A B C D
E F G H
No waltz in Vienna for U.S. team
For the moment, however, the U.S. coach has more immediate concerns -- a tuneup game against Austria on Wednesday in which the Americans need a cohesive performance leading to the World Cup in June.
Although his team has not played well of late, Sampson knows his squad has an altogether different approach from the one that advanced to the second round in the last World Cup.
"Before they only didn't want to lose," he said. "Now it's a team that wants to win."
Claudio Reyna, the U.S. midfielder who plays in Germany, thinks the Americans could be one of the surprises in France.
"We could be like Sweden in 1994," he said of the third-place finisher.
In Austria, the United States faces a team that was first in its qualifying group, although many of its players are past their prime or young and untried.
In March, the Austrians lost 3-2 to Hungary, which failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The Americans also have fared poorly. After jolting Brazil 1-0 on Feb. 10, they lost to Mexico, the Netherlands and Belgium, going goalless in all three games. They then tied Paraguay 2-2.
The U.S. team closed practice Tuesday. The day before, Reyna said the upcoming game is important because Austria's style resembles Germany's. The Germans, along with Iran and Yugoslavia, are grouped with the United States in the World Cup.
"They have a similar game plan, they run a lot and are aggressive," Reyna said. "It's an important test for us."
The Americans will be counting on striker Brian McBride and midfielder Cobi Jones. There's also defenders Marcelo Balboa, Alexi Lalas and Thomas Dooley, each with more than 70 appearances for the national team.
Sampson said he is eager to test the depth of his squad against Austria.
"We'll be looking for players 12 to 16 in Vienna," he said. "At the World Cup you cannot rely on only 11 players."
The Austrians will rely on Toni Polster, who scored seven goals during qualifying games; Andreas Herzog, another veteran with nearly 50 goals in the German Bundesliga; and midfielder Dietmar Kuhbauer of the Spanish league.
Austrian coach Herbert Prohaska said a victory at Ernst Happel Stadium was crucial leading to the showcase in France.
"Only a victory will allow us to go to the World Cup without pressure and without bickering about personnel decisions," he said.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan