BERLIN, March 21 (Reuters) - It may look like just another pre-World Cup
friendly, but for embattled Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann Wednesday's meeting
with a depleted U.S. team comes pretty close to a must-win match.
Under fire for a humbling 4-1 defeat to Italy three weeks ago, Klinsmann's
side have something to prove against a team that gave Germany fits in their last
encounter -- a hard-fought 1-0 German victory in the quarter-finals of the 2002
World Cup.
The stakes are not as high this time around but Klinsmann still faces
enormous pressure to deliver victory in Dortmund's Westfalen stadium, one of the
12 venues for this year's World Cup in Germany.
"The coach and the players know after the Italy defeat just how important
this match is," Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff said in a weekend interview
with Focus magazine. "We anticipate a strong reaction from the team."
Both Germany and Bruce Arena's U.S. squad will be without key players.
Werder Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings has been ruled out with a calf injury
and Klinsmann learned at the weekend that creative Bayern Munich winger
Sebastian Deisler will miss the World Cup after suffering a knee injury. Wily
striker Oliver Neuville has been called up to help fill the holes.
For Arena's side, speedy winger Landon Donovan is out with a right calf
strain, while European-based players DaMarcus Beasley, Claudio Reyna and Brian
McBride -- all stalwarts of the 2002 team -- have club commitments.
GERMAN TURMOIL
With less than three months to go until the World Cup kicks off in Munich on
June 9, German soccer is in turmoil.
Prosecutors are investigating allegations of match-rigging in the German
second division and a Munich newspaper suggested last week that Germany
midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger could also be involved, before retracting its
story and apologising.
Top club Bayern Munich were bounced rudely from the Champions League this
month and their best player, Germany midfielder Michael Ballack, is expected to
move abroad at the end of the season.