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The United States believes its team entering the 2006 World Cup is better than the one that made a surprising run to the 2002 quarterfinals.

But the Americans face a stern challenge in simply getting the opportunity to reach the knockout round as they open play Monday in Group E against the Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

The U.S. is in its fifth consecutive World Cup, and the expectations placed upon this squad have evolved greatly from the nonexistent ones for a team of college stars and players on low-level club teams that stunningly qualified in 1990.

The Americans enter this World Cup confident in their abilities to compete - and defeat - the best teams in the world, led by striker Landon Donovan , who has readily accepted the role as his team's offensive focal point.

''I need to be. I need to be,'' said the 24-year-old Donovan, who scored twice in the 2002 World Cup. ''People want me to do that. People want me to get the ball a lot, they want me to do things, they want me to run at people and make plays happen. And that's when I'm at my best, too.''

Despite winning the CONCACAF region, it was Mexico and not the U.S. that received a seed for the World Cup draw, and the Americans were put in one of the toughest groups with three-time champion Italy and African newcomer Ghana in addition to the Czechs, ranked second in the world according to FIFA.

''It doesn't matter who you face,'' U.S. forward Eddie Johnson said. ''We give our opponents too much respect. I think it's just all about confidence. If anybody is confident in anything they do, they're unstoppable.''

Bruce Arena, the lone coach in the group making his second World Cup appearance, picked 13 players from the 2002 squad to make this trip. Since taking over national coaching duties following the Americans' disastrous last-place finish in the 1998 World Cup, Arena has done a masterful job in meshing the best American players from Europe with the top ones who play stateside in Major League Soccer.

While Donovan is the best player in MLS, the hopes of the U.S. advancing also hinge on four players who have made their mark in Europe - goalkeeper Kasey Keller , defender Oguchi Onyewu , midfielder Claudio Reyna and forward Brian McBride .

Keller was a backup to Brad Friedel in 2002 but became the unquestioned No. 1 in qualifying and is one of the world's best at making reflex saves. Onyewu, rumored to be heading to the English Premier League next season after playing in Belgium the past two years, has been tabbed as the next big American star in Europe, and his imposing 6-foot-4, 210-pound size makes him the anchor of the backline.

''Every step of the way, Gooch has learned from those experiences and gotten better,'' Arena said about Onyewu, who made an impact during CONCACAF play. ''You've got a guy with a lot of ability, a very bright player, a guy that's very receptive to coaching and learns from his mistakes and his experiences.''

Reyna, making his fourth World Cup appearance and likely last as U.S. captain, will join John O'Brien in the midfield to link with Donovan and McBride, who is in his third World Cup and also netted a pair of goals in 2002 to help the Americans reach the quarterfinals.

The lone question mark for the U.S. is who will pair with McBride if Donovan is utilized as a reserved forward. Arena has options in Johnson, who scored eight goals in his first eight international matches, and Josh Wolff .

The Czech Republic is making its first World Cup appearance since the former Czechoslovakia split into two countries. The Czechs finished second to the Netherlands in their European qualifying group before beating Norway in a two-legged playoff to claim a spot in the field of 32.

Coach Karel Bruckner has three world-class players at his disposal in forward Jan Koller , midfielder Pavel Nedved and goalkeeper Petr Cech . Koller, one of the tallest players in the World Cup at 6-7, has scored 42 goals in 68 international appearances and has recovered from a torn ACL suffered in September while playing for German side Borussia Dortmund.

The American players also know Koller presents a unique matchup problem, one they hope Onyewu and Eddie Pope will handle.

''Defenders have to ensure we're constantly challenging him in the air, not making it easy for him, not making it just so he can knock down everything and have a field day,'' Pope said.

Nedved came out of retirement to help the Czechs qualify, and the 33-year-old midfielder led Juventus to the 2003 UEFA Champions League title as well as a semifinal appearance for the national squad in the 2004 European Championship.

The 24-year-old Cech, who already has 41 appearances with the national squad, is confident his side will reach the knockout round.

''Our goal is to advance from our group and I hope that we'll achieve that and then we'll see in the playoffs,'' Cech said. ''We've seen highlights of several matches of the USA and I think it's a very tough opponent. But we'll be well prepared for them.''

The Czechs will be without striker Milan Barros, who is sidelined with an injured tendon in his left foot.

The U.S. will continue group play June 17 against Italy in Kaiserslautern, Germany, while the Czechs will play Ghana the same day in Cologne.