Winning Smiles

Happy faces abound on the U.S. team bus after the win over South Korea

After a satisfying 4-2 win over South Korea in the U-17 WWC quarterfinals yesterday, the U.S. team heads south to Christchurch this morning to prepare for its Nov. 13 semifinal match against the Germans. It seems the USA and Germany are always on a collision course in world championships, especially youth ones. At the 2002 U-19 WWC, the USA defeated Germany 4-1 in the semifinals after being down 1-0. In the 2004 U-19 WWC, Germany defeated the USA 3-1 in the semifinal. In the quarterfinal of the 2006 FIFA U-20 WWC the USA downed Germany 4-1. What drama will Thursday's match hold? We'll have to wait three days to find out. It's supposedly quite chilly in Christchurch, but the U.S. team won't train today to give their legs a rest after the tough game yesterday and the travel today. That will give the Americans two days of work on the field to put the final touches on its semifinal effort.