TIANJIN, China -- Holding a major athletic competition in cities that rank high in the world's air pollution list is a risky proposition, to say the least.
After all, how can you tell athletes to take in as much air as possible when it is laced with heaven knows what?
At the Beijing Summer Games, there are the Chinese version of the three H's -- heat, humidity and horrible air -- that can make like unbearable for anyone, let alone athletes trying to perform their best at the Olympics.
This city seems to have a constant haze hovering above it with gray skies usually the norm. Some citizens wear cloth or plastic gas masks and some bicyclists wear a visor, apparently to keep out some unusual glare and to protect their eyes from some type of pollution.
According to Fareed Zakaria's book, "The Post-American World," only one percent of China's 560 million urban residents "breathe air considered safe by European Union standards."
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"After a week of acclimation, you get used to it," said former New York Red Bulls striker Jozy Altidore, who recently was transferred to Villarreal (Spain). "But it's not easy. With these conditions, even the team that plays the best soccer doesn't always win."
Toronto FC defender Marvell Wynne has noticed the difference. At night many visitors can see dust in the air when the light refracts off the floating particles.
"It's different from the air quality back in the States," he said. "We have to do a little adjusting. It's not a thing to get used to quickly or take a pill to adapt faster. You have to change our game plan and strategy or we'll be fairly winded."
Add temperatures hovering near the 100-degree mark and high humidity, and it's an awful combination for below-average results at a competition in which records are supposed to be broken.
How bad are the temperatures? The Tianjin Olympic Games weather service put out this forecast for Friday (a rating of one is the best, five the worst):
The heat index was a three, which was called "torrid" by the service with "heat stroke imminent."
The heat wave index also was a third. The service was "great discomfort" and that people should "avoid exertion."
So, just how does a soccer player avoid exertion when he or she is trying to win a game?
"It's hot air you're breathing," Altidore said. "It's not easy."
Wynne agreed. "It's tough," he said. As you notice during the game, any time there is a break, we walk over to get some fluids."
Captain and veteran forward Brian McBride, the oldest men's player (36) at an Olympics since the under-23 rule was instituted, said he was glad the team played at the ING Cup in Hong Kong, where temperatures were in the mid-90s and the heat index was over 100 degrees.
"You've got to be smart about it," he said. "When you've got a chance to move forward, you move forward. You need to keep the ball and a little more time than you need to do."
So, injuries, big or small, for whatever team, can be welcomed by the players to rest and catch their breaths.
No player would want to go through what Dutch midfielder Hedweiges Maduro experienced in his team's scoreless tie with Nigeria Thursday. He was forced to leave the game at halftime because of dehydration.
Wynne has been taking no chances, although he isn't a fish.
"It's as though I'm tired of drinking water, I am drinking so much," he said.
Controlling the doping: When Altidore and Wynne were called in for drug testing after the U.S.'s 1-0 win against Japan Thursday night, they knew what to expect.
They've been there, done that many times before, most recently with the U.S. under-20 team.
But that doesn't mean they have to like it. No player likes to be detained after a match -- win or lose. Thursday's doping control tests took almost an hour. And after a game in which players have lost many fluids in 93-degree temperatures and 50 percent humidity (the latter seemed to be a lot more), it was difficult giving a urine sample.
"It was pretty ...," Altidore said, searching for the right diplomatic words. "It wasn't bad. They were cautious. They want to make sure everything is done right. They want to make sure nobody is cheating."
The two players have performed in enough international competitions and youth World Cups to know the procedure.
"It's a little amazing," said Wynne, who was so dehydrated and needed so many fluids that it took him 35-40 minutes to give officials a urine sample.
In fact, Altidore has been tested when he was living in New Jersey at 4 a.m. ("that's unbelievable," Altidore said), obviously to make sure the athlete won't cheat or use someone else's samples.
Opening the door to someone don't know at four in the morning sounds like risky business. But athletes have no recourse.
"You have to answer it or they put that as a missed test," Altidore said. "You only get three strikes. You have to answer the door."
They love a parade: After a week in this satellite Olympics city, the U.S. men got a taste of what the Summer Games were really about when they participated in the parade of countries and athletes at the opening ceremonies in Beijing Friday.
