Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Team USA Underdog Against Germany

Aired June 21, 2002 - 05:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about something good. We're counting down to the World Cup match between the United States and Germany. Team USA is the underdog and a lot of people are rooting for an upset. The game starts just over two hours from now.

We want to go live to Ulsan, South Korea, where our Tim Lister is at the stadium preparing for the big match -- good morning, Tim.

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, good evening from Ulsan, Carol.

And the fans beginning to arrive for this quarter final of the World Cup. A mismatch, it would seem, on paper, but they play on grass. That might favor the United States because Germany looked very, very strong, a very powerful physical team, and the United States one of the lighter teams in this tournament.

But they've defied all expectations in getting to the quarter finals. Morale is just sky high in that U.S. squad and they have some very, very fast players up front in the likes of Brian McBride. Landon Donovan is just 20. And DaMarcus Beasley, who, incidentally, is the lightest player in this tournament. He weighs just 145 pounds.

They're kind of enjoying their role here as interlopers, gate crashers at the big World Cup party. In fact, Bruce Arena, the U.S. coach, likes to make a joke that when someone asks where's Arena, he thinks they're asking for directions to the stadium -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's good. You say the Germans are a big team, the United States small. Could that actually be an advantage for the Americans?

LISTER: I think it's an advantage for them if they can use their pace to go down the flanks and get behind the rather ponderous German defense. I don't think the Germans are invincible at the back. They will have their hands full when the Germans come forward because they have two very tall, very powerful strikers. One of them, Miroslav Klose, has got more goals in this tournament than anybody else.

But U.S. secret weapon, fantastic goal keeper. Brad Friedel plays his club soccer in England, but he's done a tremendous job here, saved two penalty kicks, and he is a formidable obstacle to the German attack -- Carol. COSTELLO: You know, the game of soccer seems to be full of characters, talking about Brazil's team. All of them go by just their first names. Why?

LISTER: It's very interesting, they're all nicknames, the Brazilian team. They do have proper names, but they're always known by their nicknames. So up front for Brazil, you have Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. And that's all they're known by. And at the back they have a guy who's just got four letters to his name, Cafu. That's all.

But they played very well this afternoon. They beat England by two goals to one, I'm ashamed to say. The English really never looked like getting back into that game after going behind to a spectacular Ronaldinho free kick just into the second half.

So Brazil, the first team into the World Cup semifinals. Maybe come tonight, the U.S. will be the second. We'll see -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, we hope so.

Thank you very much.

Tim Lister reporting live for us from South Korea this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com