coming back to coach his old team, Steaua. Their archrivals Dinamo seemed to be
much stronger, but Iordanescu succeeded again in winning the National title.
Last summer he was appointed manager of the national side and again did a
splendid job by winning all the autumn games including the decisive games with
Belgium and Wales.
Iordanescu is assisted by Dumitru Dumitriu, also a former player and coach for
Steaua.
Players to be watched in USA
----------------------------
GHEORGHE HAGI (midfield, Brescia(ITA)):
29 year old team captain. One of the greatest Romanian soccer stars of all
time. An offensive midfielder with brilliant technique and a fearsome shot.
GHEORGHE POPESCU (sweeper, PSV Eindhoven(NETH)):
26 year old sweeper or defensive midfielder who is very strong in the tackle.
ILIE DUMITRESCU (midfield, Steaua Bucharest):
The Romanian rising star who can also play in attack, he has excellent
technique, is very pacey and scores regularly for the national side.
MIODRAG BELODEDICI (sweeper, Valencia(SP)):
A Beckenbauer-style player who became the first ever player to win the
European Cup with 2 different teams (Steaua in 1986 and Red Star in 1991).
FLORIN RADU RADUCIOIU (striker, AC Milan(ITA)):
The 24 year old scored 8 goals in the last 4 qualifying games and is a very
exciting talent.
DAN PETRESCU (right back, Genoa(ITA)):
Very consistent 27 year old full back who gets forward regularly and is capable
of scoring.
IONUTZ LUPESCU (midfield, Bayer Leverkusen(GER)):
Highly skilled 25 year old who's father Nicolae Lupescu played in the World Cup
finals of 1970.
ION VLADOIU (striker, Rapid Bucharest):
A short powerful striker who resembles Gerd Muller in the way he runs, shoots
and looks. A very aggressive striker who is capable of winning the ball from
defenders and using it to his advantage. Likely to start as a substitute, but
watch out for him when he comes on.
===============================================================================
S W I T Z E R L A N D
Serge Pasche
===============================================================================
COACH: Roy Hodgson
GOALKEEPERS: Age Caps Goals
1. Marco Pascolo Servette Geneve 28 16 0
12. Stefan Lehmann FC Sion 31 4 0
22. Martin Brunner Grasshoppers Zurich 31 33 0
DEFENDERS:
2. Marc Hottiger FC Sion 27 36 3
3. Yvan Quentin FC Sion 24 10 0
4. Dominique Herr FC Sion 29 35 2
5. Alain Geiger FC Sion 34 91 2
13. Andy Egli Servette Geneve 36 75 8
18. Martin Rueda FC Luzern 31 4 0
19. Juerg Studer FC Zurich 28 5 0
MIDFIELD:
6. Georges Bregy Young Boys Bern 36 47 14
7. Alain Sutter FC Nuernberg (Ger) 26 43 3
8. Christophe Ohrel Servette Geneve 25 25 4
10. Ciriaco Sforza FC Kaiserslautern (Ger) 24 20 3
16. Thomas Bickel Grasshoppers Zurich 30 39 3
17. Sebastien Fournier FC Sion 23 3 1
20. Patrick Sylvestre Lausanne Sports 26 8 0
21. Thomas Wyss FC Aarau 28 5 0
FORWARDS:
9. Adrian Knup VfB Stuttgart (Ger) 26 31 21
11. Stephane Chapuisat Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 25 33 9
14. Nestor Subiat FC Lugano 28 3 3
15. Marco Grassi FC Zurich 26 8 2
Switzerland is a small country (42000 square km) between France, Germany,
Austria and Italy. It has 6.5 million inhabitants and the main cities are
Geneva, Bern (capital), Zurich and Basel.
Switzerland has 4 different cultures, and the official languages are German,
French, Italian and Romantsch.
*********************
WC 94 Qualification :
*********************
Switzerland qualified in the European Group 1. They took 3 points
to Italy and ended in second position.