"I'm very excited," Altidore said prior to the parade. "It will be a lot of fun. That's when the Olympic experience hits you."
Wynne said it was "going to be amazing. It's the epitome of pride for your country, knowing you are out there with the elite of sports. You are honored by being there. ... There are no words to describe it."
Midfielder Michael Bradley said when the team was in Palo Alto, Calif. prior to the trip, several former Olympians said "that if there was any possible way we could swing walking in the opening ceremonies we 100 percent had to do it because it was something that we'd never forget. ... We're excited about it, but I think in the back of everybody's mind we're also thinking about the game on Sunday."
The players wore blue blazers, white pants and colored shirts and an off-white cap.
"We're going to be looking decked out," Altidore said. ""We're going to be looking nice."
Wynne called the ensemble "flashy."
The opening ceremony was expected to fade quickly into memory because the U.S. takes on the Netherlands in a Group B encounter here Saturday night.
The American women did not attend the ceremonies. They were preparing for a must-win situation against Japan less than 24 hours after the parade in Qinhuangdao. Winning and representing your country on the field and not in Beijing are the No. 1 priorities at the moment.
Getting to know each other: Adu and McBride haven't had much time to practice together or perform in games together that much, so their partnership up front Thursday night was a bumpy one.
A lot of times they didn't look on the same page, sometimes they did.
"I think it's coming along," McBride said. "There were plenty of times when we were too far apart from each other. There were plenty of times when we were able to link and occupy their center backs. The one thing we did, they kept pushing people onto us. We had to play smart and take a foul and sometimes we had to play one touch and get things moving."
They're in yellow peril: Three U.S. players received yellow cards in the opening match. The next one they accrue will mean they will have to sit out the next match. So, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, midfielder Michael Bradley and Freddy Adu are on notice against Japan.
In the spotlight: Bradley said that people who he didn't know were soccer fans were tuning in to catch the Americans early in the morning.
"You don't realize how big it is until you get here," he said. "Even with the huge time difference back home, the different text messages and e-mails and calls from all our family and friends back home, even people I didn't know were soccer fans. 'Hey, I was up early this morning to catch the game. Congratulations.' That's when it really hits home how big the Olympics are and how special it is for people in America."
Winning first certainly doesn't hurt: Beyond the satisfaction of winning and building confidence, the U.S. men's victory in their Olympic opener increased their chances of getting out of the first round in one piece.
Consider these trends from Olympic history:
Since group play was instituted for the first round in 1960, countries that win their first match have moved onto the next round 82.5 percent of the time (57-185). Teams that have lost their opening games have gotten out of the first round only 8 percent of the time (5-57). And if a team draws, it has more than a fighting chance -- 50 percent (18 times out of a possible 36 tied teams) of staying alive to play another day.
Only five countries have lost their opener, but managed to advance anyway. The exceptions: Argentina (1960), Egypt (1984), Australia (1992), Ghana (1996) and Brazil (1996).
Interesting note: Brazil is the only team to lose its opening match but went on to win a medal, a bronze, in 1996. Australia reached the medal round in 1992, losing to Ghana in the bronze-medal encounter.
On the flip side, only four countries have won their first game, but did not advance. They include Poland (1960), which defeated Tunisia 6-1; the USA (1984), which beat Costa Rica 3-0; South Korea (1996), which downed Ghana 1-0; Japan (1996), which bested Brazil 1-0.
This works for the women as well, although they don't have as long a history as the men's competition.
Countries that have won their first match have reached the semifinals 75 percent of the time (5-1-2 record). Norway is the only women's side that has bucked this trend. It dropped its opening game to the USA, 2-0, but won its next two encounters to advance. In fact, the Norwegians improved throughout the tournament that they earned a gold medal.
On the flip side, two teams that have won their opening matches have failed to advance -- Germany (1996), which defeated Japan, 3-2, and China (2000), which beat Nigeria, 3-1.
Looking ahead: There is a long way to go in the Olympic soccer competition, of course. Saying that, here are two potential quarterfinal opponents for the U.S. if it finishes first or second.
A second-place finish probably would mean a showdown with gold-medal favorite Argentina in Shanghai Saturday, Aug. 16. Earning the Group B title would mean a date with either Ivory Coast, Australia or Serbia in Qinhuangdao.
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