HOME TEAM MIGHT LOOM FOR U.S.

Byline: PAUL OBERJUERGE

SEOUL, South Korea - By the time you read this Wednesday morning, the United States' World Cup hopes could be hanging by a thread. Mere hours after the Americans' first match.

Funny how it might shake out. So suddenly and so unpleasantly.

The Yanks wait four years to redeem themselves from their ignominious eliminated-after-two-matches 1998 World Cup, and now in 2002 they could be looking at an instant replay of that deflating scenario.

We could be wrong. The Americans might have got a point off Portugal last night and that changes everything. It's possible, sure. Even without injured captain Claudio Reyna. Even against world Player of the Year Luis Figo and all those Portuguese virtuosos. Maybe the Yanks got a tie.

But let's side with global soccer opinion and guess Portugal won the game that ended about 4 a.m. PDT. By two goals. Maybe more.

Here, then, is the U.S dilemma:

Given that likely setback, the Americans now must defeat South Korea on Monday, or it's two and they're through.

Actually, this looks more dire than 1998. Then, after losing 2-0 to superpower (Germany) in Game 1, the U.S. next got Iran, a beatable side the Yanks weren't able to beat.

This time, the U.S. gets the vastly improved South Koreans, riding high on a crest of national euphoria after their 2-0 thrashing of Poland on Tuesday. And instead of needing to defeat Iran in France to stay alive, ... the U.S. needs to beat South Korea on its own soil.

Unless, that is, you believe Poland can defeat Portugal later Monday and turn this into a three-way competition for second place, behind South Korea.

Unless, that is, you believe in the Easter Bunny.

What we failed to do is give proper weight to the advantage of playing at home in the World Cup. It shouldn't come as a surprise, but it always does. (See: France 1998.)

You look at South Korea and say, ``OK, big whoop. Those guys have never done anything. Never won a World Cup match in 15 tries.''

But South Korea had never played a World Cup match at home, until Tuesday, when the country came to a standstill and even a foreigner could feel the power surge of a nation getting behind its team.

During South Korea's match with Poland, we could have walked outside the International Media Center, ambled into the middle of eight-lane Samseong-dong Street, laid down across the center lanes, and not been harmed. Because there were no cars on the road.

This country shut down while that match was on. Watching the homeboys play was a patriotic duty.

There might have been a few people who weren't watching the match, but they probably were hermits or soldiers on guard at the DMZ.

Even the cops here were watching the game. Two police officers man the front door of the press center, and one of them was watching a big-screen TV and running back to the door every few seconds to describe the action to his compatriot.

Outside, Seoul residents gathered in plazas and parks to watch the game from Busan and cheer wildly and chant ``Dae Han Min Kook!'' - which is what Koreans call Korea.

Poland was thought to be a decent side. But the Poles dissolved like sugar cubes in hot tea against the raw emotion of the Korean crowd and the relentless energy of the South Korean team.

``This team is very well organized and very strong,'' Poland coach Jerzy Engel said of South Korea, ``and here at their home they will be very, very difficult to beat.''

Well, duh. Why couldn't we see that?

In the history of the World Cup, no host nation has failed to make the knockout round, including the U.S. in 1994. Six times, the host nation has won the championship. You can have a batch of great players and a genius for a coach, but the biggest thing a World Cup team can have going for it is playing at home.

And now, the U.S. shows up and has to play a soccer superpower first, and the co-host team second. Like, a nightmare scenario.

Now that it's halfway to being over, it's clear the U.S. had a horrible draw. If it gets Poland first, it perhaps can win while Portugal takes some starch out of the Koreans. Or vice versa. Or maybe the Yanks get Poland second, win and at least have something to play for in Game 3.

Anyway, check the Web and see whether the U.S. somehow avoided defeat in the wee hours. If they didn't, they have to plan on beating South Korea in South Korea. In the World Cup.

And the Lakers thought winning at Sacramento was tough.

FRANCE vs. URUGUAY

Time: Thursday, 4:30 a.m., Busan, South Korea.

TV: ESPN2, Univision.

Matchup: Anything less than a victory would bring the defending champions to the brink of elimination. The 1-0 loss to Senegal in the opening match sent shock waves throughout the country and a tie against Uruguay, which lost 2-1 to Denmark in its opener, would leave Les Bleus vulnerable. French playmaker Zinedine Zidane, last season's world player of the year, missed the opening game with an injury but the French said he could play. If so, that would change the complexion of the game. French coach Roger Lemerre is considering changing his 4-4-2 system to introduce a third defensive midfielder, a tactic the French media said is an indication of panic. Standout players are Patrick Viera and Thierry Henry (both standouts with English League champion Arsenal) and explosive striker David Trezeguet. For Uruguay, Gianni Guiugou, Pablo Garcia and Gonzalo de los Santos are a strong midfield combination. Alvaro Recoba is a threat on set plays.

Prediction: France 2, Uruguay 0.

- Mike Morrow

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) WORLD CUP GLANCE

(2) LOOKING AHEAD: FRANCE vs. URUGUAY (see text)