Group 1
GP W D L GF GA Pts
Italy 10 7 2 1 24 8 16
Switzerland 10 6 3 1 23 6 15
Portugal 10 6 2 2 19 7 14
Scotland 10 4 3 3 14 13 11
Malta 10 1 1 8 3 23 3
Estonia 10 0 1 9 1 27 1
Friendlies:
01.94 USA - Switzerland 1-1
01.94 Mexico - Switzerland 1-5
03.94 Hungary - Switzerland 1-2
04.94 Switzerland - Czech Rep 3-0
05.94 Switzerland - Liechtenstein 2-0
05.94 Italy - Switzerland 1-0
06.94 Bolivia - Switzerland 0-0
Switzerland are one of the emerging forces in European football, but not many
people are taking this into account when assessing the 1994 World Cup finals.
Switzerland will be a surprise team as, yet again, they are being
underestimated, and Italy can testify that underestimating this Swiss team can
be very costly.
The coach, Englishman Roy Hodgson has been in charge for three years now, and
the team is extremely well organised. Switzerland are a fluid attacking force
and their matches are usually full of incident.
Switzerland should easily get through the first round phase in either 1st or
2nd place in Group A. They are capable of beating any team other than Germany
or Brazil, and I therefore see them reaching the quarter finals.
in the Group A). In 1/8 finals they can beat any team other than
Key Players :
STEPHANE CHAPUISAT (Forward, Borussia Dortmund(GER)):
The finest Swiss player at keeping possession, he can score at any moment.
Chapuisat has played in the German Bundesliga since 1991 and has excellent
experience at international level. He was named "Player of the year" in Germany
in 1992.
ADRIAN KNUP (Forward, VfB Stuttgart(GER)):
21 goals in 31 games. He is faster than Chapuisat but has less technique.
Scores a lot of headers.
CIRIACO SFORZA (Midfield, Kaiserslautern(GER)):
One of the best attacking midfielders in the German Bundesliga. Very active
player with good skill.
ALAIN SUTTER (Midfield, FC Nuernberg(GER)):
Good crosser from the left side, excellent technique.
MARC HOTTIGER (Defender, FC Sion):
Fastest defensive player, very attacking right back.
===============================================================================
U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A
Christopher Allen, David Akkarach, Andy Busa & Marcus Lindroos
===============================================================================
COACH: Bora Milutinovic
GOALKEEPERS: Age Caps Goals
1. Tony Meola USSF 25 84 0
12. Jurgen Sommer Luton Town (Eng) 23 0 0
18. Brad Friedel Newcastle Utd (Eng) 23 25 0
DEFENDERS:
2. Mike Lapper USSF 23 39 1
4. Cle Kooiman Cruz Azul (Mex) 30 10 1
17. Marcelo Balboa USSF 26 90 10
20. Paul Caligiuri USSF 30 82 4
21. Fernando Clavijo USSF 37 58 0
22. Alexei Lalas USSF 24 45 5
MIDFIELD:
3. Mike Burns USSF 23 17 0
5. Thomas Dooley USSF 33 38 4
6. John Harkes Derby County (Eng) 27 49 4
7. Hugo Perez USSF 30 76 16
9. Tab Ramos Real Betis (Spa) 27 49 3
13. Cobi Jones USSF 24 49 5
15. Joe-Max Moore USSF 23 33 9
16. Mike Sorber USSF 23 35 2
19. Claudio Reyna USSF 20 16 2
FORWARDS:
8. Ernie Stewart Willem II Tilburg (Neth) 25 16 2
10. Roy Wegerle Coventry City (Eng) 30 16 1
11. Eric Wynalda 1. FC Saarbruecken (Ger) 25 52 14
14. Frank Klopas USSF 27 30 9
The key to how well the USA will perform in the World Cup finals lies with the
question of how well our "Europeans" integrate with our "domestics" when the
European leagues finish on May 7. Right now there is a little bit of tension
between some of the "domestics" and Roy Wegerle who, somewhat foolishly said
that the "Europeans" were "better" then the "domestics". While this is clearly
true for the most part, he didn't need to be quoted in _Soccer America_
actually saying it! For the momemt, he has a knee injury (playing with Coventry
City), but will be back well in time for the finals. Given the insane English
schedule, this is actually a blessing in disguise.
