World Cup Capsules: U.S. expects to use most regulars against Turkey
PHILADELPHIA — There’s a bit of chaos when a national team comes together.
"We have own idea about things at Everton," U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "And AC Milan have their own ideas. And Rennes have their own ideas. And Watford."
By the time of the June 12 World Cup opener against England, all these players from different clubs will form a coherent team, and that process will accelerate Saturday when the United States plays Turkey in its last game before leaving for South Africa.
More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the sendoff match at Lincoln Financial Field. Most starters were rested for Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic, among them Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Howard.
"We’ll have a team that I think will be close to our regular team," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said Friday.
Turkey, a 2002 World Cup semifinalist that failed to qualify for this year’s tournament, is a physical side with a reputation for rough play. The Turks are ranked 29th in the world, 15 places below the U.S. and four above the Czechs.
It is a far better test than four years ago, when the last three World Cup warmups were against Morocco, Venezuela and Latvia.
"We looks for these games to fine tune things. I don’t think playing teams of lesser quality is going to help us, at all," defender Oguchi Onyewu said. "It’s going to help us pinpoint certain weaknesses or things we have to work on as a group."
Onyewu, who is with AC Milan, returned Tuesday night from October surgery to repair a torn pateller tendon in his left knee and appeared rusty, getting outjumped by Tomas Sivok for a header on the first Czech goal. Onyewu could form the back line with Watford’s Jay DeMerit, out since April 17 with an abdominal strain; and Rennes’ Carlos Bocanegra, sidelined since sports hernia surgery on May 5. Jonathan Spector or Steve Cherundolo could play on the right.
"Gooch’s situation is obviously a little different than the situations with Carlos and Jay," Bradley said. "In Gooch’s case we all know that that type of injury, being out that long, now when you come back, getting games, there’s little hurdles to get over in terms of just plays where now the reaction speed is different, and you’ve just got to be able to make a play without thinking about it. I think if I look back over the time that we’ve been in this camp, including the last game, we’ve seen good progress."
DeMerit and Bocanegra have been in full training for a week and appear ready for the field.
The U.S. team leaves Sunday from Washington-Dulles International Airport and arrives in Johannesburg the following day. Once in South Africa, the Americans play Australia in another exhibition June 5 before the first competitive match between the U.S. and England since the 1-0 American upset at the 1950 World Cup.
"It’s going to take this game and all the preparation games and a lot of training, as well, in the next couple weeks to make sure that we’re on the same page," DeMerit said. "Tomorrow’s a great place to start."
Of particular interest will be how Bradley uses Clint Dempsey. With Charlie Davies still sidelined from injuries in an October car crash that nearly killed him, Dempsey could be pushed up to forward alongside Altidore.
Or Bradley could opt to start Edson Buddle or Herculez Gomez, the two forwards who came from below the radar a few months ago to make the 23-man roster Wednesday.
Gomez’s mobile phone has been ringing. And ringing. And ringing.
"It’s drained right now. Mentally it’s been overwhelming," he said. "It’s good that we’re back here training. Once you’re back here training and you get that first sprint in, and you get that rush of adrenaline pumping, you forget about all the kind of circus that surrounds all this."
Turkey already has signed Guus Hiddink to take over as coach on Aug. 1, and he’s traveling with the team.
"We like to consider it as a serious game," he said.
That’s exactly what Howard wants. He’d like to develop flowing communication with his defenders, and he has only two matches to work out problems.
"You’re talking about an exercise that takes a whole lot of time, and we don’t have a whole lot of time to do it," he said. "It’s vitally important that I get things together and I’m pulling the strings."
Sort of like The Godfather.
"A lot of it is body language. A lot of it is timing and familiarity," he said. "It’s just something that you don’t do overnight."
NOTES: The U.S. will play Brazil in its first game after the World Cup, on Aug. 10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Howard hails U.S. coach Bradley’s gentle approach
LONDON — When the United States takes on England in their World Cup opener expect a clash of cultures and coaching styles.
While Fabio Capello has cultivated a fearsome reputation in the England camp, U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard says his team should thrive in South Africa thanks to the more congenial atmosphere encouraged by Bob Bradley.
Howard is based in England with Premier League club Everton, and has been able to observe Capello since he took charge of the national team there in January 2008, when it was at one of its lowest ebbs.
"With Bob Bradley there is a huge amount of respect there, but to say that we don’t fear him is the way that he is," Howard said in an interview. "He is very gentle in terms of how he interacts with his players and he doesn’t want there to be a barrier.
"Yes of course there is a hierarchy — he is the manager and what he says goes and as players we respect each other and we respect him — but he doesn’t want there to be a wall."
And players are not afraid to tell Howard what they think.
"He wants there to be open lines of communication and he wants to be able to have conversations with players and get their feedback and that allows him to do his job better," Howard said as he prepares for the June 12 opener against England.
England striker Peter Crouch last week praised Capello’s disciplinarian approach — one that is in marked contrast to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s more relaxed rule between 2001-06.
"Sven was a lot more laid-back," said Crouch, who will face Howard in Rustenburg. "This time the atmosphere seems a lot more serious, a lot more focused."
While Capello, the former Real Madrid and Juventus coach, was an outsider in England before taking charge of a bedraggled national team, the 52-year-old Bradley has been a mainstay of American soccer for decades.
As a result the former Chicago Fire, New York MetroStars and Chivas coach has crossed paths with many of his World Cup-bound players as they were growing up.
"There is a history there between Bob Bradley and a lot of us and there was already a good relationship that was built," Howard said. "In the last four years we have cultivated that relationship and it has got better and better and the trust level has gone up and it’s brought us together as a strong unit on and off the field."
