Gelsenkirchen, Germany ? They’re surrounded by the tightest security, quizzed about lukewarm support back home and constantly questioned over whether they can reprise a surprisingly successful run in the last World Cup.

Must be the Americans, still strangers in the land of soccer and hoping to prove that Yanks can hang in the world’s No. 1 sport.

“Everyone is anxious,” U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said Sunday after arriving in the city where they finally will play today. “It’s that time, really. It’s what everyone has been waiting for for the last four years.”

The United States made it to the quarterfinals at the 2002 tournament in South Korea before losing 1-0 to Germany, its most successful World Cup since 1930.

Since then, midfielder Landon Donovan’s hair has thinned, and winger Eddie Lewis speaks with a decidedly British accent now that he has played for English clubs the past six years.

There is one constant, though. Security.

When the Americans leave their hotel in Essen to travel to their opener against the Czech Republic, an ever-present convoy of police, State Department officials and private guards will encircle them. The U.S. bus is the only among the 32 teams that doesn’t display the country’s name.

Reyna said security wasn’t on players’ minds.

“We’re here to get results and do well,” he said. “The World Cup is an experience you want to enjoy. The guys are having a great time. There’s no tension or anxiety within the team because of the security issues.”

Not so the opening game.

U.S. players know well that years of work could be wiped out by just a few seconds of lapses against the Czechs, Italy and Ghana, all part of the United States’ tough Group E.

“It’s very difficult to lose the first game and expect to get through,” Donovan said.

Their battle for respect extends beyond the famous soccer grounds of Europe. In America, many sports fans remain unconvinced that soccer is worth their time. Former congressman Jack Kemp, once an NFL quarterback, proclaimed on the floor of the House of Representatives: “Football is democratic, capitalism, whereas soccer is a European socialist sport.”

Twelve of the 23 U.S. players are based in Europe, several with big clubs, but many say they still encounter condescension from continental types skeptical of their new-world pedigree.

“Until we’ve really proven ourselves on kind of the European stage, I think it will still be there,” said goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who plays here and lives in a German castle.

Growth has been slow, but steady.

Major League Soccer, launched in 1996, has 12 teams, with more planned. ABC and ESPN bought U.S. English-language television rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups for $100 million, and Univision purchased U.S. Spanish-language rights for the next two tournaments for $325 million.

Corporate sponsors have amped up their support, with Nike erecting giant billboards in New York and San Francisco featuring Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and DaMarcus Beasley and the warning “BEWARE.”

It’s far different than 1990, when the Americans returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1950 – and were manhandled 5-1 by Czechoslovakia in their opener.

Current coach Bruce Arena sat in the stands at Stadio Comunale in Florence, Italy, that day to root on players he coached at the University of Virginia.

“In a sense it was embarrassing how far behind we were,” he said. “We didn’t belong on the field.”

As host of the 1994 World Cup, the United States made it to the second round before losing to eventual champion Brazil. At the 1998 tournament in France, the Americans finished last, leading to Arena’s hiring.

He is now the longest-tenured of the 32 World Cup coaches.

Arena has plenty of lineup options, but won’t divulge them. His defense appeared set, with Keller in goal, Lewis at left back, 6-foot-4 Oguchi Onyewu and Eddie Pope in the center, and Steve Cherundolo on the right. Reyna anchors the midfield, where Beasley could flank him on either side, with Bobby Convey and Dempsey possible starters.

Donovan and Brian McBride, who each scored two goals in 2002, are starters barring unforeseen injuries, and forward Josh Wolff or defensive midfielder Pablo Mastroeni could get selected.

Four years ago, the United States upset highly favored Portugal 3-2 in the opener, so the Czechs say they expect the Americans to play them tough.

“They play fast soccer,” midfielder Tomas Rosicky said. “We’ve seen what they’re capable of.”