U.S. Faces Long Qualifying Road

The draw for the 2006 World Cup was held in Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday and, as far as the United States is concerned, reaching Germany ’06 could present more of a challenge than reaching the quarterfinals of Korea/Japan ’02.

Coach Bruce Arena’s team could play as many as 20 matches over the next two years simply to qualify--starting June 13 with a home game against either Grenada or Guyana.

Asked Friday if he knows anything about either team, Arena was candid.

“In all fairness, I don’t,” he said. “We’ve never played against them, but we’ll have the opportunity to scout their games in February and March.”

If the torturous qualifying process within the North and Central American and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) region goes as expected, the U.S. would play El Salvador, Jamaica and Panama in the next round.

But the possible permutations are innumerable and the complications of the CONCACAF draw left many scratching their heads.

“It was a little strange,” Arena said. “I think people from around the world were a bit confused.”

Costa Rica, Mexico and the U.S. advanced to Korea/Japan ‘02, and all three are favored to reach Germany ‘06, but not with ease.

“I think it’s going to be difficult,” Arena said. “I think the accomplishments that the CONCACAF teams had in 2002 has motivated everyone in the region. Therefore, I think that we’re a target. The U.S. is a target, Costa Rica is, and so is Mexico.

“I have to believe that countries such as Honduras, Canada, Guatemala and El Salvador are going to be much better prepared and have much more resources this time around.

“I think it’s going to be more difficult, and I wouldn’t be surprised if everybody goes to the last day.”

Depending on the outcome of preliminary matches, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras could all find themselves in the same second-round group, which poses a problem for two former U.S. coaches -- Steve Sampson of Costa Rica and Bora Milutinovic of Honduras.

Two good teams from that group will not make it through because only the top two from each of the three four-team second-round groups advance to the final round.

“Will we qualify? I don’t know,” said Milutinovic, who has coached five countries in the last five World Cups.

The first of those, Mexico, has a fairly straightforward path ahead of it, with its likely second-round opponents being Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and either St. Vincent and the Grenadines or Nicaragua.

*

Frankfurt Highlights

The 2006 World Cup draw produced no surprises as such, but there were some oddities worthy of note, for instance:

* Three of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom -- England, Wales and Northern Ireland -- were drawn into the same European group.

* Tunisia and Morocco, both seeking to stage the 2010 World Cup, were drawn into the same African group.

* China and Hong Kong were drawn into the same Asian group, raising the eyebrows of Milutinovic, China’s 2002 World Cup coach. “This is incredible,” he said. “How can China play Hong Kong? Hong Kong is China. They are the same country.”

* France, the 1998 World Cup winner, was drawn into the same group as Israel, the country that prevented it from qualifying for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.

*

Americans Advance

The U.S. reached the last 16 of the FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates on Friday when it defeated South Korea, 2-0, in Abu Dhabi to finish on top of its group at the end of first-round play in the 24-nation tournament.

Two goals by Dallas Burn striker Eddie Johnson, both off penalty kicks, gave Coach Thomas Rongen’s team a comfortable win on a day when 14-year-old Freddy Adu made his first start for the under-20 side.

In their previous game, the Americans were beaten, 3-1, by Germany, which was knocked out of the tournament Friday when it was upset, 2-0, by Paraguay.

“It says a lot about our group to bounce back from our loss to Germany,” Johnson said.

“I think what we did better tonight is that we tried to attack,” said Rongen, a Los Angeles Aztec player in the days of the old North American Soccer League. “We were too calculated against Germany and maybe a bit too cautious.”

The U.S. will play Ivory Coast in Dubai on Monday and, if it wins that game, will meet either defending champion Argentina or Egypt in the quarterfinals.

In other second-round matches, Japan plays South Korea; Canada plays Burkina Faso; the UAE plays Australia; Brazil plays Slovakia; Paraguay plays Spain; and Ireland plays Colombia.

*

Mathis Rejected

U.S. World Cup striker Clint Mathis, a free agent after his contract with Major League Soccer’s New York/New Jersey MetroStars expired at the end of the MLS season, has failed to land a job with Scottish champion Rangers.

Mathis, 27, had been recommended to Rangers by former Scotland international Mo Johnston, now an assistant coach with the MetroStars, but failed to impress Rangers’ Coach Alex McLeish during a one-week tryout.

Penarol Is Champion

Penarol won the Uruguayan championship for the first time since 1999 and for the 36th time overall when it defeated rival Nacional, 1-0, on a goal by Joe Bizera in a foul-marred match that saw 13 players cautioned and four ejected.

Referee Gustavo Mendez needed a police escort from the stadium after he red-carded three Nacional players as well as two substitutes on the Nacional bench, the team doctor and Coach Daniel Carreno, all for protesting.

*

Times wire services contributed to this report.