Bradley has transformed the U.S. team since replacing Bruce Arena after a lackluster 2006 World Cup. No longer are the Americans considered upstarts, as Spain, which was beaten in last June’s Confederations Cup semifinals by the U.S., can testify. So can Brazil, which had to recover a 2-0 deficit in the final, before prevailing 3-2.
"The one thing we proved last year at the Confederations Cup is that we are not pushovers — that we do have the ability to compete on a very, very high level," Howard said. "And fingers crossed we can do that again this summer — maybe not surprise people, but definitely live up to those expectations."
But there will be no grand proclamations from the 31-year-old Howard about what can be achieved on their return to South Africa.
"It’s a very gray, fuzzy line what will be considered success and what will be considered failure ... and we must not let outside influences determine that," Howard said. "In order to win the World Cup we would be a long shot at best, but it doesn’t stop us from going and trying.
"And I am a firm believer that when you do get to these kinds of tournaments you really can’t think about winning it — you have to think about playing England, Slovenia and Algeria (in the group stage)."
Howard has also been feeding information back to the U.S. coaches on the England players.
"If there is a nugget of information I can give based on one player or another I will try and there are other players that play in England who have the ability to have that same insight so we will do what we can," said Howard, who has been promoting the "One Goal" charity initiative to promote education in Africa ahead of the World Cup.
Many of the top U.S. players are known to England, though, and rated highly by Howard.
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan was on loan at Howard’s Everton at the start of the year — "he answered the questions, and then some" — while striker Clint Dempsey helped Fulham reach the Europa League final — "his aggression, his passion, talent helps to make the U.S. team go."
-- Rob Harris
Five from South Carolina schools on U.S. World Cup team
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The search for America's best soccer team included a long look at the Palmetto State.
Five of the 23 members of the 2010 U.S. World Cup team played their college soccer in South Carolina, the most of any state. That includes such stars as midfielder Clint Dempsey, who played at Furman, and lockdown defender Oguchi Onyewu, one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's best during his two seasons at Clemson.
The others who played at state colleges and heading to South Africa are backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan from South Carolina, midfielder Ricardo Clark of Furman and midfielder Stuart Holden of Clemson.
"This is a football state first, no doubt," said Clint Hill, a teammate of Dempsey and Clark at Furman in the last decade. "But right here underneath our nose is something that you hope people begin to realize is special."
Longtime South Carolina coach Mark Berson had previously sent Gamecocks like Josh Wolff and flamboyant Clint Mathis to the national team and is excited at Guzan's rise the past few years. Berson is even happier that the depth of the state's college soccer will be on display.
The state of "South Carolina is a great place to come to school," Berson said. "We have good weather and opportunities to train year round."
Berson and South Carolina began the state's recent World Cup feeder system with playmakers in Wolff and Mathis, who were in the 2002 event. Wolff was joined by Furman's Dempsey and Clemson's Onyewu on the U.S. team four years later.
The additions of Clark and Holden mean that nearly 25 percent of this year's squad honed its skills in South Carolina. UCLA is the school with the most team members with Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein and Benny Feilhaber. Eight U.S. players began their pro careers without college.
Onyewu said all of those selected, no matter their background, "should be congratulated. It's no small feat to make a World Cup roster."
There was little doubt Onyewu would advance to this level. He'd been part of the top youth squads most of his life and did not miss a step in two seasons at Clemson. He helped the Tigers to the NCAA tournament's final eight in 2001 when he was nominated for the Hermann Trophy that goes to the game's top player.
Berson said his club had few answers for a big, powerful defender like "Gooch."
"He could throw the ball all the way across the field," Berson said. "The good news was he couldn't be there on the end to catch it."
Dempsey was also a player with the Paladins whose skills were apparent.
"He could do whatever he wanted on the field," Berson said.
It was no surprise that one of Furman's most memorable soccer seasons came with Dempsey and Clark on the field, part of a group that set an NCAA record with 11 consecutive shutouts in 2002. The Paladins reached the third round of the NCAA tournament that year, losing at Stanford when a victory would have sent them to a showdown with Clemson and future national team teammate Holden.
"That would've been something," Hill said.
Mike Potempa was a teammate of Onyewu's and became an assistant during Holden's time. He recalls Onyewu's mother calling to say her son wouldn't make a scheduled meeting because his back hurt that first season in 2000.
"He was still a little boyish," Potempa said.
Potempa knew it was just a matter of time until the talent he saw in rival matchups each season showed itself on the game's biggest stage. He still marvels at the 2004 matchup against South Carolina when he said flatly that Guzan put on "the best goalkeeping performance I've ever seen out of a college goalie" in the Gamecocks 1-0 win.
Potempa says it was such tightly contested rivalries that fueled all soccer programs to keep advancing — and producing players capable of reaching the World Cup.
"Now," South Carolina's Berson says, "our goal is find those next ones."
-- Pete Iacobelli
U.S. to play Brazil in New Jersey on Aug. 10
PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. will play Brazil in an exhibition on Aug. 10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in the first match for the American soccer team after the World Cup.
Brazil, a five-time world champion, has won 14 of 15 meetings between the teams. The lone American win was 1-0 in Los Angeles in February 1998 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the match Friday. The game is on a FIFA fixture date, meaning clubs are required to release players to national teams.
Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for the New Meadowlands Stadium, said a temporary grass field will be installed over the artificial turf for the game.
The first professional sporting event at the $1.6 billion stadium was a soccer game on May 7, when Mexico and Ecuador played a 0-0 tie. The NFL's Giants and Jets move in for the upcoming season.
World Cup
Maradona in charge: Argentina braces itself
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — With Diego Maradona coaching the nation's pride in the World Cup, Argentines are bracing themselves for bombshells: a startling outburst, a scandal or even the unspeakable — a third World Cup trophy.
Maradona is apt to do anything. He has ridiculed Pope John Paul II and George W. Bush, got away with a fast one in his famous "Hand of God" goal, and nearly died of a drug overdose. He was one of the game's greatest players and still overshadows FIFA's reigning player of the year and Argentina's great hope — Lionel Messi.
This week Maradona even promised a bit of streaking. He swears he'll run naked around the famed Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the World Cup.
It's certain to be that kind of tournament in South Africa: win, lose or drama.
"If he wins the World Cup," said Daniel Arcucci, a sports editor at the Argentine daily La Nacion, "prepare yourself for everything."
_ In Argentina, the saying goes, the country has 40 million people — and 40 million coaches.
No country wants to win the World Cup more than Argentina. The national team has the world's best player in Messi, but most doubt Maradona is the man to do the job. In his 19 months as coach, he tried out 107 different players. World Cup qualifying was an ordeal — including a 6-1 loss to Bolivia and a 3-1 loss at home to bitter rival Brazil.
When Argentina defeated Uruguay, finally ending a draining struggle to reach the World Cup finals, Maradona erupted with a stream of profanities on live TV, telling critics of his coaching where to go.
Arcucci, a friend of Maradona who has written two books about him, including Maradona's autobiography, cringed as he watched the scene.
He suggested in a note to family members that it would have more dignified for a man who will turn 50 later this year to act more reasonably. Arcucci described the unpredictable tantrums as "arrogant and unproductive."
Telling the story seated in his office in downtown Buenos Aries, Arcucci laughed about the reaction he received.
"They told me, 'But that would not have been Maradona.'"
Maradona had virtually no coaching experience, but was handed the job by Argentine football association president Julio Grondona. He got his coaching license through connections. Victorio Bocco, head of the national coaching association, said Maradona received the exception because his busy schedule kept him from attending lessons.
Maradona named his 23-man World Cup squad last week on the same day he ran over the foot of a cameraman who crowded around his car to get footage. Maradona let go with another string of profanities.
More chaos. On the eve of the World Cup he has been accused of forcing out the previous Argentina coach — Alfio Basile — so he could take over. Jorge Ribolzi, a former assistant to Basile, was one of several to support the claims and spared no words in describing Maradona's character.
"As a person (Maradona) is garbage," Ribolzi said. "He's good for nothing. No dignity."
_ In the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup against England, Maradona scored what is known as the "Hand of God" goal. Maradona leaped high with an outstretched arm, and knocked the ball behind England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The English protested immediately for a handball. The call was never given, and Maradona got away with one.
It wasn't until 2004 that he finally admitted he'd touched the ball with his hand.
He scored again four minutes later, a goal that was voted the best of the century by FIFA.
The game perfectly framed Maradona's image. One goal by a scoundrel, the second by a superstar.
Using perfect vision, he dribbled around six English players to score. Argentina won 2-1 and went on to win the World Cup just four years after it had been disgraced by Britain in the Falklands War, with Britain keeping possession of the disputed South Atlantic islands — which Arcucci says Maradona used as motivation.
"Scoring a goal with my hand was like robbing from a thief," Arcucci quoted Maradona as saying.
Some liken the former No. 10 to the classic "picaro" character of 16th century Spanish literature, the rascal who lives by his wits and seeks every advantage. For some this is a defect, for others it's at the same time a virtue.
_ Maradona grew up in the Buenos Aires shantytown of Villa Fiorito and was pulled out of a cesspit as a child by his uncle, Cirilo. His up-and-down life reflects that of the Argentine state itself, which has faced financial chaos, hyperinflation, military coups and dictatorships since its founding 200 years ago. Eight years ago the country defaulted on its international debt, prompting violent street protests and frozen bank accounts.
Football in Argentina has always been more dependable than the government. Argentina is again among the World Cup favorites, which it never is in economic stability, growth or qualify of life.
Despite always dividing public opinion, Maradona's escape from poverty still resonates with many in a country where reaching the middle class is increasingly difficult.
"Maradona is the synthesis of Argentina, of Argentine identity," said Guillermo Oliveta, president of the Argentina Marketing Association. "He came from dire poverty and went up so quickly in social status. ... And he has crashed — been knocked out so many times and failed — just like the country."
As a child he was known as "El Peluza" for his curly hair. The word literally means "lint" in Spanish and is also used to describe poor street kids. Now he's more often called "El Pibe de Oro" — the Golden Boy.
"The guy (Maradona) came from humble roots, like many people here," said Gustavo, an inmate at a prison on the outskirts of Buenos Aires who is serving time for armed robbery. "He is kind of like we are, but had better luck."
Standing nearby watching inmates play football in a gray-dirt courtyard — rust-stained yellow walls topped by razor wire — was Fabian Venzi, assistant director of Unit 23 of the Florencio Varela penitentiary complex.
"Maradona was the greatest player. You can't dispute that," he said. "But my opinion of him goes down whenever he opens his mouth."
_ As a celebrity, there's no question: Maradona is larger than life.
He's fought cocaine addiction, alcoholism and acknowledged that he fathered a child out of wedlock when he played for Italian club Napoli. He once fired an air rifle at journalists.
That's just for openers.
He was near death six years ago after suffering a heart attack attributed to a cocaine overdose. He's had a gastric bypass to lose weight, and in 2005 his Argentine talk show, "La Noche del 10" (The Night of the No. 10), soared to unexpected popularity. In Italy, where he played, he has an unpaid tax bill estimated at $50 million.
Most people wear one watch, or none. Maradona wears two — one on each wrist.
Speaking on TV a few weeks ago, Maradona said he's been off drugs and alcohol for six years. A small, pudgy man these days, he's grown a gray-flecked beard and mustache, apparently to cover scars left when his pet Shar Pei bit him on the lip and face two months ago, wounds that needed 10 stitches to close.
"Everything about Maradona is exaggerated — the good and the bad," Arcucci said. "There is no middle ground with him. As a player he was No. 1. He can be charming, but in his private life he's broken all the rules: overdosed on drugs, his statements are always overboard and polemic."
_ Much of Maradona's aura has been fueled by Argentina's tabloid press, and he always makes good copy.
The Associated Press, which doesn't pay for interviews, asked for a one-on-one session with Maradona and was told by his press chief Fernando Molina that the price would be $120,000, the going rate for a 30-minute interview with foreign journalists. A few years ago the BBC was criticized for paying to speak to Maradona.
"He has charisma and he is great for the press here," said Leandro Zanoni, who has written a recent book about Maradona and the press called "Living in the Media."
"He always says something interesting or polemical, or something that causes big problems," Zanoni said. "It does not matter if what he says is incoherent. He needs the media, and the media needs him.
"If Maradona had been born in Canada, he would have been a great player, but he would not have been Maradona and generated the life story he did here."
_ This is a guy who even has a satirical religion named after him: The Maradonian Church, which measures the years from the date of his birth. This is 49AD (after Diego). The fake church also claims in jest that every church needs a god, so it claims Maradona.
The church's logo is D10S. No. 10 was the number Maradona famously wore, and "dios" is Spanish for "god."
He's inspired songs, including one called "La Mano de Dios" by the late Rodrigo Bueno. One line goes: "If Jesus stumbled and fell, why shouldn't he be permitted to do it too?"
Liliana Chazenbalk, a psychology professor at the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, described Maradona as a person living "between being a god and human."
"Even though he has been connected to drugs alcohol and scandals and other negative things, he is always forgiven," she said. "He is seen on one hand as very human and flawed, but on the other as a god. Young boys wear tattoos of him, trying to get closer to him — to be closer to a god."
-- Stephen Wade
Big demand for World Cup tickets with 2 weeks left
JOHANNESBURG — The man in the yellow and green uniform raised his arms in jubilation, as if he had just scored a goal for his beloved South African national team.
"We are now finished! We got our tickets! Everything is sorted out," exulted Aden Lahood, displaying his prized purchase of World Cup tournament seats.
He was one of about 700 people who had mobbed a building in suburban Johannesburg during a frustrating, chaotic day of long lines and computer crashes Friday as a total of 160,000 tickets — including those for the semifinal and final games — went on sale in South Africa two weeks before the start of the World Cup.
For thousands of South Africans, the wait has been long but worth it.
Despite the computer glitches and some marketing flaws, World Cup organizers are likely to sell almost all the tickets for the tournament — thanks in large part to local fans.
FIFA, the World Cup's governing body, said there was a "massive response" from buyers, and by 5 p.m. Friday, nearly 60,000 tickets had been sold. Seats were no longer available for several matches, including all three of the preliminary round games involving South Africa's team and the July 11 final.
Thousands of people had spent a night in line — some were queued up since Wednesday — in ticket centers in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Soweto.
In the upscale northern Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, there was pushing and shoving in the line, and police tried to keep order. One official got on a bullhorn and threatened to keep the ticket center closed unless people maintained order in the line that stretched 40-50 yards (meters) down the sidewalk.
FIFA officials added to the frustration when they announced to the crowd that the computer system had crashed.
"Apparently, everyone is logging on at the same time. It must be an international thing, worldwide," Lahood said. "But we've been through it, it's done now, everything is sorted, I'm happy."
FIFA issued a statement confirming "significant delays" and apologized to fans for the "regrettable situation."
Chilly weather in Cape Town may have been responsible for only a few hundred subdued fans lining up there. In the township of Soweto, about 1,000 people lined up, with some minor pushing and shoving.
FIFA has made huge strides since the final phase of ticket sales began on April 15. Before then, a half-million tickets were unsold, and World Cup officials were on the brink of a PR disaster.
Empty seats would tell a global TV audience of billions that the tournament has not been a success.
An extra 90,000 tickets that had been returned by FIFA and its various sponsors to South African organizers were part of the 160,000 on sale Friday. Danny Jordaan, head of South Africa's organizing committee, called it "the last big inventory available for the public."
South Africa has used the slogan "Once in a Lifetime" to excite its own fans that the World Cup had finally come to their continent for the first time — and they have responded by buying more than 1.3 million tickets. FIFA said it has sold more than 96 percent of the total 2.88 million tickets available, and will match the 97 percent sales mark for the last World Cup in Germany.
The June 11 opening match between South Africa and Mexico at Johannesburg's central Soccer City stadium, is a confirmed sellout of 94,700.
Seats in all different price ranges were on sale — from about $20 for early round games, the lowest priced tickets which can only be purchased by South Africans, up to $600 for a semifinal game and $900 for the final.
FIFA had faced some criticism for charging the high prices in some categories — well beyond the reach of ordinary South Africans. And it has also only sold a disappointing 40,000 tickets on the rest of the continent, after asking African fans outside the host country to pay the same prices as the rest of the world.
"If you're making it Africa's World Cup, you make sure you have a significant representation of African fans at the games," said Pat Rise, an associate professor of economics at Webster University in St. Louis and a director of the consulting firm Sportsimpacts.net.
Most of the unsold tickets are in the most expensive of the four pricing categories at the World Cup.
"I am desperately trying to get tickets for the semifinals and final and also the opening game," said 18-year-old Daniel Shalem. "I am really hoping to squeeze in there."
