star. This creates a feedback loop where pressure is put on a manager which, in turn, reinforces bad information. The truth is that Dempsey won’t be a star if he stays at New England and only has to prove himself maybe four times a year instead of forty.

Now, as for Europe: The more experience American players can get playing with and against better players can only help. But that isn’t going to help the American team as a whole. What will help the USA is improving a badly broken development system that relies on well-meaning but clueless volunteers, setting up a true development track in conjunction with MLS, and working to improve MLS to a realistic level instead of clinging to the ridiculous belief that MLS could be made into a top world league.

Do you think Bruce Arena will be back in four years? If not…who do you see on a possible shortlist?

Gosh, I hope not.

The problem is a new coach will not make the players better. And, anyone who takes the USA national team job from abroad will be counting on two things: 1) A big paycheck and 2) That no one really cares about soccer over here so he can work in obscurity. That’s a trap.

The only thing that will improve the team, again, is better talent. The USA needs to: 1) Get players out of the urban environments and start integrating badly segregated suburban leagues; 2) Improve the financial opportunities for players so that top athletes have an incentive to stay in the sport instead of following the richer paths laid out by the NBA, NFL and MLB; 3) Put in place a comprehensive program of pro-track development (I’ve suggested the model used by USA Hockey in the past and I’ll say it again until I’m blue in the face for the simple fact that the program is proven to work) and 4) End the reliance of U.S. Soccer as an entity on the youth and amateur factions of the sport which have done nothing to actually improve the pro-level game.

That last one is a critical issue: USSF needs to become a more professional organization in just about every aspect, from player development to how it runs business to how it interacts with the media. The problem is that it is addicted to the monies brought in by youth leagues and amateurs and has a charter that makes it an amateur organization. It either needs to re-form, spin off a pro- and national teams-arm; or get out of the way.

I think Sunil Gulati (U.S. Soccer Federation President), by the way, is the man to bring the hatchet, and I hope he does.

Has Landon Donovan played in his final World Cup?

No. The kid’s what, 24? Now, Donovan may never play again if he doesn’t improve as a player and get out of his safety bubble, but that is a personal choice that no coach can force upon a player. Truth be told, he’d be a better player for gutting it out in Germany, but he showed he couldn’t hack it and folded at the first sign of pressure. This isn’t to pick on Donovan — he’s far from the only American (or, indeed, only player) to not be able to exist outside of his home turf. But it is a shame considering his talent level; it apparently is not matched by much in the way of what we used to call “intestinal fortitude.”

What happened with Damarcus Beasley?

Good question. He came into camp in a funk, and stunk out the Cup save for a few flashes against Italy. He clearly has had issues with his pro managers — he alienated both Sarachan (Chicago) and Hiddink (PSV) — by basically quitting on them after getting ticked off, and some of his performance issues have to be psychologically-based as a result.

Who impressed you on the US team with their play during the World Cup?

No one. If anything, I thought guys who might have had a shot to transfer abroad cost themselves some slots.

What do you think of the overall work of the referees during the World Cup?

Mixed. I think the refs followed the letter of the law in the first round and took a lot of heat for it, which is hardly their fault. You can’t — as FIFA does — pass a set of rules, tell refs to follow them and then get mad at them when they actually follow through. Let’s also keep in mind that this tournament had perhaps the weakest field ever and we saw some dreadful teams and games. Thus, you see a lot of fouls.

Now, if you’re asking about questionable calls (such as the dive by Grosso against the Aussies or the dive by Primpong against the USA); those happen. To me, this points to a need for MORE refs — I’d like to see a tandem system in place. Right now, the game is too fast for one guy to cover all that space alone. I’d also point out that if the USA and the Aussies could actually score a goal now and again, those errors wouldn’t have changed the game. And I was very disappointed to see Arena — who needs to get it through his thick skull that humiliating a ref in public brings payback — blame the ref in the USA-Ghana game for changing the result. He didn’t: the USA plain didn’t perform to the level it needed to, in a tough group, to succeed. They wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place if they hadn’t allowed the Czechs to run all over them in the first game, you know.

Who's your pick to win it all?

Before the tourney I said Holland or Italy; I'm secretly rooting for France, however.

Where does the U.S. Soccer team go from here?

Home. In the future it’s pretty clear that USSF is going to have to spend some cash to play better opponents (Latvia? Venezuela?) and on development. Until that happens, you’ll see the same thing happen over and over again.

Remember: The USA still have not won a major game on European soil. Their best result EVER is that 1-1 tie against Italy. It’s a step, but this team is a long way away from greatness.

In our earlier conversation we talked about unrealistic expectations for the U.S. Soccer team which reached the quarter finals in Korea. But did you ever think they’d play this badly?

Short answer: Yes.

I’ve written about 6,000 words on this subject, so I direct your readers here to my multi-part series on the subject.

World Cup Video - 10 Best Goals

A look back at World Cup 2002 best goals.

What's your vote for best goals in World Cup 2006?

Where does U.S. Soccer go from here?

Carl Hammond is the Active World Cup statistical guru and has watched every moment of the World Cup. We sat down with him to get his thoughts on the performance of the U.S. Soccer team and what the future may hold.

Okay. First question. What the heck happened with the US Team?

They scored a goal. I was worried before the tournament started that that might not even happen.

Here’s the thing. I just was really glad the US didn’t beat Germany in 2002 because it would have raised everyone’s expectations even higher than they were. But people who watch soccer on a consistent basis know that when it comes to putting quality players at every position we just aren’t there yet.

So what does the future hold for U.S. Soccer?

It will probably take another three or four years before the U.S. can produce another team that can compete effectively. The cupboard is bare. When you look at the bench there aren’t a lot of young players chopping at the bit. The good news is that there are a lot of really good players in the under- 20 ranks that have played extremely well in world tourneys.

The other thing that was tough was that they were very unlucky in that draw. Had they been in four of the other groups they would have qualified? It saddens me when people complain about the refs. It shows a lack of mental toughness. The good news is that level of mental toughness is in American athletes. We just need it to reach our soccer players.

Is it possible that our players need to play in Europe more—rather than MLS-- to prepare for the World Cup?

We have enough players playing in Europe. Without MLS we wouldn’t have had success in Japan and Korea. MLS is absolutely critical to the success of the national team. MLS has now found the financial stability to provide the incubator for younger players to develop their game. Unfortunately it’s not going to happen overnight and we’ve been saying for the last 20 years.

Do you think Coach Bruce Arena will be coaching the team in four years?

He’s got the easiest job in the world. The amount of press scrutiny is minimal. He refuses to talk to the press--they put up with it. He’s a hard person to read. I just get the feeling that he’s looking to do something else. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left and came back.

Would U.S. Soccer ever think of removing him?

U.S. Soccer is a political organization so it’s very hard to predict what they’re going to do. If I had to make a prediction I would say the next coach of the US team would be German coach and soccer star Jurgen Klinsmann. That’s not a new idea. He loves America—and he can make a lot of money doing it.

Was playing Damarcus Beasley out of position a mistake?

I think playing Beasley on the right side against the Czech Republic was a tactical error for two reasons. 1) Beasley is a left- footed player. His creating foot is his left foot. I blame the coaching staff for moving him over there. 2) He had not shown in games leading up that he was mentally and physically prepared to play in the World Cup. It was not going to solve the problem by putting him there on right side. It should be noted that he has made amazing plays on the right side. But in those games he started on the left side and drifted over.

Is Ghana really that good?

Well….I fell in love with African soccer in 1990 when Cameroon beat Argentina in the opening game 1-0. They had two players red carded off the field and they were attacking with four or five players. Argentina had no idea what to do. The beauty of African soccer in the past--and the tragedy of it as well—was that they were athletic and very unpredictable but not always tactically sound.

Twenty years later you find the African soccer teams are becoming more tactically sophisticated. Look at the Ghana/U.S. match. When we got that first goal Ghana pulled back into a very defensive mindset. That’s a very sophisticated way of playing and they pulled it off. I think Ghana is a really good team. I wish they didn’t have to play Brazil next.

DeRossi says 'Sorry'

Putting a possible career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on hold, Italian midfielder Daniele De Rossi apologized to Brian McBride for making his face look like a punching bag and sent a letter to FIFA expressing his regret over the incident. ESPN has the goods.

