Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 40

SOCCER SUNDAY. JUNE U. 2006 ID DETROIT FREE PRESS WW.FREEP.COM U.S. team buoyed by fans, soldiers WORLD CUP ROUNDUP FRtf PRISS NFWS SLRVIOS T-shirt, not his cumbersome flak gear. "Here, you just Live to let go and know you're among people that aren't going to hurt you." GHANA I CZECH REPUEUC 0: Ghana pulled off the biggest upset of this World Cup by beating the Czech Republic on Saturday in Cologne, Germany, a result that kept the United States in contention in Group E.

It also was the first win for Africa in this tournament. Asamoah Gyan scored in the second minute, and the Ghanians peppered star goalkeeper Petr Cech before getting the clinching goal from Sulley Muntari in the 82nd. PORTUGAL 2, IRAN (h Deco scored with a powerful first-time shot from outside the penalty area in the 63rd minute, and Cristiano Ronaldo made a penalty kick 10 minutes from the end in Frankfurt, Germany, as Portugal advanced past the first round in the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. Iran remained winless and was eliminated. and women and their families live here.

Nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is one of the U.S. military's largest hospitals. The U.S. presence permeates the city. There's a Chuck's Diner downtown, and at least one bar takes dollars.

So many SUVs and minivans roll through the base, it starts to look like an American suburb. Army Staff Sgt Martin Itur-ralde arrived from southern Iraq on Saturday to undergo several days of tests and treatment for an undiagnosed illness. But he wasn't sick enough to miss the afternoon party. "When you're over there, you feel fear, and fear is what keeps you alive," said Iturralde, who was thrilled to be in jeans and a When the whistle blew to end Saturday's 1-1 draw with Italy, the American players went to a corner of the Kaiserslautern field to salute the thousands of fans in red, white and blue who made a stadium near several U.S. military bases feel like a home field.

"They were behind us, in front us, to the side of us. They were everywhere," defender Oguchi Onyewu said. "It definitely lifted us and gave us that extra push." Among the throngs were several U.S. soldiers. Kaiserslautern is the largest military community outside the United States more than 50,000 servicemen WJ' fittl WvJ if ri mm Photos by KEVORK DJANSEZIANAssodated Press U.S.

goalkeeper Kasey Keller makes a save on a shot by Italy's Alessandro Gattuso (not shown) during Saturday's 1-1 draw. Keller also made two point-blank stops on Alessandro Del Piero in the final 20 minutes. Short-handed U.S. slugs out r-4 draw vs S. 4 rt Italy U.Ss Mastroeni, Pope given red cards, must sit out Thursday's game U.S.

1, ITALY 1 American Eddie Johnson, left, hugs teammate Oguchi Onyewu after Saturday's tense match in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Friday, June 23, 7:05 Friday Night Fireworks compliments of Pepsi (post-game, weather permitting). Chevy HHR "Drive One Home" Giveaway4 Win a new 2006 Chevy HHR, sponsored by your Detroit Area Chevy Dealers. Lucky lottery Friday courtesy of the Michigan Lottery. First 10,000 fans (18 and over) receive a special Tigers scratch-off card.

Every card's a winner! Saturday, June 24, 7:05 Saturday Night Fireworks compliments of Verizon Wireless (post-game, weather permitting). Chevy HHR "Drive One Home" Giveaway4 Win a new 2006 Chevy HHR, sponsored by your Detroit Area Chevy Dealers. Sunday, June 25, 1:05 FREE Placido Polanco Bobblehead to the first 10,000 fans compliments of Ticketmaster. luxury Cruise One fan will win a seven-day Caribbean Cruise for two. Travel provided by Corporate Travel Services.

Kids Day! FREE rides courtesy of Red Robin. Kids Run the Bases (post-game, weather permitting sponsored by Pepsi, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, Plus five lucky children will win a battery-powered Hummer H2l" it rs FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES V- GREAT PRICES- J7 UNBELIEVABLE SERVICE WkMtVAmt if I 6006 N. Wayne Rd. 5 Westland.MI 734-326-4141 I www.topscuU.com V-' JD DETROIT WBBkend Valua Pack if TICKETS 1 HOT D08S PEPSI sqn jiinliw feiFisliiiiK CALL 248-25-TIGER DETRDITTICERS.CDMTICKETS Umy avai lew an seea seats CHEVY mrfcfhm Boa LAKE ERIE WALLEYE' Everything Provided 7 SEAS CHARTERS Monroe (734)242-4614 www.7seascharter3.com free kick into the net as he tried to clear the ball before it reached McBride. Then Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda began flashing red cards at a pace seldom seen in World Cup play.