"The quantity of tickets I want," Shalem said, "doesn't allow for me to buy category one tickets. It would be far too expensive."
The latest projections say only 360,000 foreign fans are to visit South Africa, down from the 450,000 originally predicted, but there may be hope for those remaining high-end tickets, too.
"After the initial surge when the draw was announced in December, we've seen more interest in flights and hotels," said Danny Talbot of the sports division of Thomas Cook travel in Britain.
"The ever-increasing confidence in England being successful in their group means that we're now seeing fans requesting trips that give them the best chance of seeing the team in the latter stages" of the tournament, he said.
The U.S. leads the way with more than 130,000 tickets sold to date.
A late surge from the traditionally strong European market could result in a complete sellout — unthinkable a month ago.
FIFA figures if it sold 430,000 tickets in the six weeks since April 15, and almost 60,000 in a day, two weeks could be enough to sell the final 100,000 tickets.
-- Gerald Imray
Commentary: Samuel Eto'o says detractors should 'shut up'
LA CHAPELLE EN SERVAL, France — Cameroon could do reasonably well at the World Cup, if Samuel Eto'o doesn't blow a fuse first.
The Inter Milan forward, Cameroon's star of the present, is catching some flak from Roger Milla, its star of the past. The hero of Cameroon's unlikely run to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup reckons that Eto'o hasn't been giving his all to the national squad and he isn't afraid to say so. But Eto'o isn't having any of it — meaning that both of them are acting more like angry lions than indomitable ones with Cameroon's opening match against Japan less than three weeks away.
Exactly what Milla hopes to achieve by needling Eto'o now, so close to the World Cup, isn't clear. It's not as if Eto'o doesn't already have enough to worry about: As the squad's big-name star, his narrow shoulders are carrying a lot of the expectation from a nation that takes its soccer very seriously, so seriously that Milla warns of possible unrest, even civil war in Cameroon if results go against them on the fields of South Africa.
Yet Milla doesn't seem ready to let Eto'o dwell any longer on the high of having won the Champions League last weekend with Inter, adding to the one he won last year with Barcelona.
Cameroon expects, Milla says, and Eto'o must deliver.
"I have a right to criticize things that aren't going well in the country, in my national team, because I fought for this team to be where it is today. If I can't criticize it then I don't know who can," says the player who came off the bench to score twice against Romania and then scored another two in extra time against Colombia to lift Cameroon into the quarterfinals in 1990 — the first African country to get that far.
Milla's basic gripe with Eto'o is that he hasn't been as decisive for Cameroon as he has for Barcelona and Inter — in other words, seemingly, that he hasn't done a Milla and single-handedly stolen the show. Milla says Eto'o hasn't given enough to the national squad, ignoring the fact that Eto'o has been averaging about one goal every two matches.
Milla also suggests that Eto'o needs better discipline. "Now that he is captain, Samuel has to give a good example," he says, and argues that he shouldn't be taking corners and throw-ins but focusing more on his goal-scoring duties.
"For me, for the moment, Samuel still hasn't brought anything to our national team," Milla said on Friday, talking to a small group of reporters at a hotel north of Paris. "The people of Cameroon expect a lot of him at this World Cup, that he show his true face as he did at Barcelona or as he just did at Inter Milan."
Told of Milla's comments, Eto'o bristled.
"I won't reply," he said before changing his mind and reeling off a list of his achievements. Such criticism on the eve of competition is "unhealthy," Eto'o said.
"I'm the best goal-scorer in the history of the African Cup," he said. "I've won the African Cup, I've won an Olympic gold medal. That says everything."
"Look at how many Champions Leagues I have ... Look!"
"Everything God gives me, I take and he's given enormously during my career. A lot more than to some others and they must respect that and shut up, really shut up, because playing a quarterfinal of the World Cup is not winning the World Cup," he said, a clear swipe at Cameroon's class of 1990 that included Milla.
That was Cameroon's sole quarterfinal appearance. It didn't get out of the group stages in 1994, '98, and 2002 and missed Germany 2006.
But its chances look better this time. In its Group E, Netherlands are the favorites but Denmark and Japan could be within Cameroon's reach.
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester@ap.org.
Villa: Spain ready to shake World Cup underdog tag
BARCELONA, Spain — Spain striker David Villa is confident the European champions are ready to win the World Cup for the first time.
Spain traveled to Austria on Friday ahead of Saturday's match against Saudi Arabia, the first of three friendly matches ahead of the June 11-July 11 tournament.
Villa's impressive scoring record — 36 goals in 55 appearances — has propelled him to first-choice striker in the team. His tournament-high four goals also led Spain to victory at Euro 2008.
With his club future settled following a €40 million ($49 million) move from Valencia to Spanish champion Barcelona, the 28-year-old Villa says Spain is ready to shake its underachiever tag on the world stage.
"On the one hand we know we have the potential to win it, but we won't put ourselves under pressure because we know that being favorite or not means nothing," Villa told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "We don't consider ourselves favorites, nor do we think we have an advantage over the other teams."
Spain's preparations for South Africa begin with eight days of training at high-altitude, starting with the match in Innsbruck. Spain will also play South Korea at the Tivoli stadium on Wednesday before returning home to play Poland on June 8.
It leaves for the tournament a day later and opens against Group H opponent Switzerland on June 16, before matches against Honduras and Chile.
Villa said the team has no injury worries with Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas training normally after overcoming serious leg injuries. The rest of the 23-man squad is healthy.
"That always is a worry, of course it is," Villa said. "But there is still time left for them to recover fully from their injuries and we are all convinced that every one of the players will arrive at the World Cup in tiptop condition."