Of course this apology would have nothing to do with the fact that DeRossi is facing a multi-game suspension. Nope. Absolutely not. Nothing whatsoever to do with that.

U-17 U.S. Soccer Head Coach John Hackworth on the USA's 1-1 Draw vs. Italy

U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team head coach John Hackworth is currently in Carson, Calif., with the U-17s for a training camp at The Home Depot Center. Although stuck in a hotel room to watch the matches, Hack provided ussoccer.com and active.com with his comments on the USA’s draw with Italy.

The coaching staff and I have been watching all the WC matches from my hotel room (room #136) and Saturday’s game was no exception. We were already pretty juiced for the U.S. match, but then (at around our fifth cup of coffee), Ghana scores early in their match vs. the Czechs.

As the Ghana-Czech match went on, it just seemed like the 'beautiful game' was giving Bruce and the boys an opportunity to shine. After the Ghana-Czech match, we knew we had a chance and the excitement for the next hour was electric. Still, Mais made another coffee run, but even Mulqueen didn't need any more caffeine.

During the walk out and national anthems, it was simply amazing to watch and hear the crowd in the stadium. I have been blessed to hear our national anthem many times in stadiums before soccer matches, but to hear the Americans singing the Star Spangled Banner as passionately as any soccer supporters in the world, live on ABC, was something I will never forget.

The match itself was even better than the build-up. The team looked good from the opening whistle. We all commented on the renewed "energy" the players were playing with. We were pressuring the Azzuri and making them look like the underdogs. At about the twenty minute mark, the possession was 59% to 41% in our favor and I immediately thought of the famous line from Good Will Hunting, "how 'bout them apples".

Then the emotional roller-coaster began. First, we give up a goal on a poorly executed defensive free kick. Next, we score (and I guarantee the other rooms in the Torrance Hilton heard the eruption from within our four walls). Then, the game sees ‘red’, and we have a man advantage. That should have been a spark for the team, but it actually seemed to take away our momentum.

Then Pablo gets sent off (and I know that I am not supposed to comment on the officiating, but that was a total ‘make-up’ call. We have seen those types of tackles consistently throughout the first round. A yellow card, yes, but not a straight red).

At halftime we all wondered what Bruce was saying to the team. We talked about the fact that he probably would tell Pope to be ‘careful’. I don’t know what Bruce said, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered either way. The referee was having a bad day and unfortunately for us, it meant that we were the team that was going to have to play 9v10 for more than 45 minutes.

Now, from here until the final whistle, I am not sure that I have ever been prouder of our team. The effort they gave throughout the second half was super human. When it looked like Beasley put us in front, room #136 again went into complete bedlam. However, it was short lived. A passive off-sides call ruined our celebration (by the way, the referees assistant got it “right” under pretty tough circumstances). In any case, we did what we needed to do and fought valiantly until the final whistle. Thus, earning a well deserved result and an opportunity to advance with one match to play.

No matter what happens the remainder of the tournament, Bruce and the team can look back on this game as a truly amazing achievement. Congratulations!

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ussoccer.com is the official website of U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in the United States

A Preview of Future US Opponent--Ghana

Nick Mockford is a self- confessed football (soccer) nut and writer for SportsAustralia.com. We spoke to him to get his analysis of the Ghanian national soccer team—an eventual U.S. Soccer opponent.

This is the first year Ghana will participate in the World Cup. How excited are they for this year's tournament?

Football is a very special pastime in the poorer African countries like Ghana, and it is something that unites the country. One only has to look at the scenes in Togo when it qualified to see just how much it means to the population of these countries. It is a chance to put Ghana on the sporting map, and that is very important.

What style of soccer can we expect from Ghana during the Cup?

Fast, counter-attacking football will be the main course served. Ghana needs to play to its strengths, which is athleticism and pace. They don’t have the quality and depth to match the best footballing nations, so they will obviously look to catch opposing teams off guard with their running ability.

With players like Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari is it safe to say the midfielders are the strength of the team?

Absolutely. As is the case with most African nations, their fitness levels and running ability is always the foundation for the way they play. We saw the same thing with Senegal four years ago, and even against Italy, it was clear that the Ghanian game plan was based around using pace to counter attack quickly. Alongside Muntari and Appiah, Chelsea star Michael Essien is another powerful runner in the midfield.

