2006 website reports the following responses to groupE draw USA Although the draw did not make so many headlines in the United States, the inside pages of the national papers dedicated plenty of column inches to it. Giving its reaction to the news that Bruce Arena's side had been pitched in with Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic in Group E, the New York Times said the US faced some tough first-round opponents and that the task would only get harder, with Brazil possibly lying in wait in the second round. The Washington Post reminded its readers that the group was very similar to the one the Stars and Stripes faced in 1990, when Italy and the former Czechoslovakia were among their rivals. It went on to lament the fact that the US had never beaten any of their three opponents, adding plaintively: "The group is the only one to feature three teams from the top 12 in the FIFA ranking." Nonetheless, the general feeling was that this is exactly the kind of test Arena's side must overcome if they are to confirm their place among the major powers in world football. Italy The prospect of facing Ghana, USA and the Czech Republic prompted a cautious response in Italy where Gazzetta dello Sport described it as "the toughest draw for Italy since Argentina ’78". It continued by saying the group was "very similar to 1990 but now a lot of things have changed". In 1990, Italy defeated both the USA and Czechoslovakia and the echoes of that campaign were not lost in the Czech Republic. Despite the headline "A treacherous draw", Mlada fronta Dnes found a positive omen as it recalled the former Czechoslovakia's Italia 90 campaign. "We played there with Italy and USA and we took second place in the group... Not qualifying for the second round would be a disappointment."