WORLD CUP: A TO Z.

Byline: Scott French

A - No man has played as many international games as Saudi Arabia goalie Mohamed AL-DEAYEA, who has earned 181 ``caps'' since his 1990 debut, but his record could soon fall. Mexico's Claudio Suarez has 178, and he's expected to see action in the World Cup.

Al-Deayea is likely to sit on the bench.

B - Togo's big star is Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored 10 goals to prod the Sparrowhawks through qualifying to their first World Cup finals, then shone brightly after joining Arsenal.

But when Togo lost all three of its games at the African Nations Cup in January, the forward was called a ``BABY'' by his coach. Stephen Keshi (since replaced by German Otto Pfister) after walking out on the team when he wasn't included in the starting lineup for the opener.

Said a teammate: ``(Adebayor) didn't just betray the team, he betrayed the Togolese people.''

C - The eight-nation FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP, played a year ago in five German locales, provided organizers a run-through to the World Cup - and fans a glimpse of what might be. Brazil, of course won the event (despite losing to Mexico in the group phase), routing Argentina in the final.

D - Every team has a bonus structure, guaranteeing players big bucks for long tournament run, smaller sums for lesser successes. The U.S. players' contract with U.S. Soccer promises plenty of DOLLARS this time. If the Americans get to the second round, each player will make about $200,000 in bonus money. A World Cup title would mean almost $750,000. For reaching the 2002 quarterfinals, each player pocketed $200,543.

E - Players are eligible to compete for their home country or that of their parents or grandparents, as long as they have a passport, and the World Cup is filled with EXPATRIATES. The U.S. team has only one foreign-born player -- midfielder Pablo Mastroeni, who came to America from Argentina as a child -- but has fielded a number of foreign players in previous Cups. Mexico controversially has two foreign players, including Zinha, one of a handful of Brazilian-born stars suiting up for other countries.

One of the most intriguing first-round matchups pits Australia, featuring six players with Croatian heritage, against Croatia, which has three Australian-born and -bred Croats. Fifteen of 32 teams have foreign-born coaches.

F - There are six FIRST-TIMERS in the field, four of them from Africa.

Angola, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo make their debuts, along with Trinidad and Tobago and Ukraine.

G - The greatest U.S. triumph in World Cup history arrived June 29, 1950, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Haitian-born forward Joe GAETJENS scored the lone goal in a 1-0 stunner over mightly England, a victory celebrated in last year's ``The Game of Their Lives'' film.

H - The most famous goal in World Cup history was Argentine great Diego Maradona's ``HAND OF GOD'' strike at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium in the 1986 quarterfinals against England, the first showdown between the nations since the Falklands/Malvinas conflict four years earlier.

The referee didn't see Maradona, with his fist just above his head, punch the ball over goalkeeper Peter Shilton, but nobody missed his incredible second goal, when he dribbled half the field, and past half the England defense, to double Argentina's advantage.

I - Serbia and Montenegro, underdogs in Group C -- the ``Group of Death'' -- is playing its final event as a nation. The dismemberment of Yugoslavia became complete last week when Montenegro, after gaining INDEPENDENCE in a close vote earlier this year, became a separate nation. Only two Montenegrans suit up for S&M.

J - It is said that everybody's second-favorite team is Brazil, and that's because nobody plays prettier soccer. JOGO BONITO -- Portuguese for ``pretty game'' -- defines the Brazilian game, built on individual skill, sleight-of-foot trickery and dizzying combination play. Recent emphasis on defense and organization has alarmed purists, but this year's Brazil side -- featuring the ``Magic Quartet'' of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka and Adriano in attack -- promises some stirring soccer.

K - Germany coach Juergen KLINSMANN played at the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups, helping West Germany to the title 16years ago. He played in 17games, scored 11 goals, and made his final international appearance in a shocking 3-0 loss to Croatia in a '98 quarterfinal in Lyon.

L - Much soccer-related violence, at least in England, has been blamed on LAGER LOUTS, but the term is at odds with reality. Less alcohol-driven riots than modern group warfare, hooliganism is similar to SoCal-style gangbanging, and it takes on nationalist (fascist) overtones at the World Cup. The English remain kings on the battlefield, but the Dutch, Poles and Germans also have a deep history of sport-related violence. Tournament organizers, with help from police from all the trouble spots, believe they will keep a lid on the hooligans this summer.

M - West Germany's GERD MUELLER, ``Der Bomber,'' holds the World Cup record for goals, with 14 -- 10 at the 1970 World Cup and four four years later. Brazil's Ronaldo needs just two to pull even after netting four at the 1998 finals and eight four years ago in Japan and South Korea.

N - There certainly is NEPOTISM in some World Cup selections, although not in the U.S. Bruce Arena never considered his son, Kenny, for the U.S. roster, but Serbia and Montenegro coach Iliya Petkovic and Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar selected their sons for the tournament. Defender Dusan Petkovic pulled out of S&M's squad because he ``could not stand the pressure'' after media blasted his selection.

Niko Kranjcar might be the only domestic player in Croatia's starting lineup, and he's considered the team's most creative player. Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe has only daughters, but his roster includes son-in-law Rafael ``Chiquis'' Garcia.