Villa's health has also been questioned after he was pictured with a number of bandages wrapped around his upper body during the Spanish league season.
"I have had a collarbone problem for some time and have simply been taking care of it," Villa said. "But it has recovered completely now and there is no problem at all — physically I feel in very good shape."
Spain has the experience of last summer's Confederations Cup where coach Vicente del Bosque had his only defeat in 23 games since taking over for Luis Aragones after the Euro 2008 triumph. With 22 wins and a perfect qualifying record, the transition has been smooth.
"I always say the same thing and that is that the national team continues to play well, and the good thing for us is that the change of coach hasn't noticed at all," Villa said. "That's very important, because the team is playing just as well as before, and better than it had with other coaches in the past."
Villa insists he's not thinking about Raul Gonzalez's record goal tally of 44 goals in 102 appearances, only about Spain reaching the final.
Spain has only two European championship trophies to show for its long history of producing talented players. It is looking to rebound from a disappointing first knockout round exit to France in Germany four years ago and reach its first semifinal since 1950.
But a meeting with five-time champion Brazil, neighbor Portugal or African favorite Ivory Coast looms in the first knockout stage, a high-stakes game where Spain must show it has the mettle to be champion.
"We have time to rest and prepare," Villa said. "I'm very excited and I can't wait it for it to start."
-- Ben Walker
Kaka practices in Brazil's 1st training in SAfrica
JOHANNESBURG — Kaka practiced normally Friday and looked injury-free in Brazil's first full training session in South Africa ahead of the World Cup.
Kaka had been practicing separately from the rest of the team because of a left thigh muscle injury, but went through all the drills on Friday and appeared unaffected by the ailment.
Coach Dunga had said Kaka would take it slowly in the team's first days in South Africa but would eventually be ready for Brazil's World Cup debut against North Korea on June 15.
Brazil arrived Thursday in South Africa and is aiming for a sixth World Cup title. The team underwent physical conditioning at the hotel shortly after arriving, but Friday was its first field session.
Kaka played sparingly with Real Madrid this year because of a groin injury and the muscle ailment. Brazil and Kaka had been downplaying the injuries, but the player's lack of action had raised concerns ahead of the World Cup.
"Kaka himself knows what he can do and he will feel when he is fully ready," Dunga said.
The playmaker is one of the leaders in this Brazilian squad which is missing stars such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano.
Striker Luis Fabiano also arrived in South Africa with an injury — a muscle ailment that kept him from playing with Sevilla when it won the Copa del Rey title last week in Spain. But he joined Kaka and the rest of the players in a practice session with ball drills and tactical exercises. Dunga wants to the players to spend as much time together so they can work better as a team.
"We have to gain a group aspect again," Dunga said. "It's been a long time since we played together, so there are many details that we have to adjust before the World Cup begins."
Brazil's last match was a friendly against Ireland in March.
The coach said the team's two upcoming warmup matches will be very helpful. Brazil will play Zimbabwe in Harare on June 2 and Tanzania in Dar es Salaam on June 7.
"We will try to use these matches to make adjustments and test our options," Dunga said.
The five-time world champions are practicing at a school in Randburg. The session was opened to journalists but closed to fans, although several school employees and some students sneaked in to watch the players.
"It's just fantastic to have these guys here in our school," said 28-year-old teacher Xander Vandyk.
The team later practiced at the team's hotel in a closed session.
Brazil was the second team to arrive in South Africa to prepare for the World Cup, after Australia.
Brazil will debut against North Korea at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. It then faces the Ivory Coast on June 20 at Soccer City Stadium and closes Group G play against Portugal five days later in Durban.
-- Tales Azzoni
South African students sneak in to watch Brazil
JOHANNESBURG — Brazil players are keeping their distance from the team's fans during their World Cup preparations in South Africa, although a few local students managed to catch a glimpse of the squad.
Brazil is hoping to avoid a repeat of the frenzied atmosphere that players blamed for the team's elimination four years ago in Germany, and only journalists are allowed access to the team in South Africa. But in the team's first full practice session in South Africa on Friday, a few dozen students and school employees were able to get near the field after sneaking into a local school where the team is training.
"What a privilege to have them play here in our field," said 28-year-old teacher Xander Vandyk. "It's one of the greatest things ever happening for the school. We are all very excited."
Classes were canceled on Friday, but teachers were at the school, along with some students who came in to try to watch the Brazil team.
"They are just great, I can't believe I'm being able to see them," said Chaneze Gideons, an 18-year-old senior at Randburg High School. "All I want to see is Kaka and Robinho."
The team's preparations for the 2006 World Cup were marked by a party atmosphere that players and coaches said was detrimental to the team. Thousands of fans were allowed to follow nearly all of Brazil's training sessions and a fan zone was set up near the team's base in Weggis, Switzerland. Brazil lost 1-0 to France in the quarterfinals.
"We had some 5,000 people following the team," goalkeeper Julio Cesar said. "I don't even think it affected our focus during the practices, but it's a big difference from what we have here."
Many of the fans watching on Friday wore Brazil shirts but did not appear to disrupt the players.
Some students were disappointed that the current Brazil team is missing players such as Ronaldo, Adriano and Ronaldinho, but that won't stop them from supporting the Brazilians.
"We were surprised not to see some of them, but it's still a good team, we can't complain," 26-year-old teacher Shaun Carelse said. "We support the Bafana Bafana, but after that we are Brazil all the way."
Seeking its sixth world title, Brazil will play two matches in Johannesburg against North Korea on June 15 and the Ivory Coast on June 20. It then plays its last Group G match on June 25 against Portugal in Durban.
