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Thirty of 32 World Cup teams play this week
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-28 08:54
Thirty of the 32 World Cup teams play in exhibition games this week. With
only Togo and Australia idle, most of the action this week takes place in Europe
on Wednesday — exactly 100 days before the World Cup starts June 9.
"It's not time for experiments," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said.
The United States will be missing captain Claudio Reyna, recovering from
ankle surgery, but will have most of its other Europe-based players for the
first time this year for Wednesday night's game. The Americans are 3-0-1 in
World Cup warmups this year.
While practicing in Kaiserslautern, where the Americans play Italy in the
first round of the World Cup on June 17, the team is staying at the U.S.
military's Ramstein Air Base.
Other games Wednesday include defending champion Brazil at Russia; Uruguay at
England, Germany at Italy, Slovakia at France, Ivory Coast at Spain and Ecuador
at the Netherlands. Argentina plays Croatia at Basel, Switzerland.
On Tuesday, World Cup newcomer Trinidad and Tobago meets Iceland in London
and Japan faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in Dortmund, Germany.
Brazil is without five injured players who are likely to be on its 23-man
World Cup roster: midfielder Ronaldinho, defenders Cafu and Roque Junior, and
goalkeepers Dida and Julio Cesar.
Spain coach Luis Aragones expects a strong test against African Cup of
Nations runner-up Ivory Coast.
"In terms of individual ability, it's the best African team," said Aragones,
who thinks Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Arsenal's Kolo Toure are the most
dangerous players.
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson chose several fringe players for his squad
to face Uruguay at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium, missing eight regulars who are
hurt.
Eriksson has named rookie forward Darren Bent and given Wes Brown, Kieran
Richardson and Luke Young the chance to impress.
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