World Cup 2006

Washington Post soccer writer Camille Powell was online Wednesday, June 21, at 1 p.m. ET to chat about this year's World Cup. Powell was live from Germany to take your questions before the match between the United States and Ghana.

Post Coverage: World Cup 2006

Blog: World Cup Journal

The transcript follows.

____________________

Camille Powell: Greetings from the press center outside of Nuremberg's Franken-Stadion, quite possibly my favorite stadium name ever. We saw a couple of U.S. fans while walking around town earlier today, but I expect to see them out in force tonight and tomorrow. Enjoyed a nice lunch of the famous Nuremberg sausages (Steve Goff ate eight!! And I had, um, six. They're small!). Let's get started...

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: Great coverage Camille--thanks! Can anyone suggest a place near Foggy Bottom that will be showing the U.S. game tomorrow morning?

Camille Powell: I don't know the answer to this, but wanted to post it early in case any one else had a suggestion.

_______________________

Accra, Ghana: I happen to be spending the summer in Ghana and let me tell you that the assumption is they will crush the U.S. That is if they even consider the U.S. Mostly they are talking about taking on Brazil.

While I do believe Ghana has a good chance of beating the U.S., I am perplexed by their total dismissal of the U.S.'s ability to thwart them in any way. They are deaf to any suggestion that football is never a sure thing. And they know nothing about the American team -- most I know have not even watched the other games the U.S. played.

As an American fan, I am accustomed to not raising my expectations and staying rather neutral, but the smugness I've seen really makes me hope Ghana will be spanked.

Camille Powell: It's funny that you say this -- that is the exact same impression I got from talking to a couple of reporters from Ghana yesterday. They said that people in Ghana expect a rout -- like 3-0, 4-0. The tenor of the Ghana press conference today (Coach Dujkovic and Appiah) was one of extreme confidence -- Dujkovic once again said that he thinks the Black Stars will reach the semis, and both men answered several questions about playing Brazil.

(As an aside, the two Ghana reporters said that Ghana doesn't need or want Freddy Adu.)

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: What's the likely U.S. lineup against Ghana, given what you've heard in the past few days?

Camille Powell: They keep that kind of stuff pretty close to the vest, but in today's press conference Reyna referred to the boost a team can get by inserting a couple of new players -- guys who are itching to prove something, who are fresh -- into the line-up. I don't think that means we'll see a completely new face, however. My guess is that Beasley will return to the starting line-up, along with Eddie Lewis.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: To match Ghana's speed, do you see any chance of a midfield that includes Reyna, Dempsey, Beasley and Convey to start out?

I would love to see and aggressive lineup that includes as many speed guys as possible.

Camille Powell: I'd like to see Eddie Johnson up top as well -- I thought he was troublesome when he came on against the Czechs.

_______________________

Reston, Va.: Are you as tired as Steve Goff in answering foreign questions as to why soccer isn't that popular in the U.S.? Or where's Freddy?

Camille Powell: I do get tired of answering those questions --- one of the stranger conversations I had here was with a group of English fans. I told them I was an American journalist, and they responded, "so you're an American who works for a British newspaper?" They couldn't believe it when I said I worked for an American newspaper, and one that sent THREE reporters to cover the WC.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: What are the general opinions of the American team coming from fans from other countries? Are we still sort of considered a joke? Or have we gained at least some respect? Perhaps in line with a 2nd tier team such as a Mexico or Sweden?

Camille Powell: I talked to an English fan who said that we had a "nice side." I think he meant it in a good way. But the American fans I talked to said that they were receiving no respect at all from the Europeans they met.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Same for Columbia. Anyone know of places in Columbia? I'm taking a long, early lunch break tomorrow, from about 10 until about noon.

Camille Powell: Another request...

_______________________

I-270, Exit 1, Md.: Thanks you you and the Post staff for the OUTSTANDING coverage of WC06.

How is the US morale and mentality now, compared with the other matches?

Camille Powell: Thanks for the kind words.

The U.S. morale should be quite high, considering what they pulled off the other night, and considering that they're still very much alive. Reyna said today that the team is in a confident mood.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Has De Rossi received a suspension from FIFA for his blatant elbow to McBride's face?

Camille Powell: As far as I know, he hasn't received any further suspension from FIFA (aside from the one game). He is expected to, and the decision will likely come on Friday, once group play is finished.