-- Tales Azzoni
Philipp Lahm to be Germany captain at World Cup
FRANKFURT, Germany — Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm was named captain of Germany's World Cup team Friday, becoming the youngest in national team history to lead the squad on the field.
Lahm will take the place of Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack, who will miss the tournament in South Africa because of an ankle injury, coach Joachim Loew said. The 26-year-old Lahm has played 64 games for Germany, and this year's tournament will be in his second World Cup.
Manuel Neuer of Schalke has been confirmed as the starting goalkeeper, in place of Rene Adler, who is also missing the tournament due to a broken rib.
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be Lahm's deputy and will take over Ballack's job in defensive midfielder. Schweinsteiger played that role this season for Bayern, helping his team win the domestic double and reach the final of the Champions League.
"They both had an excellent season with Bayern and they have shown that they can take responsibility," Loew said at the German training camp in northern Italy. "They have had fundamental and important roles in the national team in the past."
Loew passed over striker Miroslav Klose, whose 94 games and 48 goals for Germany also made him a leading candidate for captain. The 31-year-old Klose has spent most of the past season on the bench for Bayern and scored only three goals.
By not choosing Klose to be his captain, Loew may have indicated that Klose will not be in the starting 11.
The 24-year-old Neuer is the youngest of Loew's three goalkeepers, none of whom have much experience at national team level. Neuer has three games for Germany, Tim Wiese of Werder Bremen two and Joerg Butt of Bayern Munich, the veteran who turned 36 on Friday, also has three. Butt was third-choice goalkeeper at the 2002 World Cup.
Neuer's only full game for Germany was the 3-0 win over Malta two weeks ago. The 28-year-old Wiese was a second-half substitute in both previous appearances. Butt also came in as a substitute in all three of his games.
Lahm leads one of the youngest teams the three-time champion has even sent to the World Cup — seven players were on the team that won the European under-21 title last season.
Loew still has to cut two players from the provisional squad and said he would do so shortly before the June 1 deadline.
The coach spoke shortly before the team's departure for Budapest, where it will play a friendly against Hungary on Saturday.
Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Butt and Thomas Mueller won't be traveling with the team because Loew wanted to give them more rest after a long season with Bayern.
"I want them to stay in their good form and I think they need a few more days to rest," Loew said.
Klose will be the captain in Saturday's game.
The Germans will return to their base in south Tirol, a German-speaking area in northern Italy, before going home to face Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 3 in Frankfurt in their last World Cup warm-up game before traveling to South Africa.
SKorea emerges as Asian form team for WCup
SEOUL, South Korea — Aside from being Asia's representatives at the 2010 World Cup, Australia, Japan and North Korea have something else in common — all have been beaten recently by the continent's form team South Korea.
South Korea, preparing for its eighth appearance on the global stage, is full of confidence after booking a place in South Africa without losing any of its 14 qualification matches.
After four consecutive, impressive friendly wins in recent months over Ivory Coast, Ecuador and twice against Japan, the 2002 semifinalist has emerged as Asia's best bet to have a team in the World Cup's second round.
English Premier League stars Park Ji-sung of Manchester United and Bolton's Lee Chung-yong are in good form along with Monaco striker Park Chu-young and Glasgow Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-yong, leaving former Tottenham defender Lee Young-pyo optimistic about the team's chances in South Africa.
"Compared to the past we are physically and mentally stronger," said Lee. "We are a team that is always improving."
South Korea has the most favorable draw of the Asian teams. Argentina will be group favorites, but the Koreans will fancy their chances of progressing at the expense of Nigeria and Greece.
Monday's 2-0 victory over Japan was Korea's second win at the home of its bitter rival in less than four months and a more comprehensive victory than the 3-1 triumph in February.
It left Japan's players and fans stunned and full of admiration for its red-shirted neighbors.
"We couldn't do what we set out to do and I feel ashamed of ourselves. Man per man, we were outplayed, myself included," Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda said.
"There was a definite gap in the individual quality, whether it's winning headers or sheer physical strength. It's not a huge gap, but it's still a gap that will be difficult to close."
In six home games in 2010, Japan has only managed to defeat Hong Kong and Bahrain. In five other matches, two were goalless draws against China and Venezuela and as well as the two Korean wins, Serbia triumphed 3-0 in April. Just one goal from those five games, which came from the penalty spot, has fans despondent and the Japan football bosses worried.
"I only saw brief glimpses of a desire not to be beaten," said Japan Football Association president Motoaki Inukai. "You can't win games like that. It's a real disappointment. That sort of a performance won't get anyone excited about the World Cup."
Fans are concerned too. Following the Korean defeat, a poll run by Sports Nippon newspaper resulted in 95.2 percent of the respondents claiming that Japan would fail to progress past the group stage. Coach Okada has repeatedly and publicly stated that his target is a place in the semifinals.
Australia's form is not as dire but the Socceroos failed to impress in a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home to lowly New Zealand this week.
Despite fielding English Premier League stars such as Tim Cahill and Vince Grella, Australia was second best for much of the match. With the team in a tough group in South Africa along with Germany, Ghana and Serbia, the mood at home is not as buoyant as in 2006 when the team left for Germany amid a sea of optimism.
Then Guus Hiddink led the team to the last 16 with some exciting football before being knocked out with a late penalty against eventual champion Italy.
This time, coached by his former assistant and fellow Dutchman Pim Verbeek, the Socceroos qualified in unspectacular fashion.
Australia's 28-man squad has more goalkeepers than strikers, illustrating the more pragmatic and defense-minded approach under Verbeek.
"A lot of people have already written us off and people continue writing us off," goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said. "That's something you get used to ... over the years we've had to deal with that.
