WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : Does U.S. Team Know What It’s Up Against? : Second round: Players say they aren’t awed by upcoming opponent Brazil.
If ignorance is bliss, then the U.S. team is the happiest team ever to face . . . who was it again? Oh, yes, Brazil.
Although the prospect of playing three-time World Cup champion Brazil in the second round Monday at Palo Alto might chill even the warmest heart, the U.S. team seems to be wrapping itself in a comforting cloak of unawareness. Either the players are not kidding when they say they don’t know much about the team, or it’s a defense mechanism they have developed to block out the frightening specters of Romario, Bebeto and Rai.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know any of the guys on their team,” U.S. defender Alexi Lalas said. “They’re not my idols. People tell me they are great. Nobody thinks we can beat Brazil, nobody in the whole world. I bet you people will throw down a lot of money that we don’t win.”
It might be indicative of the U.S. team’s soccer background that many of its players’ knowledge of Brazil, one of the sports’ greatest teams, is limited. Many of this country’s best soccer players grew up idolizing stars in other sports and don’t have the encyclopedic knowledge of soccer history that comes naturally to children growing up in more soccer-crazed countries.
Tab Ramos, who plays professionally in Spain, said the difference for the European-based players is that they see Brazilian players every day and know what they can do. “I know what they are capable of and what they mean to their teams,” he said.
U.S. Coach Bora Milutinovic, while careful to praise Brazil, is equally quick to add his own spin, saying that anything can happen. Milutinovic does not want his players to hold their Brazilian counterparts in such awe that they abandon confidence in their ability and question if they should be on the same field.
“The more low key we are about our opponents, the better it is,” forward Roy Wegerle said. “Once you start thinking, ‘They’ve got this great player or that great player,’ that automatically subconsciously downplays your own confidence.
“It’s good for us not to know too much about them and then do a little bit of homework and know what we’re up against. But to be in awe of them or fear them, if we do that, we’re only going to downplay our own strengths; that’s not what we want to do.
“I’ve seen them play most of their games. In my opinion, they are the best team in this tournament. If we are not going to win this thing, then I hope they do. They play the game the way it should be played. They are entertaining and they know how to win games. We know they are the best team. We need to respect them, as long as it doesn’t turn into fear.”
Few on the U.S. team are able to discuss at length the tactical style of Brazil or have much knowledge about of the country’s soccer history.
Said Ramos: “We definitely don’t want to have too much respect, but we have to know what we’re up against. Brazil right now is probably the team that has played the best in this World Cup. It’s good to have respect for the other team, but knowing that if we play our best and we defend well, and we have a little bit of luck, maybe Brazil will have a bad day and we can win. Why not?”