The other "Europeans" that will be major players for the USA will be Harkes
(Derby County), Ramos (Real Betis) in midfield, Stewart (Willem II) and Wynalda
(1. FC Saarbruecken) as forwards, and hopefully Keller (Millwall) as
goalkeeper.
As for the "domestics", Dooley has been wonderful in giving the younger players
experience and perspective. In the past, the US would never be able to come
back and defeat or draw with top European sides in friendlies or otherwise,
with goals in the last 5 minutes of three matches. If you have seen my posts,
they are 1-2-0 vs Norway, Switzerland and Russia this year. I know that these
are only friendlies, but this kind of "confidence building" has done wonders
for the younger players such as Cobi Jones, Alexi Lalas, Mike Burns, and even
"domestic veterans" like Marcelo Balboa, Desmond Armstrong, Tony Meola, and
Paul Caliguri. In the Russia match they outshot Russia 18-3 and had the
possession advantage of about 65%-35%. I'd never seen them control the ball
like that against a European team in the past with the exception of the 3-1
defeat of Ireland in Washington in 1992, when all the "Europeans" were present.
Lastly, there is the coach, Bora Milutinovic. He has taken Mexico and Costa
Rica much further than anyone would have expected in the 1986 and 1990 World
Cups, and he now has the US players confident that they can play THEIR style
and not just respond to other teams. To be sure, Colombia, Switzerland and
Romania are tough opponents, but I think that the second round is a reasonable
possibility. I just took a look at a tape from Italia '90 when the US lost to
Italy 1-0. The difference between the level of play then and now is amazing.
Tactically, this is a very competitive team based on the players' tactical
ability; we have only two players who are weak in the tactical aspects of the
game at international level: Armstrong and Lalas. Everyone else on the team is
at least up to scratch internationally.
Physically, there are no problems at the back, particularly with Caligiuri, who
is a player not to ever be underestimated despite his small stature (5'8").
Burns (5'8"/5'9") is not a much of a physical presence either but is a very
good player (IMO, he's better than Harkes was 4 years ago) because of his
tactical sophistication for an American born player.
In the midfield, we have two short players in Jones and Ramos. Jones isn't as
effective against bigger teams when compared to playing against Latin teams.
But, if they do underestimate his ability, he'll certainly wreak havoc on the
defense with far side runs and crosses. This was evident in the matches against
Norway and Switzerland (near the end of the match). Ramos can play against just
about anybody, I remember him against Spain where he consistently beat bigger
and stronger Spaniards with his quick transitional moves.
Mentally: How bad do these guys want to win? We know that Meola et al from the
WC90 team have experienced the atmosphere. I hope they can help prepare the
others to know what expect when playing in the World Cup. If not, I'm sure
Milutinovic can, since he's been successful doing it with all his past teams.
Lastly, there is the potential for turmoil in the team, namely the conflicts
arising from Meola in the back and Wynalda up front. Let's hope that they
behave like professionals and not turn the players against each other.