"We're going to go there with the expectation probably not as high as people thought it would be..we're happy to go there and be able to hopefully show people that they were wrong."
With North Korea drawn in the toughest group of all, facing Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal in Group G, their neighbors to the south may have the longest stay in South Africa of all the Asian teams.
-- John Duerden
Colombia team robbed by SAfrica hotel workers
JOHANNESBURG — Police say two hotel workers stole money from members of Colombia's football team, which is in South Africa for a friendly against the World Cup host.
Police spokesman Eugene Opperman said Friday the Colombian players' hotel rooms were cleaned while they were training on Tuesday, and when they returned they discovered cash was missing.
Media reports say that around $2,800 was taken from suitcases in the rooms but police would not confirm that.
Opperman said two employees appeared in court Thursday on theft charges. A third, who had also been arrested, was later released after being cleared of involvement.
"Everything has been sorted out and the issue was well managed," Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina told Associated Press Television. "The important thing is that everything has been sorted out."
Ospina said he did not know how much money had been stolen.
The incident occurred at the five-star Southern Sun hotel in the plush northern Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park — the same hotel where Slovenia will be based during the World Cup. Slovenia is scheduled to arrive on June 8.
"It was a case of petty theft and swift action was taken with two arrests made and two suspects having already appeared in court," local organizing committee spokesman Rich Mkhondo said.
"This is a clear indication of how seriously the South African police authorities view criminal acts of any kind and also shows they are well equipped and prepared to deal with security matters during the tournament."
Egypt's football team was robbed of nearly $2,500 at its Johannesburg hotel during last year's Confederations Cup.
South Africa beat Colombia 2-1 on Thursday in its first game at Soccer City, the main World Cup stadium.
-- Donna Bryson
Denmark finalizes World Cup squad; Kjaer stays
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Defender Simon Kjaer made the cut for Denmark's World Cup squad on Friday, a day after being carried away on a stretcher during a friendly.
Coach Morten Olsen finalized his 23-man squad by dropping goalkeeper Kim Christensen, midfielders Michael Silberbauer, Michael Krohn-Dehli and striker Morten Rasmussen.
"We have picked the squad that we believe is the best and some had unfortunately to stay home," Olsen said.
Kjaer injured right knee ligaments making a tackle during the 2-0 win over Senegal on Thursday.
Team physician Soren Kaalund said on Friday that Kjaer was walking, but more tests were planned in the coming days.
Denmark includes veteran goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and key striker Nicklas Bendtner, who both were spared during Thursday's friendly.
The squad also has veterans such as Feyenoord forward Jon Dahl Tomasson, Ajax winger Dennis Rommedahl and Liverpool defender Daniel Agger. Other experienced players are Christian Poulsen of Juventus and Martin Jorgensen of AGF Aarhus.
Less experienced are defenders Patrick Mtiliga, a 29-year-old with Spain's Malaga, and Simon Busk Poulsen from Alkmaar, who have played twice and three times for Denmark, respectively.
Olsen made the announcement hours before the team departs for South Africa.
Denmark was in Group E with the Netherlands, Japan and Cameroon.
-- Jan M. Olsen
Julio Cesar criticizes World Cup ball
JOHANNESBURG — Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar is not happy with the ball that will be used during the World Cup, saying it looks like something from a "grocery store."
Cesar also called the Adidas ball "horrible" and "terrible".
The goalkeeper, who won the Champions League with Inter Milan last week, did not elaborate on his views of the lively ball.
Cesar said "they are always trying to make things difficult for the goalkeepers," and later joked that he has only himself to blame for choosing to play the position.
Brazil held its first full practice in South Africa on Friday.
Vassilis Torosidis fit for Greece selection
ATHENS, Greece — The Greek football federation says defender Vassilis Torosidis is available for World Cup selection after recovering from a left ankle injury.
The 24-year-old player rejoined training at Greece's camp at Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, ahead of the June 1 deadline for the submission of the final Greece squad.
The Greeks take on Argentina, South Korea and Nigeria in South Africa, and will play fellow World Cup qualifier Paraguay in a warm-up match next Wednesday near their Swiss training camp.
Future World Cups
Australia WCup bid hurt by stadium fight
SYDNEY — The chairman of Football Federation Australia has admitted that squabbling among football codes over stadium usage may have hurt Australia's bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
A football website produced a critical assessment of Australia's bid, saying it had plummeted to seventh-best due to recent fights over stadiums involving the Australian Football League, the peak body of Australian Rules football.
FFA chairman Frank Lowy said Friday that the website report was "a lot of nonsense" but again criticized the AFL for its tough approach to stadium availability.
Australia, the United States, England, Russia, and joint bids from Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal are bidding for either 2018 or 2022. Japan, South Korea and Qatar are bidding only for 2022.
FIFA's executive committee will decide in December on the hosts for both tournaments.
"There are 24 people who are going to make that decision and the people who write about it have no idea what they are talking about," Lowy said.
"Did it hurt us the squabbles about the stadia? Yes. Did it hurt us very badly? Not that badly.
"But I would have preferred not to have it because it should have and could have been sorted out totally differently. The squabble wasn't necessary."
The AFL's decision to put its 54,000-seat stadium in Melbourne off limits left Victoria state with just two venues — the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Skilled Stadium in Geelong, a satellite city west of Melbourne. That was compared with a combined five stadia in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Lowy reiterated his disappointment at the approach taken by the AFL.
"I don't think they did the right thing," he said. "But we are all here now."
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said his code had been a "fantastic supporter" of the World Cup bid.
"The AFL was fully cooperative during the whole World Cup bid process," Demetriou said after being told of Lowy's comments.
"We have publicly stated we are supportive of the bid, we have given up five venues, which is the most of any code."
