Eddie Johnson says he sees similarities between his team and the soldiers he will be surrounded by when the United States stays in the Ramstein Air Base for Saturday’s match against Italy in Kaiserslautern.
“It’s like us in the World Cup,” the 22-year-old Johnson told reporters in Hamburg. “We’re here for war. We came here to battle. We came here to represent our country.
“Whenever you put your jersey on and you look at your crest and the national anthem’s going on, and you’re playing against a different country, it’s like you do or die, it’s survival of the [fittest] over 90 minutes-plus.”
Italy’s own young forward, 23-year-old Alberto Gilardino, was asked about Johnson’s comments.
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration,” Gilardino said through a translator. “I don’t think it’s a war.”
Italy’s 2-0 win over Ghana Monday has it tied for the Group E lead with the Czech Republic. The United States’ 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic on the same day should have the Americans in “do-or-die” mode against Italy.
Italy is 3-0-2 all-time against the U.S., including a 1-0 exhibition win in 2002 and a 1-0 win in the 1990 World Cup.
“It’s going to be a decisive match for the USA since they lost 3-0,” Gilardino said. “We shouldn’t underestimate them.”
Gilardino is part of a new style of play for Italy that threatens opponents with a constant attack rather then a conservative defense the Azurri were known for in the past. Even when they were up 1-0 against Ghana on Monday, coach Marcello Lippi continued to sub in attacking players, including Vincenzo Iaquinta, who scored the second goal.
Lippi was hired after his predecessor, Giovanni Trapattoni, failed to get Italy out of the group stages of the 2004 European championships. The 2006 World Cup marks the fifth straight time Italy will appear in the tournament with a new coach.
Since losing to Brazil in the 1994 World Cup final, Italy has been eliminated in its last two World Cup outings by the host country (France in 1998 and South Korea in 2002). Italy defeated 2006 hosts Germany 4-1 in March with Gilardino scoring his team’s first goal in the fifth minute.
Gilardino watched Germany defeat Poland 1-0 with a game-winning goal in stoppage time Wednesday, but he expected more from the three-time World Cup winners.
“I wasn’t very satisfied with Germany’s performance,” Gilardino said, “but they got three points [for the win]. They have a lot of great players with experience.”
What does Gilardino know about the U.S. team he will face Saturday?
“Not much,” he said. “I know they like to hold the ball. [Thursday] afternoon we’ll watch some videos and scout their players.”
Although the AC Milan forward knows little about his opponents, his opponent’s head coach, Bruce Arena, has praised Gilardino and called him–not star Francesco Totti–Italy’s best player.
“I haven’t read that, but it’s nice to hear that sort of compliment,” Gilardino said.
Something Gilardino doesn’t want to hear about anymore is the match-fixing scandal. In May, it was revealed that four teams from Italy’s Serie A–Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio–were under investigation for allegedly fixing match results and arranging referee assignments during the 2004-2005 season. Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been questioned, though no charges have been brought.
“We need to concentrate on the games,” Gilardino said. “The group is very tight . . . and scandals have always been around in Italy.”
It’s not over . . .
After the Czech Republic knocked down the United States 3-0 Monday, it’s hard to imagine Bruce Arena’s boys having any fight left in them. But don’t count the U.S. out just yet. Here are three examples that prove being knocked down doesn’t always mean being knocked out:
Turkey, 2002 World Cup
A 2-1 loss in its opening match to Brazil didn’t stop Turkey from advancing from its group and coming within one game of the final. Turkey tied its second-group match, which is encouraging for the U.S., which faces a nearly unbeatable Italian team next.
Corrales vs. Castillo
Diego Corrales was knocked down twice in the 10th by Jose Luis Castillo last May. Corrales rebounded that same round, landing punch after punch until the fight was stopped.
2004 Red Sox
Like the U.S., history was not on the Red Sox side after trailing 3-0 in the ALCS to the Yankees, but the Red Sox won four straight and went on to win the World Series. Can 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound Oguchi Onyewu be the U.S.’s “Big Papi?”
— Luis Arroyave
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larroyave@tribune.com