The results of recent games have been as follows:
93/6 /06 BRAZIL H NEW HAVEN,CT 44,579 0-2
93/6 /09 ENGLAND H FOXBORO,MA 37,652 2-0 DOOLEY(42) LALAS(72)
93/6 /13 GERMANY H CHICAGO 53,549 3-4 DOOLEY(25,79)
STEWART(72)
93/6 /16 URUGUAY N AMBATO 0-1
93/6 /19 ECUADOR A QUITO 0-2
93/6 /22 VENEZUELA N QUITO 3-3 HENDERSON(21)
LALAS(37) KINNEAR(52)
93/7 /10 JAMAICA H DALLAS 11,642 1-0 WYNALDA(67)
93/7 /14 PANAMA H DALLAS 13,771 2-1 WYNALDA(69) DOOLEY(74)
93/7 /16 HONDURAS H DALLAS 16,348 1-0 LALAS(29)
93/7 /21 COSTA RICA H DALLAS 14,826 1-0 KOOIMAN(103)
93/7 /25 MEXICO A MEXICO CITY 120,000 0-4
93/9 /8 NORWAY A OSLO 0-1
93/10/13 MEXICO H WASHINGTON DC 23,927 1-1 JONES(82)
93/10/16 UKRAINE H HIGH POINT,NC 4,298 1-2 PEREZ(26)
93/10/23 UKRAINE H BETLEHEM,PA 7,896 0-1
93/1 /7 JAMAICA H FULLERTON,CA 5,318 1-0 LALAS(32)
93/11/14 CAYMAN ISLANDS H MISSION VIEJO,CA 3,612 8-1 KINNEAR(9,30)
MOORE(19,88)
CHUNG(46,85)
AGOOS(33) SANTEL(87)
93/1 /5 EL SALVADOR H LOS ANGELES 7,618 7-0 KINNEAR(28,43)
MOORE(35,42,65,70)
PEREZ(57)
93/12/18 GERMANY H PALO ALTO,CA 52,397 0-3
94/1 /15 NORWAY H TEMPE,AZ 15,386 2-1 BALBOA(55) JONES(89)
94/1 /22 SWITZERLAND H FULLERTON,CA 10,173 1-1 og(88)
94/1 /29 RUSSIA H SEATTLE 43,651 1-1 LALAS(85)
94/2 /10 DENMARK A HONG KONG 9,000 0-0
94/2 /13 ROMANIA A HONG KONG 9,000 1-2 BALBOA(14)
94/2 /18 BOLIVIA H MIAMI 15,676 1-1 JONES(78)
94/2 /20 SWEDEN H MIAMI 20,171 1-3 PEREZ(4)
94/3 /12 SOUTH KOREA H FULLERTON, CA 10,319 1-1 BALBOA(64)
94/3 /26 BOLIVIA H DALLAS 26,835 2-2 PEREZ(31,48)
94/4 /16 MOLDOVA H JACKSONVILLE, FL 1-1
94/4 /20 MOLDOVA H DAVIDSON, NC 3-0
94/4 /24 ICELAND H CHULA VISTA, CA 1-2
94/5 /7 ESTONIA H FULLERTON, CA 4-0
94/5 /15 ARMENIA H FULLERTON, CA 1-0
94/5 /25 SAUDI ARABIA H PISCATAWAY, NJ 0-0
94/5 /28 GREECE H YALE BOWL, CN 1-1
94/6 /4 MEXICO H PASADENA, CA 91,123 1-0 WEGERLE(52)
==================================================================
Some Key Players:
THOMAS DOOLEY (Defence/Midfield, 1. FC Kaiserslautern(GER)):
Height/Weight: 6'1" /168 lbs.
Born: 12 May 1961 / Bechhofen, Germany
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA USA & Bechofen, Germany
US Debut: 30 May 1992 vs Ireland
Caps: 30
Has performed in a superior fashion in all major internationals since his debut
in the US Cup in 1992. Won the 1993 award as "Honda Player of the Year" in the
USA. His eligibility for the US -- his father was a US serviceman stationed in
Germany in the early 1960s -- had been discovered shortly before the 1992 US
Cup. He scored the first goal in the USA's historic defeat of England in the
1993 US Cup, and scored two goals against Germany later in the tournament. Has
tremendous versatility after 9 years with Kaiserslautern (with a league
Championship and a DFB Cup Championship during his time with the club). Has
played defender and midfielder for the USA, but could be the starting American
sweeper in USA '94.
JOHN HARKES (Defence/Midfield, Derby County(ENG)):
Height/Weight: 5'11" / 165 lbs.
