US Soccer Team To Be Tested in World Cup Group E

US Soccer Team To Be Tested in World Cup Group E
By Jim Stevenson
Washington
22 May 2006

The U.S. men's national soccer team has made great strides in recent years, reaching the quarterfinal round of the 2002 World Cup tournament and rising to a best-ever fourth in the world rankings (5th currently). But the U.S. team may have a difficult task to reach the second round of this year's World Cup.

The United States has been drawn into Group E of the tournament that kicks off June ninth in Germany. For the Americans, reaching the second round will require earning points against two strong European teams, the Czech Republic and Italy.

International football expert commentator Derek Rae from Scotland says those two teams are the ones most people expect to emerge from Group E.

"Italy are big favorites. They did not overwhelm anyone in qualifying. But it seems to me they got a lot better in the period since qualifying ended up to now," Rae explains. "And they have a real genuine star in Luca Toni, the striker of Fiorentina, a big powerful striker who broke the 30-goal barrier in Serie A this season. So they have players in every position who can excel."

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