Random Rants: World Cup Blog

American fans suffer with team after Czech loss.

"Che" Arena shirts were the height of American fashion in Gelsenkirchen, as modeled by U.S. fans from New York and London. Ringleader Andy Kulina (right) had the shirts made for his fan group. -- Photos by Chris Courtney --

By Chris Courtney
SoccerTimes

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (June 12, 2006) -- So, the United States team played its first 2006 World Cup match against a top-class opponent and came up short, way short.

After its great run at the 2002 World Cup, some thought the Americans could squeak out good performances against the Czech Republic and Italy, beat Ghana (still not a given) and perhaps advance. Like all dreams, this one came crashing down hard tonight in Gelsenkirchen. After watching their team get outclassed by a silky smooth Czech Republic side, American fans are forced to face the truth: their dreams still don't match reality.

But hope is what brought an estimated 17,000 American fans across the pond to see if their team could assert itself in the beautiful game they (unlike many of their compatriots) love. As the weekend ended, they started to arrive from all over the USA -- California, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and everywhere in between.

A weekend walk around the pubs and cafes of Gelsenkirchen and nearby Essen (with the Boston Herald's Mike Biglin) revealed a growing number of U.S. fans arriving in groups of three to five people. "We've been here for a few days and were starting to get worried until today" said U.S. fans Sarah and John, from San Francisco.

While Sarah and her brother John did not have tickets, they planned to show their support at the nearby Fan Fest. There, they joined 30,000 other ticket-less fans to watch and celebrate in a park near the stadium. Indeed, the California contingent at the game and Fan Fest was well represented with numerous fans from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, Big Bear, Reading, and Fresno, to name a few.

Mike Cannon (center), wearing a John O'Brien jersey, made good on his 2002 promise to two sons Ryan (left) and Kevin, with their matching Claudio Reyna shirts, that he would take them to see the U.S. in the 2006 World Cup.

More than a few of the Americans gathering to support Bruce Arena's team are either former or current players, plus a few coaches. Brothers Larry Day from Plymouth, N.H., and Shawn Day from Exteter, N.H., were sporting Red Sox shirts on Sunday, but planned to wear their U.S. colors at the game. Shawn coaches a youth team in New Hampshire and both he and Larry played for local clubs in Bitburg and Kaiserslautern when their father was in Air Force.

Steve and John Presser, and Dan Limburg are from Fort Wayne, Ind., but are now scattered to San Diego and Cincinnati. Their reason for coming to Germany? To see their friend and youth club teammate DeMarcus Beasley play in the World Cup. The former teammates from Citadel SC of Fort Wayne, Ind., came to see their friend do well, representing both his country and their old club.

On the streets of Gelsenkirchen, the most original USA shirts had to go to Andy and his friends from New York and London -- a red shirt bearing a Che Guevara-like rendering of U.S. manager Bruce Arena. Of course, no U.S. fan gathering would be complete without members of Sam's Army dressed up as Uncle Sam, of which at least five were counted.

Not to be outdone, there is also a strong contingent of fans from Texas, including those from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and even Tanner from Lindsey (population 600), just north of Fort Worth. One fan was even walking through the streets of Gelsenkirchen wearing a Texas state flag and, of course a Texas-sized cowboy hat.

When asked about how they got their tickets, most stated their disappointment at not getting a ticket allocation through the U.S. Soccer Federation. Those with tickets claimed they had better success going through world governing body FIFA or on the aftermarket. The more persistent and creative seemed to come up with the most tickets, including a Reno, Nev., group, which bought its tickets by purchasing from the national allocation to the nation of Tonga in the South Pacific.

This couple from Boston fell in love with soccer during a college year abroad. They now support the U.S. and the New England Revolution.

Other fans encountered came from North Carolina, South Carolina, many from Chicago and New Jersey, plus a few from Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Oklahoma, including a member of the Oklahoma City Royals youth team.

One father, Mike Cannon from Omaha, Neb., promised his sons Ryan and Kevin back in 2002 that he would take them to the 2006 World Cup. Cannon is the former head women's soccer coach at Truman State University and a former defender for the Des Moines Menace in the old United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (now the United Soccer Leagues). Ryan and Kevin play, respectively, in the under-12 and under-10 teams for Omaha's Gladiators Soccer Club.

According to at least one fan from Hershey, Pa., it seems the Fan Fests might not be quite as fun on days when there is not a World Cup game in town. He likened a non-game-day Fan Fest to the "Harrisburg (Pa.) farm show."

Despite the many fans from all over the USA, it seems that every third fan we encountered was from some part of Ohio. And yes, they were all Columbus Crew and Brian McBride supporters. One group, decked out in Uncle Sam hats and U.S. flags was Adam, Paul, Jen, Jeff, and Karen, who hail from Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Lima in Ohio. Jen predicted a 2-1 win for the U.S. with the winning goal scored by McBride. Adam said he came because it is a "fan's responsibility to support the team," while Paul offered that it was, "a chance of a lifetime."

As the game began, Czech and American fans created a great atmosphere for the match, but a potent strike by Jan Koller in the fifth minute quieted the U.S. supporters for some time. Koller's Borussia Dortmund teammate Tomas Rosicky made a number of his patented, skittering, horizontal runs in midfield, but was too often unchallenged before unleashing one of his clever passes or taking a shot at goal.

American expatriate and Everberg FC (Belgium) midfielder Gabor Luka (right) exchanges scarves with Karel (left) of the Czech Republic.

As the U.S. team and its fans found out, leaving Rosicky to run free in the midfield is a dangerous thing to do. This is something every Bundesliga team already knows which will soon be evident in the English Premier League since Rosicky was just transferred to Arsenal for a $14-million fee. Two of his long-range blasts found the back of the net in the 30th and 76th minutes to put the Czechs on top 3-0.

Pavel Nedved, heartthrob of so many female fans (in Europe, at least), played like a man possessed and seemed to be everywhere the American defense did not want him to be. Despite his late-season dip in form at Juventus and reported injury problems, it appears he is back on track.

Watching him today, one gets the impression that this is a man hungry for an world title before he retires (again) from the international game. In fact, the entire team's frustration at its missed opportunities in Euro 2004 seems to fuel its hunger to do something special this summer.

The U.S. did manage to create a few chances as Reyna rang one off the post and, later, Eddie Johnson unleashed a few bullet shots in the second half. As the game progessed, the Americans also managed to hold onto a good share of possession and had a number of decent midfield combinations. The key difference seemed to be that the U.S. always needed a few extra touches while the Czechs managed with one touch. One could not help but notice that too many U.S. players wanted that extra half-second or extra touch on the ball, and often not a purposeful touch at that. At this level, well-supported and purposeful one-touch play (especially in the box) is the price of entry to the second round. The result: Czech Republic 3, USA 0.

From left to right, Greg Limburg, and brothers Steve and John Presser are former youth club teammates of U.S. midfielder DaMarcus Beasley from Fort Wayne, Ind.

After the game, U.S. fans voiced their disappointment. "That was awful," seemed to be the most common comment, followed by, "That was just awful!" A number of fans were disappointed that their team lacked creativity and that its level of effort seemed "half-hearted." Ouch.

A few fans from Fort Worth, Tex. offered more thoughtful comments. Ted and Michelle Kleen, wearing FC Dallas jerseys at the game, thought "It looks like they dominated the first half, but we looked much stronger in the second half." Ted's advice for the team as it prepares to face Italy: "They need to be more aggressive in all aspects of the game." His wife Michelle added, "Tell the team, we're behind you."

And so as the U.S. returns to its base in Hamburg, while American fans move around Germany before gathering again in Kaiserslautern on Saturday. Fans and team alike need to shake this one off and come back with a vengeance on Saturday. Otherwise, why else is everyone in Germany?

Chris Courtney is SoccerTimes European correspondent and lives in Brussels. He is in Germany covering the World Cup.