Born: 8 March 1967 / Kearney, NJ USA
Hometown: Kearney, NJ & Derby, England
US Debut: 23 May 1987 vs Canada
Caps: 52
Has played the past three years in England, 2 years with Sheffield Wednesday,
and the last one with Derby County. Has been the most successful American in
England: English Second Division Champion (1991); League Cup (1991); League Cup
Runner up (1993); FA Cup Runner up (1993); and the first "Yank" to score a goal
at Wembley in a professional match. Played for the US Olympic team in 1988 and
in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Has played all midfield positions in England
and for the USA, but most likely will play as a right back or "wingback" in
USA '94.
TAB RAMOS (Midfield, Real Betis(SP)):
Height/Weight: 5'7" / 140 lbs.
Born: 21 September 1966 / Montevideo, Uruguay
Hometown: Hillside, NJ USA & Valencia Spain
US Debut: 10 January 1988 vs Guatamala
Caps: 50
Moved to USA with his family as a young child and grew up in the US soccer
community of Kearney, NJ (with Harkes and keeper Tony Meola). Among the most
skilful US products and an exceptionally talented playmaker, Ramos is a
midfielder for Real Betis, a club likely to be promoted to the first divison
for 1994-95. Scored winning goal vs Ireland in the first US Cup game in 1992
and his cross to Dooley set up the first goal vs England in 1993 US Cup.
Started his international career at the age of 16 at the 1983 U-20 World
Championship, also played in the 1988 Olympics and in Italia '90.
ROY WEGERLE - (Forward/Midfield, Coventry City(ENG)):
Height/Weight: 5'11" / 170 lbs.
Born: 19 March 1964 / Pretoria, South Africa
Hometown: Tampa, FL USA & Coventry England
US Debut: 30 May 1992 vs Ireland
Caps: 14
Set up a goal in his US debut, an impressive 3-1 win, though he had never
practiced with the team. Joined Coventry City after stints with English clubs
Blackburn Rovers, QPR, Luton Town and Chelsea. In the US, played for the
University of South Florida, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Tacoma Stars. Brother of
former English league star, Steve Wegerle. Could possibly have played with at
least 4 other national sides: South Africa (birthplace), Germany (father's
birthplace), Scotland (mother's ancestral home), England (established 5 year
residency), but chose to play with the USA, since his marriage to an American
woman whom he met while in college in the USA. He is a creative forward, but he
generally plays as a "withdrawn" forward in Bora Milutinovic's 4-5-1 or 5-4-1
formations. Has had knee surgery twice in the past 6 months, but is expected to
be ready by June 18.
ERNIE STEWART (Forward, Willem II Tilburg(NETH)):
Height/Weight: 5'9" / 145 lbs.
Born: 28 March 1969 / Veghel, Netherlands
Hometown: Uden, Netherlands
US Debut: 19 December 1990
Caps: 13
A speedy front-runner with a nose for the goal. The son of an American father
and a Dutch mother, moved to the Dutch first division after scoring 14 goals
for VVV Venlo in the 2nd division in the 1989-90 season. Scored 17 goals for
Willem II in 1990-91 and scored a goal vs Germany in the 1993 US Cup in
Chicago. Lived in the USA from the age of 2 to the age of 7.
ERIC WYNALDA (Forward/Midfield, 1. FC Saarbruecken(GER)):
Height/Weight: 5'11" / 170 lbs.
Born: 9 June 1969 / Fullerton, CA USA
Hometown: West Lake Village, CA USA & Saarbruecken, Germany
US Debut: 2 February 1990 vs Costa Rica
Caps: 50
Exploded after joining Saarbruecken for the 92-93 season, scoring 9 goals in
first 10 games. Led the US in scoring in 1992 with 5 goals in 7 games and was
named "Honda Player of the Year". Played in the US College (NCAA) finals in
1987 with San Diego State College. Noted for dribbling at high speed, and makes
effective diagonal runs. During 93-94 season has scored 12 goals for
Saarbruecken playing striker, "withdrawn" forward, and midfielder.
