in forwards Hanna Ljungberg and Victoria Svensson. But the Swedes have battled injuries through the last year.
Every game in a World Cup is important. But Friday's game on ESPN (4:55 a.m.) takes on added significance in wake of the tie.
Asked how important it was for the U.S. to emerge with a victory, DiCicco replied, "It's vital for their psyche and for a number of reasons. The truth is, they won't get eliminated if they don't get a victory. But obviously they came here as the No. 1 team. The greatest team that nobody had ever heard of.
"They're comparing themselves to the '99 team and the '96 team. I think they ran into a very good North Korea team. I don't think we played as well as we could play -- clearly. So they need to be good. I think they will be. Sweden will be a totally different matchup for them. Sweden will have all the trouble with the matchups.
"They certainly don't want to go into the last game looking at different scenarios and trying to figure out what need. Obviously, they need a win. ... The second spot in the group will probably be a matchup against Germany in the quarterfinals and you don't want that. I expect them to rebound.
"Somehow, they didn't realize how good North Korea was."
DiCicco is concerned about the fact the U.S. came to China too early, noting they were there 14 days prior to its first game.
"They were in California," he said of the last warmup match against Finland Aug. 25. "Traditionally after the last game, there are three or four days and then you gather and travel again. I understand you're on the West Coast.
"But 14 days to me is a long time before the first game ... even if they spent some time in Shanghai."
While watching the U.S.-Korea match, DiCicco admitted that "it was kind of eerie that was so similar" to his very first game at the 1995 WWC in Sweden. The U.S. played another talented Asian side, China, to a wild 3-3 draw while losing his star striker, Michelle Akers, to injury. Abby Wambach missed seven minutes while getting stitches to close a cut on her head.
"I remember that feeling," DiCicco said. "I had no answers for what China was doing. I couldn't get the right matchups in the game. And I think Greg (Ryan, the U.S. coach) was going through the same thing."
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