First it was Italy's Daniele De Rossi, just a minute after the Americans tied it. After the game, he apologized for an elbow that split McBride's left cheek. But after playing with a man advantage for 17 minutes, it was the Americans who were seeing red. Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni was sent to the locker room in the 45th minute for a cleats-up tackle on Pirlo. "I think that foul anywhere in the world is a yellow card," Mastroeni said.

Coming out of the locker room 10 against 10, it took just two minutes of the second half for defender Eddie Pope to get his second yellow card of the game for a tackle in which he got the ball first, then took down Gilardino. "I think the ref ruined the game for us because we looked like the better team and we wanted to win," Claudio Reyna said. "Even with nine men, we pushed at the right times." But they were also on their heels Keller saved the Americans with a pair of point-blank stops on Alessandro Del Piero in the final 20 minutes. With nine men, they needed them. It was just the fourth time there have been three red cards in a World Cup match, the first since South Africa-Denmark in 1998.

Pope and Mastroeni will miss Thursday's game against Ghana. McBride, who has twice had plastic surgery to repair injuries, said he's fine to play. The draw was a milestone in U.S. soccer history. The Americans were 0-8 in World Cup games played in Europe.

For a few brief seconds, it even appeared the United States had gone ahead in the 66th minute, when second-half sub DaMarcus Beasley slotted the ball in off goalkeeper Gian-luigi Buffon. But with Arena pumping an arm on the sideline, the whistle blew for an offside call on McBride, who had screened Buffon. NO PURCHASE NFCESSARY LEGAL HFSlOfNTS Of Ml AND OH 18 AND OtOFR VOID WHERE PROHIBITED Ends 306 Err rulna and cot de(fs. 8tf pn-JcHtuia lJvy Dealftr or customer servsp at a Detroit Tigers home game Sponsors General Motors Corp and Oejmt Tgers Inc 'NO PURCHASE NECESSARY A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE VOUfl CHANCE5 OF WINNING OPEN ONLY fO LEGAL RESlutNTS OF Ml AND OH 21 AN0 0LO5 iiQiD WiiLRLPyOhiiBUlO Sweepstates erxte 101O6 For 0uai r. afterrate metrod o( antTY, pnze KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany They lumbered from end to end, desperate to stop the blue surge of Italians and salvage their World Cup.

Two U.S. players had been ejected. What could have been the winning goal was disallowed. And in the end, with players dropping to field in exhaustion, the United States managed a wild 1-1 tie Saturday that gave the Americans their first World Cup point in Europe and a chance to advance to the tournament's second round. They'll need a win and some help, but the Americans are still players on the World Cup stage.

Even if they needed an own-goal to tie the Italians. "This team is alive, and that's where we wanted to be," goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. "It was a total team effort, and those guys bled today for our country and our team." He wasn't exaggerating. Forward Brian McBride had three stitches on one cheek from a vicious elbow. A bandage covered where Lan-don Donovan received intravenous fluid.

Jimmy Conrad had cotton stuffed up his nose, also the result of an elbow, and played part of the game with vision so blurry, he had to ask a teammate whether he was bleeding. Harshly criticized for lackluster play in their opener, the Americans came out strong, winning the ball and living in Italy's half of the field. But then Alberto Gilardino got behind the defense and headed Andrea Pirlo's free kick past Keller in the 22nd minute. The Americans tied the score in the 27th when Italian defender Cristian Zaccar-do knocked Bobby Convey's 1 1 Il I lliSg PISiM 13 P16580R-I3 PIBimK 14 PIWM-M P20SirSR-1S KI57I5 jl i jj 3 f.J I I I I fttf miim-14 P22S7SR-IS 2jr I III I CASH CARD mm. 7fl ms.

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