Simon Gleave, E-Mail s...@ssru.city.ac.uk Phone +44-71-477-8000 x 4129
Computing Officer, LS Support Group, Social Statistics Research Unit,
The City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK
===============================================================================
W O R L D C U P G R O U P B
===============================================================================
World Cup Finals Records:
Team P W D L F A Apps Best Performance(s)
Brazil 65 42 12 11 158 68 14 Winners ('58,'62,'70)
Cameroon 8 3 3 2 8 10 2 Quarter-Final (1990)
Russia (U.S.S.R.) 31 15 6 10 53 34 7 Fourth (1966)
Sweden 31 11 6 14 37 34 8 Runners-Up (1958)
Everybody is describing Group E as the 'Group of Death' and forgetting about
Group B which contains the favourites, Brazil, the 1990 quarter finalists,
Cameroon, the 1988 Euro Championship finalists, Russia and the 1992 Euro
Championship semi-finalists, Sweden. Russia and Sweden in particular will want
to make up for their disappointing performance in Italia '90 when they both
exited at this group stage.
It's difficult to see past Brazil for group winners, although it is nearly 25
years since they actually won the trophy and I do have to wonder whether their
reputation has more to do with triumphs in the distant past rather than
anything the team has done recently. However, having said that, I can't see
any of the others troubling them.
Cameroon thrilled us all in 1990 and I'm sure nobody will forget Francois
Oman-Biyik's header against Argentina in Italy when the Africans defeated the
World Cup holders in the opening game. Much of that team is still playing
including the veteran Roger Milla who is officially 42 years old, but is
rumoured to be 46! I can't see them performing as well in this tournament,
although they are well capable of causing a few ripples.
Russia have got a lot of problems at the moment with a number of top players
including Manchester Utd's Andrei Kanchelskis refusing to play under the
present coach. They are not the force they once were anyway and only qualified
in second place behind Greece for this year's tournament. I'm afraid that
another disappointment is on the cards for the Russians this time.
Sweden played some appalling stuff in 1990 when losing to both Scotland and
Costa Rica - the team was fairly young and now, with four years more
experience, I would expect them to fulfil the potential that we all thought
they had four years ago. Tomas Brolin has been playing in Italy ever since the
1990 capitulation and the Swedes have uncovered an excellent striker in Martin
Dahlin, expect them to be runners-up to Brazil.
In summary, Brazil to emerge victorious with Sweden in second place and
Cameroon sweating in third. Russia to finish bottom for the second World Cup
finals running.
===============================================================================
B R A Z I L
Mauricio Dziedzic
===============================================================================
COACH: A.C. Parreira (former coach of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia)
GOALKEEPERS: Age Caps Goals
1. Taffarel Reggiana (Ita) 28 79 0
12. Zetti Sao Paulo 28 25 0
22. Gilmar Flamengo 35 22 0
DEFENDERS:
2. Jorginho Bayern Munich (Ger) 29 69 5
3. Ricardo Rocha Vasco de Gama 31 58 0
4. Ricardo Gomes Paris St Germain (Fra) 30 63 4
6. Branco Fluminense 30 75 8
13. Aldair AS Roma (Ita) 28 23 1
14. Cafu Sao Paulo 24 47 1
15. Marcio Santos Girondins Bordeaux (Fra) 24 37 3
16. Leonardo Sao Paulo 24 27 0
MIDFIELD:
5. Mauro Silva Deportivo la Coruna (Spa) 26 40 0
8. Dunga VfB Stuttgart (Ger) 30 52 5
9. Zinho Palmeiras 27 36 2
10. Rai Paris St Germain (Fra) 28 52 13
17. Mazinho Palmeiras 27 50 0
18. Paulo Sergio Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 25 19 2
FORWARDS:
7. Bebeto Deportivo la Coruna (Spa) 30 81 31
11. Romario Barcelona (Spa) 28 52 24
19. Muller Sao Paulo 28 67 12
20. Ronaldo Cruzeiro 17 6 1
21. Viola Corinthians 25 9 1
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