_______________________

Need a Miracle, Ohio: I'm going to be in Switzerland and Germany during the last week of the World Cup. I was hoping to get tickets (to any game) but nothing worked out. Is there any way you could smuggle me into the press room? I'll carry your laptop and take dictation - I'm a pretty good typist. Or I could fetch coffee and make sandwiches. I'll write a great story or do a chat about the whole experience. Anything. Please?

Camille Powell: Sorry, you'll have to get in line behind my sister and about a dozen of my friends. Regardless of whether you can get into the stadiums or not, you'll have a great time in Germany. There are so many public viewing spaces, even in cities that aren't hosting games, and sometimes it's more fun watching the game there.

My best memory from attending France '98 as a fan was watching the France-Croatia semifinal in a tiny sandwich shop near the Champs-Elysees. (My friend and I tried to scalp tickets to the game, but they were ridiculously expensive.) Once the game was over, everyone streamed into the streets to celebrate. We were right in the middle of the celebration, with thousands of other fans.

_______________________

Boulder, Colo.: What exactly is Michael Owen's knee injury - ripped ACL or just strained ligaments?

Camille Powell: Owen ripped his ACL and is heading home to England.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: As a Brazilian, it's painful to admit but I must say that Argentina is the current and deserving favorite to win it all. Is that the consensus in Germany right now? Their performance against Serbia must rank as one of the greatest in WC history and they are the ones playing the beautiful game-style. Thanks

Camille Powell: I think the consensus among non-Germans is that Argentina is the current favorite, particularly after what they did to Serbia and Montenegro. Of course, that could all change with a sub-par performance against the Netherlands tonight. I think the German fans are feeling pretty confident, considering how their team has been playing lately (despite the weak group) and the kind of support they're getting here.

_______________________

Annandale, Va.: Thanks to you and "Team Post" for all of the great work on Der Weltmeister. Two questions for you:

1. Of the players you've seen perform so far in this World Cup, which individual player has been the most impressive to you?

2. What do you and Jason do to keep Steven Goff inline when he starts to flaunt his number of national team journalism "caps"? inquiring minds want to know!

Camille Powell: Thanks.

1. Off the top of my head, Pavel Nedved's performance against the U.S. is the one that really stands out to me. T&T's Shaka Hislop against Sweden was also pretty impressive.

2. I like to smack him in the back of the head and remind him that I have more NFL journalism "caps" than he does. Seriously, Goff has about 80 or so caps; his first game was in April 1989! I was in the eighth grade and playing for the Columbia Kicks at the time.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: TO the guy asking about Foggy Bottom soccer bar - not sure about Foggy Bottom, but here's a great soccer bar in Dupont Circle: Lucky Bar, 1221 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-331-3733

Camille Powell: Here's one suggestion

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Camille - great job, great coverage of "Copa Mundial"... What is the buzz about England now that Owen is out? Also, what is the scoop on John O'Brien? I keep hearing that he's not fit - is it just overall match fitness or a new injury. Would love to see him get some minutes. Thanks.

Camille Powell: Thanks. The buzz seems to be mixed on Owen's injury -- obviously it's a blow, but at the same time he hasn't looked match fit and clearly has not been the player he has in the past. Rooney has looked good, so that helps. The bigger issue is England's depth at striker -- Rooney, Crouch, and Walcott (the kid). Eriksson passed over Jermain Defoe, and maybe that wasn't the best move.

As for O'Brien, he was bothered by a back injury a week ago, and that just compounded his problems. It seems like he won't be a big factor the rest of the way.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Have you seen any brawls by the Hooligans or has it been pretty peaceful in Germany this World Cup?

Camille Powell: I have not seen any brawls or anything I would really classify as general unpleasantness. Of course, I wasn't at Germany-Poland or England-Sweden. I saw the English fans when they played Trinidad and Tobago, and they seemed to be in very friendly moods.

There is a pretty intense police presence anywhere there's a large gathering of people, but mainly they stand to the side and let people have their fun.

_______________________

Re Lucky Bar: Oh, great, just what Lucky Bar needs, more people crushed in trying to see the game through 15 other heads....

Camille Powell: Forget about the Lucky Bar, then... =)

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: How's McBride doing?

Camille Powell: McBride is fine; he had three stitches and a bit of a bruise. He seems to brush these kinds of collisions off -- after the game, his response was essentially, "you get hit, you get up."

_______________________

Normal, Ill.: Are any U.S. referees working in the WC?

