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Game Three Blues For U.S. Soccer The history of “Game Three” for the United States in FIFA World Cup finals is not a happy one. Since the 1990 when the U.S. was 0-for-the tournament in Italy, the U.S. has never won a third group game. The 2-1 loss to Ghana on Thursday made the U.S.0-5. In 1990 the U.S. was coming off a 1-0 shutout against host Italy, after falling 5-1 to Czechoslovakia in a match that show just how far behind the rest of the world U.S. soccer really was. In what should have been the group’s least difficult opponent the U.S. was beaten by Austria 2-1. Former Clemson All-America Bruce Murray scored the lone goal. Four years later, playing at home as the host country, the U.S. was 1-0-1 after a 1-1 tie with Switzerland and a 2-1 upset win over Colombia. Needing a victory to win the group, the U.S. was beaten 1-0 by Romania in Pasadena, CA. The U.S. advanced to the second round despite the loss, but faced eventual champion Brazil, dropping a 1-0 decision in Palo Alto, CA. The U.S. lost all three in 1998 in France, and closed out a forgettable
experience with a 1-0 loss to Yugoslavia in the third group game. The run of third-game losses continued in Germany. Despite a 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic in the opening game of World Cup 2006, the U.S. would have qualified by beating Ghana in the third game after a second-game 1-1 draw with Italy. Italy’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic set up that scenerio for the U.S. It’s extremely disappointing,” said U.S. veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller. “We put ourselves in position to be able to advance in the third game. Obviously, we’re disappointed with the decision of the referee (a controversial penalty kick was the game-winner), but at the end of it we didn’t make the plays that we need to make. “It’s as simple as that.” Needing a win over Ghana to advance to the second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the U.S. came up short. Instead, Ghana advances to play Brazil in the round of 16. The U.S. got the result it needed in the other group game, a 2-0 win by Italy over the Czech Republic, but couldn’t accomplish something it had never before accomplish. Win a World Cup game on European soil. Instead, it was Ghana, playing in its very first World Cup final, advancing with two wins, including a 2-0 win over the Czechs. The U.S. is headed home with a 0-2-1 record and only one point in Group E. That point came on a 1-1 tie against Italy in the second game of group play. The U.S. played for nearly a half with nine players, while Italy played with 10, after three enjections. No one was ejected in Ghana’s win over the U.S., but the critical event in the game was a bogus penalty kick call on a phantom foul in the closing minutes of the first half. U.S. defender Oguchi Oneywu got his head on a ball that popped off of an errant clear by teammate Carlos Bocanegro. He brushed Ghana’s Razak Pimpong in the middle of the penalty box, who went down like he had been shot, and Stephen Appiah connected on the game-winning penalty kick, two minutes into stoppage time. After an embarrassing 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic and the draw with Italy, the U.S. had scored no goals of its own, and had only one shot on goal, a roller that bounced off the post by Claudio Reyna in the opening game. The USA’s goal against Italy was an own goal from an Italian defender. After Reyna was stripped of the ball and Ghana took a 1-0 lead on Haminu Draman’s one-on-one with goalkeeper Kasey Keller, the U.S. got its only goal of the tournament to tie at 1-1. Draman was playing in his very first World Cup match. The U.S. tied the gamein the 43rd minute of the first half. DaMarcus Beasley broke free down the left side of the field and curled a square ball to Clint Dempsey for a one-time blast into the back of the net. The penalty kick was the killer, and in the second half the U.S. could not find the back of the net. U.S. coach Bruce Arena, criticized for a conservative approach in the Czech Republic game, came out with much of the same in the must-win game with Ghana. Down a goal and nothing happening up front with Brian McBride as the lone striker, Arena did not put another player up front until he inserted Eddie Johnson there with ? minutes left in the game. It was basically too-little-too-late. The result was very disappointing for the U.S. national soccer team program, which had advanced the team to the quarterfinals in 2002. Bottom line, the U.S. had a gritty performance in earning the tie against Italy, and had a chance to advance with a win. It turned out to be a game it did not win, nor were they close to winning. Thus ended a World Cup process that started with the early CONCACAF matches
a year and a half ago. In that process the U.S. finished first in the
regional qualifying, on goal differential over Mexico, and was ranked
once #4 in the FIFA world rankings. The U.S. team will leave Germany ranked
#5 in those rankings, but far down the list of teams that competed in
this world cup final. It was a result that kept hopes of advancing to the second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup alive for the U.S. men’s national team. It wasn’t a win, but it was a draw with a gritty performance that saw the U.S. overcome the loss of two players to tie Italy 1-1 without a single shot on goal. After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the equalizer came when Cristian Zaccardo tried to clear Bobby Convey’s free kick over the end line, but instead cleared it into the back of his own goal. Cards were flying in this game like celebrity poker on television. The first to go with a red card was Daniele de Rossi, who hammered Brian McBride in the face with an elbow, leaving a cut that later required three stitches. The U.S. lost Pablo Mastroeni in the last minute of the first half, and Eddie Pope in the first two minutes of the second half. Mastroeni got a straight red, while Pope’s unnecessary slide tackle earned him his second yellow and an ejection. Playing with nine players for almost a half, the U.S. held on for the draw. In fact, it appears that second-half substitute DaMarcus Beasley had given the U.S. a 2-1 lead, but his goal was called back on an offsides call against McBride. "I can't say enough about the guys in front of me," U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller said after the game. "They're dead (tired) out there, they've given everything. It would have been a shame to concede a goal late, but we stuck in this thing. We're in this tournament and we have a good chance now. Of course, we wanted three points, but the point in these circumstances is phenomenal." "Everything was going against us today. What can you say? This team has the spirit and can come back from a three-nil loss (Monday against the Czech Republic). We showed that today. We were unlucky not to win this game, even with nine guys." While the draw, which was reminiscent of the USA’s 0-0 man-down draw in Mexico City during the 2002 World Cup qualifying, kept the U.S. in the running for a berth in the second round, the opportunity to get a win was not lost on the U.S. players. "It's a nice result, we fought hard with nine men," U.S. right defender Steve Cherundolo. "If we had 10, we could have won it. We stayed close and compact, and communicated well tonight. Italy chose not to challenge on the outside, so it helped for us to stay organized." The U.S. will have neither Pope or Mastroeni against Ghana on Thursday, and that is a must-win match for the U.S. A USA win, coupled with a win by Italy over the Czech Republic, would put the U.S. into the second round. That would mean a matchup with defending world champion Brazil, but nevertheless, the U.S. would get to play again. Getting a win over Ghana will not be an easy task, and the U.S. team will have to come out with the same intensity that it brought to the game with Italy. They have nothing to lose. While U.S. coach Bruce Arena will be forced to make some lineup changes without Pope and Mastroeni, he has a number of options. It is likely that young Jimmy Conrad, who can in as a second-half substitute for Pope, will get the call in the middle with rookie defender Oguchi Oneywu. Not a lot of experience there. Arena could move Claudio Reyna back into Mastroeni’s more defensive midfield spot, and insert John O’Brien, who has not seen any action in this World Cup, in the middle of the field with Landon Donovan. Or he could insert Eddie Johnson, a tall forward with excellent speed, up front with McBride. Should he want to push another forward up wide left, he could move Convey up and insert Eddie Lewis at left midfield. Lewis started at left back against the Czech Republic, but plays left midfield for his club team, Leeds United. A tie against Ghana would be of no value, so the question still remains, “where will the goals come from.” The U.S. has not scored a goal in these games. Ghana will also be missing key players. Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Muntari, who scored the goals in the 2-0 win over the Czech Republic, will sit for yellow-card accumulation after each received their second caution. The U.S. is now 9-3-3 vs. Italy all time, and 0-2-1 in World Cup play
against the two-time world champions. The USA’s overall record in
the World Cup is 6-15-3 and 0-8-1 in games played in Europe. Under Arena,
the Americans are 2-3-2 in the Cup. It wasn’t a win and it didn’t feel like one, but the 1-1 draw against Italy was a victory in the way the game played out and for the one World Cup point that was earned. After an opening 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic, the U.S. men faced a daunting task in their second World Cup group game, facing one of the Cup favorites, two-time world champion Italy. The U.S. had never before beaten Italy. The Americans still don’t have a win over the Azzura, but the tie keeps their hopes alive of advancing to the second round of this World Cup. They now must beat Ghana in the third group game, and then pull for Italy to rebound with a victory over the Czech Republic. If that happens the U.S. will advance to a second-round matchup against Brazil. It wasn’t so much a surprise that the U.S. earned the draw with Italy, but that they accomplished that with only nine players on the field for the last 43 minutes. Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni was red carded after a hard tackle late in the first half. Eddie Pope received his second yellow card of the match, which led to his ejection, after a slide tackle two minutes into the second. Italy had also lost a player when Daniele de Rossi hit Brian McBride in the face with an elbow in the 28th minute of the first half. The U.S. was a man-up until Mastroeni was shown red, just seconds before the halftime whistle. “We thought from the beginning, we told our team, that this group would go down to the last day," U.S. Manager Bruce Arena said. "Our challenge is to try to get four points and see where that takes us. I thought our effort today was fantastic. I’m proud of the way my team kept their composure and got the one point. Despite playing down a player, the U.S. had several chances to win the match. DaMarcus Beasley, coming on as a second-half sub, actually put a ball past the Italian goalkeeper in what appeared to be the tie-breaking goal, but it was called back because McBride was standing offsides. Italy struck first in the 22nd minute after Pablo Mastroeni fouled Francesco Totti about 30 yards from goal. Christian Zaccardo served an in-swinger into the box that Alberto Gilardino headed home. Eddie Pope, Gilardino’s marker, stopped following his run immediately and raised his arm calling for offside, but several U.S. players kept the goal scorer in legal position. The U.S. equalized in the 27th minute when a Bobby Convey free kick from the right sideline was awkwardly touched by Zaccardo at the back post and went in for an own goal. The play was set up as Claudio Reyna made something out of nothing. The U.S. captain won a free kick on the right side, getting fouled after a slow dribbling run up the right wing had him forward with little help. "I thought we were the better team on the night. We had a fantastic first half and certainly to get two red cards within a span of, probably, five minutes was very difficult. Not many teams would hold their composure. I thought we did a great job there and I’m really proud of the team. That’s the kind of team the U.S. should be putting on the field and the kind of effort we should have.” Both Group E finales will be played on Thursday, June 22 with 4 p.m. local time kickoffs (10 a.m. ET). U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller came up big in the second half, making several outstanding saves, including stopping two point-blank shots. In the 73rd minute, Keller kept the U.S. alive with one of his trademark saves, sprawling to his right to deny a flick-on after a chip found Alessandro del Piero behind the U.S. backline. He would again make a big save in the 79th minute, punching out a long range attempt from del Piero. Italians continued their push for the go-ahead goal in the game's dying moments, but the U.S. held the fort despite several sets of tired legs. "I can’t say enough about the guys in front of me," said Keller, who was named Sierra Mist Man of the Match. "They’re dead (tired) out there, they’ve given everything. It would have been a shame to concede a goal late but we stuck in this thing. We’re in this tournament, and we have a good chance now. Of course we wanted three points but the point in these circumstances is phenomenal.” Notes: U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report --
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F ITA – Alberto Giardino (Christian Zaccardo) 22nd minute. Lineups: ITA: 1-Gianluigi Buffon; 2-Cristian Zaccardo (7-Alessandro
del Piero, 54), 5-Fabio Cannavaro (capt), 13-Alessandro Nesta, 19-Gianluca
Zambrotto; 4-Daniele de Rossi, 20-Simone Perrotta, 21-Andrea Pirlo, 10-Francesco
Totti (8-Gennaro Gattuso, 35); 11-Alberto Gilardino, 9-Luca Toni (15-Vincenzo
Iaquinta, 61) Stats Summary: USA ITA Misconduct Summary: Officials: Group E Standings U.S. Falls to Czech Republic, 3-0, in World Cup Opener GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (June 12, 2006) – The U.S. fell 3-0 to the Czech Republic in the opening match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup on June 12 at FIFA World Cup Stadium in Gelsekirchen, Germany. The Czech Republic struck early when 6-foot, 7-inch forward
Jan Koller scored on a fifth-minute header. Tomas
Rosicky added a 35-yard rocket before the end of the half and
later added a second on a breakaway late in the game. The U.S. almost leveled the score in the 28th minute when captain Claudio
Reyna hit the post. On a counter attack, Bobby Convey
played the ball into the center to Landon Donovan, who
quickly played the ball square to Reyna. After taking a settling touch,
