Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner said after Friday's World Cup draw that he knows very little or nothing about the U.S. national team that he will face in Group E next summer.
That's surprising. His team played the U.S. Under-23 side to a 2-2 draw during the opening round of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He ought to remember something because he walked away from that match quite impressed with the Americans.
OK, we'll jog Brucker's memory just a bit.
This is what the Czech coach told yours truly after that game:
"They are a wonderful team," said Bruckner. "We were defending all night. They managed to get through all of our defensive formations no matter what we did. There was a lot to be admired."
Strikers Conor Casey and Josh Wolff ran wild -- unchecked at times -- through the Czech defense.
So, after such a match, what did Bruckner remember about the team?
Not much.
"I don't know anything about the USA team," he said. "I had played the USA as my opponent during the Olympic games."
Asked if he knew who Landon Donovan was, Bruckner replied, "No."
No? Doesn't everyone know who Donovan is?
Donovan was a member of that U.S. team, although it did take a while for the late coach Clive Charles to start him instead of using the current Los Angeles Galaxy player as a super-sub.
Yet Bruckner said he expected the U.S. to "be a very strong team," in the World Cup next June. The Czechs were placed in Group E along with the U.S., Italy and Ghana.
"We are not underestimating our opponents," Bruckner said.
Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic, on the other hand, definitely knows about Donovan.
"Yes, of course," he said. "I have heard about him. He is good."
So is Ghana, considered by many soccer observers to be the best team out of Africa.
For years Ghana seemed to be on the verge of reaching soccer's promised land with some big stars such as Abedi Pele and Anthony Yeboah. Yet the Black Stars, as they are called, kept on coming up short.
So when Ghana became one of five African sides to qualify for the World Cup, Dujkovic likened it to the country receiving its independence from the United Kingdom in 1957.
"This is the crowning of my career," said Dujkovic, who turns 60 on Feb. 24. "I am very happy. We are very proud to be in this competition. We are not coming to participate. We are coming to compete."
Dujkovic is realistic about his team's chances, but he has to be hopeful as well.
"I believe [Ghana] and USA will do their best to surprise for one of the first or second positions," he said. "We are happy to be there. But of course, it will be so very difficult for us because we are new.
"I always said, with 11 boys anything can happen."
His favorite to win the group is Italy.
"They are more experienced at this competition," he said. "They have a very strong team, very level of the players.
"We know our chances are not like Italy's side. We know they are stronger than Ghana is.
"We will try our best. With our unity and team spirit, we will try to surprise them."
Dujkovic figured his three opponents will get an edge scouting his team at the African Nations Cup of Champions in Egypt in January.
"It's no handicap," Dujkovic said. "There is no secrecy in football. Everyone knows everything."
Italian coach Marcello Lippi, whose team is favored to move on, said he was "not disappointed" with the draw.
"I'm satisfied," he said. "It's a tricky group, but they are all strong teams at this level. We knew we'd be facing some tough matches even before the draw."
He wasn't worried that the Czech Republic and the U.S. are in his group.
"That's not a big problem," he said. "We're improving all the time and we'll been even better by the time the tournament starts next year."
Making book of the situation: And in case you're wondering, English bookmakers, according to Reuters, made the U.S. 100-1 shots to win it all. That's No. 18 out of 32 teams. Italy was at 8-1, Czech Republic at 20-1 and Ghana at 250-1.
The others:
Brazil: 11-4
England: 13-2
Germany: 7-1
Argentina: 8-1
Italy: 8-1
France: 10-1
Spain: 12-1
Netherlands: 14-1
Portugal: 18-1
Czech Republic: 20-1
Sweden: 28-1
Mexico: 40-1
Croatia: 50-1
Ukraine: 50-1
Ivory Coast: 66-1
Poland: 66-1
Switzerland: 80-1
Serbia & Montenegro: 100-1
U.S.: 100-1
Australia: 125-1
Ecuador: 125-1
Japan: 150-1
Paraguay: 150-1
Ghana: 250-1
South Korea: 300-1
Tunisia: 300-1
Angola: 400-1
Togo: 400-1
Costa Rica: 500-1
Iran: 500-1
Saudi Arabia: 750-1
Trinidad & Tobago: 1,000-1
Michael Lewis writes about soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Lewis will only answer e-mails and letters that have names or are signed. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