What are the weaknesses of the Ghanaian national team?

Up front they may be found lacking, as there is not much pedigree there. Matthew Amoah has scored goals in the Dutch league, but lacks experience at the top level, while Gyan Asamoah – on Udinese’s books like Muntari – has eight goals in 14 appearances, but again, lacks experience. Ghana will be relying on its midfield to provide a lot of attacking force, which will mean a lot of long- range shooting.

In goal, both Sammy Adjei and Richard Kingston both need to step up against the Czech attack.

What are some names on the Ghanaian national team that US soccer fans should keep their eye on?

Obviously Essien, Appiah and Muntari are the big three. Essien came to Chelsea from Lyon, both giants on the European club scene, while Appiah’s resume is nothing to be sniffed at either, having played at Parma and Juventus before heading to his current location at Fenerbahce in Turkey.

Muntari may have joined Manchester United a few years ago if not for work permit problems, and is currently at Udinese and considered by many a better player than Essien at the same age (21).

However, there are other players worth keeping an eye on at both ends of the experience spectrum. Samuel Kuffour is the rock on defense and will be right at home having played many years in Germany at Bayern Munich, while John Mensah of Rennes in France will be there to give support. Emmanuel Pappoe is a whippet on the left hand side of the defense, and needs no invitation to get forward just like many of his teammates.

What can the Ghanaian national team do to rebound from their effort in the African Nations cup in January?

Their poor performance will have hurt the players, but there is only one real way for them to erase the memory, and it’s the most obvious and clichéd way. They need to simply forget about it and go out and play the kind of carefree football that got them to Germany in the first place. African football at its best has an envious carefree spirit, and they need to recapture this.

Is Group E the toughest group of the World Cup?

It’s hard to say. If pressed I would be inclined to opt for Group C, as Holland and Argentina are both football powerhouses, Serbia and Montenegro had an outstanding qualifying campaign (conceding only a single goal) and the Ivory Coast are another unpredictable African nation.

But if that is the so-called ‘Group of Death’, Group E is certainly runner-up. We all know about Italy, while the Czech Republic is full of outstanding individual players and are many people’s pick to win the whole thing. The United States, while not as good as its world ranking would suggest, still have big match pedigree as Korea/Japan 2002 proved.

What are your World Cup predictions for the Ghanaian national team?

In another group, I feel they could get to the knockout stages, but after losing their first game to the Italians and with a game against the Czechs to come, it’s hard to see how they are going to progress. That said, you know they’re going to have fun, and their colorful fans will light up the stadiums.

Preview of the Italy National Team

Piet Van Leer is a columnist for Sports Central—and an Italian soccer aficionado. We sat down with him to get his thoughts on U.S. Soccer’s next opponent—the dangerous Italian national team.

The Italian team is currently ranked 13th in the world. Is this a cruel practical joke or does FIFA actually believe this team is that bad?
It’s not that FIFA believes Italy is that bad, it’s their rankings that are completely flawed – the BCS looks like NASA compared to these guys. You know when pundits give gambling advice and attach the “for entertainment purposes” disclaimer on the end--that should be a permanent moniker when it comes to the FIFA rankings.

I believe once this tournament is completed, the way FIFA calculates their rankings is supposed to be completely overhauled, but even then, it still probably won’t be worth paying attention to.

Historically the Italian style of soccer is, how can I say this, boring. Has the appointment of Marcello Lippi as coach changed the style of the team?
Boring, yes, that is a delicate way of putting it. The Italians are famed for the catanaccio, which is basically a nice way of saying ‘score an early goal and defend with eleven in the box.’ The problem with their famed strategy was that it was coming back to haunt them.

I believe their new coach Marcello Lippi is determined not to repeat the mistakes of previous coaches Dino Zoff and Giovanni Trapattoni. This is ironic because it goes against Lippi’s track record with his days at Juventus, where he was known to be a defensive coach.

Lippi came out yesterday against Ghana with a relatively attack- minded squad. The game was wide- open with chances at both ends, the difference being that Italy took theirs better than Ghana. But even up a goal, Italy didn’t look to kill them game off as has been their trademark in the past.

