Americans will debut today against Czech squad

~ Amid tight security, the U.S. begins Cup quest in a difficult Group E.

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany -- They're surrounded by the tightest security, quizzed about lukewarm support back home and constantly questioned over whether they can reprise a surprisingly successful run in the last World Cup.

Must be the Americans, still strangers in the land of soccer and hoping to prove that Yanks can hang in the world's No. 1 sport.

"Everyone is anxious," U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said Sunday after arriving in the city where they'll finally play today. "It's that time, really. It's what everyone has been waiting for for the last four years."

The United States made it to the quarterfinals at the 2002 tournament in South Korea before losing 1-0 to Germany, its most successful World Cup since 1930.

Since then, midfielder Landon Donovan's hair has thinned and winger Eddie Lewis speaks with a decidedly British accent now that he's played for English clubs the past six years.

There is one constant, though. Security.

When the Americans leave their hotel in Essen to travel to their opener against the Czech Republic, an ever-present convoy of police, State Department officials and private guards will encircle them. The U.S. bus is the only among the 32 teams that doesn't display the country's name.

Reyna said security isn't on players' minds.

"We're here to get results and do well," he said. "The World Cup is an experience you want to enjoy. The guys are having a great time. There's no tension or anxiety within the team because of the security issues."

Not so the opening game.

U.S. players know well that years of work could be wiped out by just a few seconds of lapses against the Czechs, Italy and Ghana, all part of the United States' tough Group E.

"It's very difficult to lose the first game and expect to get through," Donovan said.

Their battle for respect extends beyond the famous soccer grounds of Europe. In America, many sports fans remain unconvinced that soccer is worth their time. Former congressman Jack Kemp, once an NFL quarterback, proclaimed on the floor of the House of Representatives: "Football is democratic, capitalism, whereas soccer is a European socialist sport."

Twelve of the 23 U.S. players are based in Europe, several with big clubs, but many say they still encounter condescension from continental types skeptical of their new-world pedigree.

"Until we've really proven ourselves on kind of the European stage, I think it will still be there," said goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who lives in Germany.