Germany rolls over U.S. at Under-20 World Cup in Egypt

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It looks as though an early flight home is in the cards for the U.S. team playing in the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt. Unless Coach Thomas Rongen’s squad can rebound from the 3-0 defeat it suffered today in Suez, where Germany was clearly superior, the Americans’ stay will be a short one.

The U.S. was slower in speed of thought and foot -- something that is often the case when it plays European opponents -- and the team’s lack of creative players was sorely obvious.

Germany, coached by 1980 European champion and 1982 World Cup runner-up Horst Hrubesch, grabbed two goals in a two-minute spell in the first half and added a third in the second half to destroy any hope of an American recovery. Overall, the Germans outshot the Americans, 17-6.

Semih Aydilek gave Germany the lead with a 30th-minute penalty kick, Florian Jungwirth made it 2-0 two minutes later, and Manuel Schaffler rounded out the scoring in the 72nd minute.

‘We knew we’d be in for a long and hard match, we were prepared for that,’ Rongen said. ‘Saying that, the team as a whole, especially in the first half, gave Germany a little too much respect.’

If the U.S. does the same against Cameroon, which shut out South Korea, 2-0, its World Cup will be all but over. The teams play Tuesday in Suez (9:45 a.m. PDT, ESPN2 and Galavision).

-- Grahame L. Jones