O - The 74,220-seat OLYMPIASTADION in Berlin will stage the 17th World Cup final on July 9 at 8 p.m. CET (11 a.m. PDT).

P - PELE, the sport's biggest star, played in four World Cups, winning titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970:

Sweden 1958: ``When everybody say, `Oh, Pele, was 17 years old -- amazing, such a young boy. How come the responsibility?' But you know, I didn't have any responsibility. It was a dream for me. ... Then Brazil won the World Cup, I scored some goals, but this was not difficult for me.''

Chile 1962: ``I played three games, then I get (injured). But Brazil won the World Cup, so it was OK.''

England 1966: ``I get meniscal problems (in my knee). I get kicked from behind by the Portugal player. Then I went out."

Mexico 1970: ``I was the experienced player. ... I have all the responsibility. Brazil has very much problems, the pressure was so big, and I announced before that it will be the last World Cup of my life. That was very difficult for me. I could not retire with a loss after so many years. That was important for me.''

Q - The final 32 nations didn't appear by magic. QUALIFYING began two years ago, whittling 194 entrants -- from FIFA's membership of 207nations -- through 874games played across six continental confederations. CONCACAF, an acronym meaning, roughly, ``Confederation of soccer federations in North and Central America and the Caribbean, produced the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

R - For the first time since 1978, there are no American REFEREES at the World Cup. Twenty-three teams -- referee plus two linesmen -- were selected, plus seven ``reserve'' trios, and Argentina's Horacio Elizondo was awarded Friday's Germany-Costa Rica opener in Munich.

Each official will receive $40,000, double the pay from the 2002 Cup.

S - The biggest news in the soccer world these days, the World Cup aside, is the SCANDAL scorching every corner of the Italian soccer world.

Uncovered by wiretaps -- with many juicy transcripts splashed across the country's newspapers -- it involved match-fixing, illegal gambling, referee manipulation and agent misconduct, and at the center is Juventus, the legendary ``old lady'' of Italian soccer. The Turin club, if allegations are proved, could forfeit its 2005 and 2006 titles and be relegated to a lower division.

Will it impact Italy at the World Cup. Its coach (Marcello Lippi) and two players (captain Fabio Cannavaro and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon) have been hauled in for questioning, and many players are uncertain where they'll be come autumn. But the last time there was a scandal of such magnitude in Italy, the Azzurri won the World Cup. The hero of their `82 championship: Paolo Rossi, who had just returned from a length suspension.

T - All 64 World Cup matches will be shown on U.S. TELEVISION, with ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC providing English-language coverage, and Univision and TeleFutura offering Spanish commentary. In addition, all games will be available live or tape-delayed, via satellite, in Farsi (Tapesh TV), Korean (KBS World) and German (Setanta Sports USA). TV5MONDE, available on some local cable systems, will show 36 games with French commentary.

U - The first World Cup was won by URUGUAY, which in 1930 became the first of six host nations to capture the title. The others: Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978) and France (1998).

V - The Netherlands has reached the final in each of the major tournaments held in Germany, falling to the Germans at the 1974 World Cup and beating the Soviet Union at the 1988 European Championship.

Marco VAN BASTEN, perhaps the greatest Dutch striker of them all, scored an incredible goal, from a most improbable angle, in the `88 triumph. Injury halted his career, and he spent nearly a decade away from the sport, but he's back, in charge of a Dutch team that is among the favorites to win the title.

W - Bosses the world over are expecting WORKERS to shirk their responsibilities the next month, taking days off so they can catch every moment of World Cup action. Some 83 percent of British employers say they'll crack down on unauthorized absences or drops in productivity, according to an industry survey, and only 8 percent will grant a holiday to celebrate should England win the trophy. A survey in Croatia found 30 percent of workers believe they should be allowed to watch the World Cup at work, and almost half plan to skip a day or two to watch games.

Portugal's Parliament altered its schedule to avoid conflict with the Portugal-Mexico showdown, and Ukraine's prime minister urged bosses to arrange work days around the games or install TV sets wherever possible.

X - Heavy in soccer vocabulary as the World Cup nears: X-RAYS, MRIs and CT scans. Injuries and rehabilitation dominate the landscape as media, fans and teams try to figure out who will and won't be on the field when the games count. Star England striker Wayne Rooney, who suffered a broken foot at the end of April, has received the (three)lion's share of attention, and it's looking like he might make it back. A good two dozen players have been dealing with fitness issues, and, to Germany's horror, playmaker Michael Ballack -- the only top-class player on the host's roster -- might not be available for Friday's opener.

Y - Discipline in soccer comes in red and yellow, and cards could keep players off the field and play havoc with their team's hopes of advancement. YELLOW CARDS, given for relatively minor infractions, are common, but receive two of them and the reward is a one-game suspension. Two yellows in the same game are accompanied by a red card -- expulsion -- and suspension. Violent fouls and ``last-man'' violations to halt clear scoring opportunities warrant red cards, and, depending on the severity of the infraction, suspensions can cover two or three games.

Z - This World Cup is the end of the line for ZINEDINE ZIDANE, France's majestic playmaker and chief architect of its 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship triumphs. Zidane remains, at 33, atop his game, and he will be critical as the French seek to put the disastrous 2002 tournament behind them and reclaim the title.

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