Focus Changes in U.S. Camp The U.S. World Cup team has finished the first phase of its preparation in France and will now devote 100-percent attention to June 15 and Germany, according to head coach Steve Sampson. “I think there were two phases to our preparation in France,” Sampson said at the Chateau de Pizay. “The first was to acclimate to the time zone, continue with physical fitness, gain confidence on the ball and focus and concentrate on why we are here. “The second phase, which started after yesterday’s scrimmage, is to make sure we are injury free, understand tactically how we will approach the Germany match, refine set pieces and to make sure everyone is comfortable with their role.” All 22 players trained again Wednesday, with the first 30 minutes played in a torrential downpour. “This is what we need against Germany,” said Thomas Dooley during training. U.S. will watch opener The World Cup begins today in Paris when the defending world champions, Brazil, take on Scotland at the Stade de France. The U.S. team will watch the game on a wide-screen television at its hotel in St. Jean D’Ardieres. “It’s finally here,” said Frankie Hejduk. “Once the whistle blows to open the game you’re going to feel all of this energy in the room. Now it’s for real.” Time off could be an advantage While the U.S. is anxious to begin playing games, it is more than happy to let other teams be the first to play under FIFA’s new rule regarding tackles from behind. Players and head coach Steve Sampson said they would be closely watching today’s opener, as well as games later this week, to see how FIFA officials interpret the new rule. “We know what is written, but we don’t know how the rule will be interpreted,” said Eric Wynalda. “From what happens in the next week we will see exactly what the referee’s attitude will be.” Much of the U.S. World Cup team is already familiar with the new rule because MLS has been using the same rule this year. “I think the MLS players have an advantage since they have been playing with it,” said Sampson, who added that he supports the rule, but “does not think (the World Cup) is a good place to experiment with rule changes.” Wynalda, who in 1990 became the first U.S. player to receive a red card in a World Cup game for his retaliatory tackle on a Czechoslovakian player, said the rule would have little impact on the U.S. “I don’t think (tackling from behind) is much a part of our game. It’s more a part of Germany’s game,” he said. Players may make big gains A good performance in the World Cup could pay off big for U.S. players, especially for midfielders Chad Deering and Frankie Hejduk and defenders Mike Burns and David Regis, whose contracts all expire after the World Cup, leaving all four transfer free. The contracts of Regis and Deering expire June 31 and Hejduk and Burns have until the end of the year. A free transfer means that each player is likely to receive a larger signing bonus, should they choose to move to a new club. Eric Wynalda’s contract also finishes at the end of this season, and the U.S. striker says he is considering returning to Europe to play. Wynalda, who turned 29 on June 9, said he would not return to Germany, but would like to play for a club in Spain or England. “It’s good to know there is a considerable amount of interest from both England and Spain,” Wynalda said. “I told my agent I don’t want to hear anything about (offers) until this tournament is over. He keeps trying to tell me things, but I have to stop him.” Wynalda gave no specific reasons for why he is considering leaving the league, other than to say that things “aren’t what I thought they would be.” Open Training The U.S. team will open the final hour of training to the media on Thursday at Trevoux. Media is invited to enter at 7:30 p.m. The training session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. USA in toughest group, say oddsmakers Oddsmakers list the USA as 150-1 longshots to win the World Cup, largely due to the stiff competition they will face in the first round. Germany and Yugoslavia represent the two most likely teams to go through from any of the eight groups. Germany is 6-1 favorites and Yugoslavia has 20-1 odds to win the Cup. No other group has two teams with better odds. Team to tour Lyon The U.S. team is scheduled to tour downtown Lyon on Friday afternoon. Team Schedule Thursday, June 11 1:30 p.m. All players meet with media at Chateau de Pizay 6:00 p.m. Team departs for training at Trevoux (training from 6:30 until 8:30 with final hour open to media). Friday, June 12 10 a.m. Team departs for closed training at Trevoux 1:30 p.m. Steve Sampson, Cobi Jones, Ernie Stewart available for interviews at Chateau de Pizay.