Camille Powell: No. Someone is here as a fourth official.

_______________________

Kumasi, Ghana: As a citizen of Ghana, I can assure you that the Black Stars will triumph not only over the U.S., but the Brazilians as well! You may not know, but many Brazilians actually are descended from Ghanaians, and it is said here in our country that "the Brazilian foot comes from the Ghanaian leg" (it loses a little in the translation).

We also incorporate the best aspects of the English game as well, as the great English soccer guru Gerd Topsnic came here in the 1940's and helped solidify our national team. GO GHANA!

Camille Powell: Just wanted to throw this out here...

I do love the confidence from a team that is playing in its first World Cup.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: I want to know what team from Asia and Africa has a good chance of making it to the second round. Or there is going to be any and all you have left are vanila

Camille Powell: Ghana and South Korea are in the best position to advance to the second round, and Australia as well. (Australia is joining the Asian qualifying group, and there was a sign at the Brazil game that read, "Australia: the pride of Asia")

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Here's a Post article with some suggestions for soccer bars in the DC area:

Camille Powell: Another suggestion...

_______________________

Burlington, Vt.: As an American who has tried to like soccer, I think this year's WC will be the death knell for the sport in the U.S. Seriously, scoreless ties are the ultimate in boredom and there has been a lot of them in this year's competition. Soccer will never be popular in America.

Camille Powell: The Sweden-Trinidad scoreless tie was anything but boring, and it was a perfect example of how a 0-0 game can be exciting. (Of course, you could counter with the France-Switzerland game...) And what about all the high-scoring games, like Argentina-Serbia, Spain-Ukraine...

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Aside from the obvious "favorites" like Brazil, Germany, and Italy, which team do you think has the potential to be the "Cinderella" of World Cup 2006? The Netherlands or Argentina, perhaps?

Camille Powell: I don't know if you could ever call the Netherlands or Argentina a true Cinderella, considering their history (although the Dutch haven't actually won a WC yet). Ecuador is a real Cinderella, but I don't see them getting past England. If Ghana gets through, they'd be a prime candidate (since they're going to beat Brazil).

_______________________

Sydney, Texas: Seems like Argentina have suddenly become everybody's favorites just because they put a few past Serb and Mont. Is this not a little bit knee-jerk? Serb and Mont were truly appalling in that game and, IMO, a better keeper would have stopped at least three of their goals. Your view?

Camille Powell: I don't know if it's a bit of a knee-jerk reaction -- Serbia and Montenegro gave up ONE goal in 10 games in qualifying play, and they were in a group with Spain (which has shown that it is capable of scoring). And how about the way they scored those goals?

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Camille, love the coverage.

Consider yourself lucky that you aren't being subjected to inane ramblings of Dave O'Brien and Marcelo Balboa during US (and other high profile) matches..

Ugh.

JP Dellacamera & our own John Harkes are far superior.

Camille Powell: Can't have a World Cup chat without at least one comment dissing the American broadcasters.

_______________________

Alabama: What do you think an early exit by Team USA would mean for soccer in the United States? I don't see a lot of soccer, but I've enjoyed the matches and would even consider going to an MLS game now. The exposure has to benefit the sport in America.

Camille Powell: I don't think that an early exit by Team USA would have much of an impact on soccer as a whole in the U.S. Goff and I wrote a story about this prior to the WC -- the sport is at a point where a bad showing is not going to cause soccer to die, but a good showing could be a huge boost. The TV ratings (for US games) seem to have been pretty strong, and if non-soccer fans are watching and then get the urge to go to an MLS game, then that's a good thing. (But don't expect the same quality of play in the MLS.)

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Why is Arena fretting over the replacements for tomorrow? Are Eddie Johnson and Ben Olsen injured?

Camille Powell: I don't think Bruce Arena ever frets. Johnson and Olsen are healthy.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Two questions....

I know Brian McBride gets a lot of credit for his abilities in the air, and his unwavering toughness, but he has consistently proved to be a non-factor in U.S. international matches in the past year. Is there a chance Arena will sub him out (he really should have in the Italy match considering he was dead tired in the final 15 minutes)?

Has Arena grown cold on Brian Ching? He was a powerful force off the bench in the final round of qualifying, and worked hard to earn his spot on the roster through the friedlies. I was astonished Ching didn't get any minutes against Italy when Reyna was dogging his way around the pitch. Does Arena feel he is too offensively minded to insert in critical situations, or are Beasley and Lewis that much better?

Camille Powell: Arena considers McBride one of his most reliable players, and barring a serious injury or a terrible performance, he's probably not coming out of the game. A lot of these personnel decisions are made during the week at practice, and the media isn't allowed to watch.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: for the soccer hater from Vermont, there have been exactly four 0-0 draws in the tournament so far out of something like 36 matches. I would hardly call that a lot.

Camille Powell: A rebuttal...

_______________________

Madison, Wis.: Based on the number of people packed into bars to watch the games here, I would say that Burlington's comment, though somewhat widespread, is way off the mark. Over the past few World Cups the crowds (in Portland, Ore., S.F. and here) have consistently grown. Some people will hold onto that attitude that soccer is boring no matter the evidence to the contrary. Vive el futbol!

Camille Powell: And another one.

_______________________

Columbia, Md.: Hi Camille, I haven't done my homework. (I just read the Columbia Flier's sports section!) What must the U.S. do today to beat Ghana?

Camille Powell: Do NOT give up an early goal. Find a way to disrupt Essien in the midfield. And, um, score? Doesn't matter how!

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Great coverage so far Camille, a couple things I've been wondering about. Spain has looked terrific in the opening rounds. Do you think this is the year the Spaniards finally get it together and go deep into the Cup. Does England have a chance without Owen. And do you think Eddie Johnson will see significant time against Ghana?

Camille Powell: Thanks. Your Spain question is one that's asked every four years --- I think that they should at least reach the quarters, since they'll play someone from the France/Switzerland/Korea group. I think England still has a chance without Owen. And I hope to see Eddie Johnson get significant time against Ghana.

_______________________

AARRGGHH!!: Not really a question, but a plea to all the people to not shout out the results of tomorrow's US vs Ghana game, as I still have to make a living and calling in sick to work won't do. I'm going to do something extremely difficult and not listen to the radio, or read any news online and just try to stay isolated at work and eat in my cubicle with headphones on all day.

I'm praying that I can make it through the day without finding out the result before I get a chance to watch the replay/tape on Univision (ESPN commentators stink).

Camille Powell: Good luck with that.... It's impossible over here (naturally) to avoid the results of games. I imagine it might be easier in the US...

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Soccer rant: It always surprises me that people who don't like soccer so often say so, loudly and broadly -- as if to persuade the rest of us that we don't really like the game. Enough already. They don't have to watch it if they don't want to. In fact, their dislike becomes less relevant every day. As the Latin American population surges in this country, so increases the number of Americans who like the game. My only hope is that the soccer haters will eventually realize they are shouting against the wind.

Camille Powell: I agree with you.

_______________________

Nuremberg: Exactly how many sausages have you consumed in the last three weeks?

Camille Powell: My time is up, so I'm going to finish with some of the random questions....

More than 30 and fewer than 60. They're small, mind you!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I know this is a bit off-topic, but what's the word on Vernon Macklin or Ewing Jr.?? Are they going to be big contributors? I'm desperate for information and you're the only one I can ask!

Camille Powell: Vernon Macklin? Who's he? Does he play midfield for England??

=)

Camille Powell: Seriously, I think Macklin is a bit raw and isn't going to be the huge contributor people might expect (considering how highly ranked he was) ---- at first. He might be on the Roy Hibbert track -- rapid improvements over the year.

_______________________

Vancouver, Wash.: It's theoretically possible that all four teams in a group could play 0-0 matches in round one with each other - in that case, how would it be decided which two teams could advance?

Camille Powell: In that case, I think they should all be sent home.

Seriously, I think that the final tiebreaker is a coin flip. Can you imagine your World Cup fate being determined by a coin flip??

_______________________

Chinatown, Washington, D.C.: Camille, when are we gonna see a picture of the Italian Dolce ad? Your description was so tantalizing but then you didn't deliver the goods.

Camille Powell: You'll have to blame my editors for that one -- apparently a small version of the ad ran in the early edition of Sunday's paper, but was taken out in favor of a random Azzurri fan shot for the later ones. If you do a Google search with "gattuso" and "dolce and gabbana" you'll be able to find the ad, plus several more. And they're worth seeing.

_______________________

Camille Powell: Thanks for all the great questions -- and there were a lot of them that I couldn't get to. Check back here on Friday, when Steve Goff should be available to answer all your soccer and sausage questions. Enjoy the games!

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.