Czechs still dangerous even without Baros

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany -- When the U.S played Czechoslovakia in the 1990 World Cup, a certain Bruce Arena was in the stands to watch some of his former charges take the field for the United States. It was the Americans' first game in the finals for 40 years, and Arena remembers well the feeling after watching the Czechs' 5-1 demolition of the U.S. team.

"In a sense, it was embarrassing how far behind we were," recalls Arena. "We got dominated that day. We didn't belong on the field."

Sixteen years later, Arena will have a chance to show how far the Americans have come when he leads his side against the Czech Republic Monday at the FIFA World Cup Stadium Gelsenkirchen.

In many respects, the challenge couldn't be more daunting, and a victory would be perhaps the Americans' most impressive result ever in a World Cup. That's because the Czechs possess an attack that, outside of Brazil, is as potent as any in the tournament. There is the imposing physical presence of forward Jan Koller, the midfield artistry of Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky, as well as the crossing of Karel Poborsky. Throw in the marauding runs of outside backs Marek Jankulovski and Zdenek Grygera, and it's enough to give any opposing team a migraine, especially given the unpredictable nature of their attack.

"I think [the Czech's] strength is their mobility," says U.S. captain Claudio Reyna. "They move around in different positions, so we have to be aware of where they are all the time. Nedved and Rosicky are the ones that move around the most and pop up anywhere on the field."

While those two players are vital to the Czech offense, Koller is another focal point of their attack. At 6-foot-8, Koller towers over his opponents, with his elbows usually operating at head level. And while his aerial ability is an obvious strength, it's his talent for holding the ball up and involving his teammates that is perhaps his biggest asset, and one that the U.S. will need to limit as much as possible.

"I think that the key is to get a body on [Koller] and get your shots in when you can," says defender Gregg Berhalter, who has played against Koller in the Bundesliga. "I don't mean to play unfair, but knock him a bit off balance."

Fortunately, the U.S. has a player in Oguchi Onyewu who can do just that. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Onyewu is one of the few defenders in the tournament with the size to match up against Koller. But whatever aggressive intentions Onyewu might have, he'll need to pick his spots and avoid conceding fouls around the box, especially given how lethal Rosicky and Nedved are on free kicks.

It was thought that another player to keep an eye on would have been forward Milan Baros. But the leading goal scorer at the 2004 European Championships has been nursing a foot injury. And there is a chance that the U.S. might be spared having to face some of the other Czech aces as well. Nagging injuries to the likes of Rosicky and Nedved have cast some doubt as to their participation, but Arena is having none of it.

"Don't believe everything you read," Arena playfully admonished reporters on Thursday. "If you believe the press reports, three or four of their top players are out, but I would guess that on Monday we're going to see them all on the field."

However, that comment was made before Baros hobbled out of training on Friday after a mere 15 minutes. When the Czech forward first sustained the injury in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago last week, it was thought he would recover, but now it seems less likely that he'll be fit for Monday's match. Should Baros not be able to go, his replacement could come from the likes of Jiri Stajner, Marek Heinz, or Libor Sionko. There is also the possibility that the Czechs might play a 4-5-1 formation and let Koller go it alone up top. Regardless, Arena feels that the Czechs won't be too troubled by the absence of Baros.

"Baros is certainly a loss, but the Czechs are one of the few teams in the world who can afford to lose a player like that," says Arena. "They'll be pretty potent attacking out of midfield."

But as dynamic as the Czechs are in attack, they have been known to leave things loose in defense, and it's on this factor that the Americans are pinning their hopes. During the Czechs' sparkling run to the semifinals of the 2004 European Championship, they conceded at least a goal in every game but one, despite having the considerable talents of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech at their disposal. The thinking in the U.S. camp is to use the unpredictability of Nedved and Rosicky against them and catch them out of position when the Americans win the ball.

"We'll try to take advantage of some lopsided shape that they leave themselves in," says defender Eddie Lewis. "One of the plans that we have from a tactical standpoint is that we feel that we can get at their backs."

For that tactic to be successful, the U.S. must get excellent games out of their speedier, more dynamic attacking players, especially Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, and Bobby Convey. Neither Beasley nor Donovan looked sharp in the last series of friendlies prior to the World Cup, with Beasley in particular looking nothing like the player who terrorized Mexico last September.

Beasley has carried himself with a "What, me worry?" expression all week, and Arena has stated that the U.S. midfielder had, "a good week of training." His offensive struggles aside, at the least Beasley will be counted on to harass the likes of Nedved and Jankulovski on the Czechs' left side.

Donovan is less of a concern, if only because his past history suggests that the bigger the stage, the better he plays. But if either player falters, then more of the attacking burden will fall on Convey, who has been in excellent form of late. The Reading midfielder is perhaps the only player in the lineup, other than Lewis, capable of delivering a good cross. Since this is precisely the kind of service that forward Brian McBride needs, Convey's performance will bear watching.

Another key is that Reyna will need to be at his tempo controlling best. One way to nullify an offense like the Czechs' is to possess the ball as much as possible, and the U.S. will be relying on their captain to deliver the kind of possession-retaining passes that have been his hallmark. They'll also need Reyna's wiliness in attack, especially given the high level experience possessed by Czech center backs Tomas Ujfalusi and David Rozehnal.

Even if all of these things happen, the Americans could still find themselves on the losing end. That's a testament to the quality of their opponent, but if the Americans' success in 2002 proved anything, it's that the U.S. team is beyond looking for moral victories. Arena certainly isn't thinking that way.

Says Arena, "Our team is ready to play, and there will be no excuses."

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com