With players like Totti and Pirlo is it safe to say the midfielders are the strength of the team?
Italy is well- balanced throughout their entire team. The strikers aren’t as high- profile globally as they have been in the past, but they are just as dangerous. Luca Toni scored a staggering 31 goals in Serie A this season, but has never played in the Champions League, so he is under the radar as compared to former Italian strikers like Christian Vieri or current substitute Alessandro Del Piero. His partner up front Alberto Gilardino had a down year, but was unstoppable at Parma only a year ago, which is why AC Milan paid almost $30 million for him. Those two make up one of the most formidable forces at the World Cup this year.

Certainly, the midfielders are all dangerous. Andrea Pirlo showed yesterday why he is the center half for Italy with not only his thunderous strike but his defensive tenacity as well. His teammates in the midfield, whether Daniele De Rossi, Simone Perotta, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi or Simone Barone all can play vital roles. The true star of the team, Francesco Totti, is one of the top three players in the world when healthy in my opinion. The creative midfielder though is still on the mend from a broken ankle, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to enjoy his true genius in this World Cup.

As always, the defense is strong through the middle, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and his two thundering central defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta. The injury to Gianluca Zambrotta was a bad one, because the one question mark I have with this team is their wing defenders. Fabio Grosso and Cristian Zaccardo are both capable, but not elite. But that’s why they have a strong defensive midfield, to keep as much pressure off those guys as possible.

What are the weaknesses of the team?
I think the defense is more vulnerable than it has been in recent years, but I wouldn’t necessarily believe it is a big weakness. The one thing I didn’t like yesterday was Italy’s inability to control the ball. The game was wide- open, and that is not Italy’s strength. They are tactically precise, letting Totti spring people with through balls, and I didn’t see that at all in their game against Ghana.

What are some names on the Italian national team that US soccer fans should keep their eye on?
Luca Toni. He is big and agile, and is equally gifted both on the ground and in the air.

What can the US do to stop this traditional soccer juggernaut when they play next week?I think the US will run into similar problems that they had against the Czechs. The problem is when you go up and down the United States lineup and compare it to Italian team; there is not one player on the United States that you would take over a similarly- positioned Italian. Soccer isn’t always about who has the best players as Greece demonstrated in the 2004 Euros, but there is a reason the Yankees have 26 Championships and the Royals have one. Talent usually in the end will win out, and the US is dangerously undermanned against the likes of the Czechs and the Italians.

Speaking of problems playing the Czechs…what did you think of the U.S. performance yesterday? You go down 2-0 and are forced to play three at the back, there are going to be holes in the middle that usually aren’t there when four defenders are playing, and the Czechs took advantage and Rosicky converted the breakaway.

It is imperative that the United States play people in positions that they are comfortable in, namely Damarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan. Beasley clearly does not work on the right, and Donovan was noticeably absent. If there isn’t enough room for both Convey and Beasley in the starting lineup, then one will have to sit.

Also, I think it is time to panic and throw caution to the wind. John O’Brien might not be in condition to go 90 minutes, but he is the most skilled player the US has, and has to be in the starting lineup. And the US’s most dangerous player in the last game was Eddie Johnson, his inclusion in the starting lineup is also a must.

But what can the U.S. National team do to stop the Italian attack? Defensively, the US cannot allow Toni any breathing room. He is dangerous with the slightest bit of room. Onyewu will have to play the game of his life to contain the threat Toni poses. Offensively, they must figure out a way to spring Eddie Johnson behind the Italian defense.

The US has fast players, but nothing moves faster than the ball. Their passing must become faster and crisper and their running off the ball has to get more creative. Passing the ball from the left, to the middle, back to the keeper etc. will not work against the Italians.

Can the Italian national team rebound from the match-fixing scandal in their home country?
Absolutely. They are loving the World Cup, having their attention distracted from the mess back home. The idea is let’s just think about the World Cup, and we’ll deal with everything in late July.

What are your World Cup predictions for the Italian national team?
I believe they go to the semifinals, possibly the final, but this is Brazil’s World Cup to lose.

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Piet Van Leer has been a columnist for Sports-Central.org since 2001