For a largely skeptical and impatient American public (and press corps), the opening game of the World Cup could not have gone off any better. Most papers are harping about the excitement of six goals in an opening game the most of any opening game in World Cup history. Others talk about the impressive start made by Germany, the host. However, if you dig a little deeper, there were red flags all over the place, particularly in regard to the German defense. As New York Daily News columnist Filip Bondy says “Germany’s defense inside the box looked about as solid as a soft potato dumpling in boiling water.” On two occasions yesterday Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rica’s all-time leading scorer, got behind a standing German defense to make uneasy what should have been a routine win for the Germans. Lothar Matthaeus, captain of Germany’s 1990 World Cup champion team and veteran of four tournaments, said that ” against stronger opposition we will be punished. Had this been Brazil or Italy, and not Costa Rica, they would have been in trouble.” Perhaps none of the other teams in the group will pose a significant challenge to Germany, but it will have to be aware of a canny Ecuadorian defense that shut out the Poles in their 2-0 victory yesterday afternoon.