U.S. nursing injuries as it prepares for Austria

After a gutsy, come-from-behind win over rough-and-tumble Uruguay in the Round of 16, a banged-up U.S. team turns its attention to the dangerous Austrian squad it will face in Saturday's quarterfinal (2:15 p.m. ET, ESPNU) in Toronto.

Austria has been one of the surprises of the tournament so far. It finished second in Group A, and beat Gambia, 2-1, in Edmonton on Wednesday to reach the last eight.

Former Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Andreas Herzog, now an assistant for Austria's senior national team, called this squad "the best Austrian youth team ever." So the Americans would be foolish to think this game will be any easier than the 120-minute grudge match they survived against Uruguay.

It will not help that, after playing four matches in 12 days, injuries are beginning to take a serious toll on the U.S. Goalkeeper Chris Seitz sat out last game with a bruised quad but could return Saturday. Forward Jozy Altidore (three goals so far) was subbed out early in the second half vs. Uruguay with a calf strain. Altidore is 50-50 to play. Skilled right winger Sal Zizzo, also replaced against Uruguay shortly after the break, has a slight hamstring strain. Of the three, he is the most likely to start.

"I want Seitz to play," said backup keeper Brian Perk, who was superb as Seitz' replacement against Uruguay. "He's the No. 1 goalkeeper on this team. I hope he'll be able to go. But if not, then I'll be ready and try to do exactly I did [Wednesday]."

Another worry for the Yanks is that three key defensive players -- Michael Bradley, Anthony Wallace and Julian Valentin -- picked up yellow cards midweek (attackers Freddy Adu and Gabe Ferrari also were booked). If any of them receive another card Saturday, they'll sit out the semifinal if the Americans were to advance. National team coach Thomas Rongen will have to ensure that the booking situation doesn't lead to overly-cautious play in the back.

Austria's big concern might be fatigue. The Europeans played two group games in Edmonton before jetting to Toronto to finish Round 1. Then they traveled back to Edmonton to face Gambia before returning to "T.O." to meet the Yanks. That equals about 7,000 miles of flying in six days.

The Americans have enjoyed a much easier itinerary. They have remained in eastern Canada thus far, playing two games in Montreal and one in Ottawa and Toronto respectively. The Yanks haven't set foot on a plane since arriving north of the border from New Jersey on June 28.

To win this weekend, the U.S. will need to attack with confidence and precision and put the clamps on midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic when the ball is lost. Junuzovic is charged with providing service to star striker Erwin "Jimmy" Hoffer, who leads his team with two goals.

Both players have already been capped at senior international level, as have midfielder Veli Kavlak and defender Seb Propel, the team's captain. That means that all four have extra incentive beat the U.S.; with a deep run in Canada, they'll boost their chances of making national team coach Josef Hickersberger's roster for Euro 2008, which Austria will co-host with Switzerland.

Attacking isn't Austria's strength. With just four goals scored, it has the fewest total among the quarterfinalists. But defensively, Paul Gludovatz's team is a stingy one, having given up only two goals in its four games.

Still, the Austrians had a tough time with Gambia, which was playing a man down. They took the lead on the stroke of halftime, minutes after Gambian midfielder Tijan Jaiteh was sent off. But the Africans pressed on and equalized in the 69th minute before Hoffer delivered the winner with less than 10 minutes left.

For Rongen's team, this contest is yet another moment of truth.

It doesn't really matter what credentials Austria brings to the table. At this stage, when players are tired and hurting, they know every match will be extremely hard-fought and difficult. Everything now is up for grabs.

So far, the Yanks have risen to meet each challenge they have faced at this tournament. Can they use their momentum to pass this next test, advance to the semis and officially turn an impressive run into a magical one? The world will find out soon enough.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPNsoccernet.