Monday, June 15, 2009

Five More Did You Knows

  • A total of 14 players - five for the U.S. and 9 for Italy - were on the field for the 1-1 draw in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey made their World Cup debuts that day
  • Italy coach Marcello Lippi is tied for the record of longest undefeated run as a national team, going 31 games without a defeat to equal the mark set by Javier Clemente of Spain and Alfio Basile of Argentina. Spanning two managerial stints and including the championship in the 2006 World Cup, the streak ended with a 2-0 loss to Brazil in February of this year.
  • The USA scored for the 14th consecutive match in their last qualifier for South Africa 2010, a 2-1 home triumph against Honduras. The last time the United States failed to get a goal was the thrilling 0-0 stalemate against then-No. 1 ranked Argentina on June 8, 2008, in New Jersey.

  • The opening matches played by the USA in each of their three previous campaigns at the FIFA Confederations Cup have all produced three goals. The U.S. lost 3-0 to Saudi Arabia in 1992, beat New Zealand 2-1 in 1999 and lost 2-1 to Turkey in 2003.

  • This is the first time in FCC history that three of the top five ranked teams are in the tournament together - and the U.S. plays two of them. Italy is currently ranked #4, while Brazil rounds out the top five.

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