Reyna hit a drive past a diving Petr Cech and off the
inside of the left post. USA Edges Latvia, Leaves For Germany All of the preparations, including training camp in North Carolina and three exhibition games on a “Send Off Tour” are over. The U.S. Men’s National Team has departed for Germany, and the next time you see them on television will be June 12 in their World Cup opener against the Czech Republic. A 1-0 win over Latvia in West Hartford, CT, completed the three game tour, which the U.S. opened in Nashville earlier in the week with a 1-0 loss to Morocco. Coach Bruce Arena’s club shutout Venezeula 2-0 in Cleveland in the other friendly. Three games and only three goals is not an impressive offensive output, but there were some positive signs, especially in the two wins. Captain Claudio Reyna, who pulled a hamstring in the game with Morocco, is back in training and is expected to be ready for the June 12 opener. Oft-injuried midfielder John O’Brien, who has been a question mark, showed some of his brillance in the friendlies, and appears to be getting fitter, but is still not ready to go the full 90 in an international match. He has 12 more days to improve his fitness. Brian McBride had the game-winner over Latvia. Brian Ching and Clint Dempsey got the goals over Venezeula. The most pleasant surprise of the training camp was Bobby Convey, who has had a great season in helping Reading to the English Premier League for next season. He was a dominate player down the left side of the field in the exhibition games, and could force DaMarcus Beasley, who is somewhat off his game, to move from the left to the right side of the field. McBride suffered a golf-ball size knot on the right side of his forehead early in the contest with Latvia, but drove in a header in the 43rd minute for the only goal of the game. He is the all-time #2 goalscorer in U.S. men’s soccer history, and a key to the offense in Germany. After suffering a large knot of the right side of his forehead early in the contest, striker Brian McBride became the one American to convert -- his header in the 43rd minute proving decisive for the U.S. in its final tuneup before departing for the World Cup in Germany. "Our three opponents this past week played quite well," Arena said after the Latvia game. "They all pushed us physically. Tonight, we had a pretty tired group, but we created a bunch of good chances. But we were a bit sloppy in the second half and gave them some opportunities, but overall we played well. O'Brien has suffered numerous injuries since his standout performance in the 2002 World Cup and has been mostly inactive for the last year, but now seems ready to resume his role for the Americans "I feel fine," he said smiling. "I took some knocks, but I gave them out too. I think I am ready to go full out." Arena expressed satisfaction with O'Brien's progress. "He still has a ways to go," he said. "He has not reached complete match fitness and probably will not be ready to go 90 minutes against the Czech Republic, but he starting to look like the John of old." While the U.S. was not overly impressive in those final exhibition games, they were just that….exhibitions. By contrast, the Czech Republic, which has suffered a number of injuries to key players this spring, only defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in one of its final tuneup matches. The U.S. was scheduled to play Angola in a closed door scrimmage in Hamberg on June 5 after arriving in Germany. "This has been quite a grind," Arena said. "We all need
a few days off. We've run them into the ground over the last three weeks.
Now we'll back off and concentrate on getting ready for June 12." Convey Out To Prove That He Can Play Bobby Convey was one of those Under-17 National Team players who headed for Bradenton, FL when U.S. Soccer first opened the Residency Program. He was on the U.S. team that included Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley. Like Donovan and Beasley skipped college and headed straight for the pros. They were teenagers and had a lot to learn about life, but life for them included a future in professional soccer. Convey was the last of the three to go to Europe. After beginning his pro career in Major League Soccer with D.C. United, he was signed to play in England and this past season helped Reading earn promotion to the English Permier League for the first-time ever. He was a starter at left outside midfield for Reading. In and out of the U.S. full national team over the last several years, Convey made the World Cup 2006 roster of 23 players. He has matured as a player and in a sendoff friendly against Venezuela at Cleveland Browns Stadium (May 16) he made a very positive statement about how he might help the team in Germany next month. Turns out that Convey was the man-of-the-match, assisting on the first goal in a 2-0 win, and terrorizing Venezuela down the left side of the field. He was the game’s most effective player. He had not played in the USA’s 1-0 loss three days earlier in Nashville to Morocco. U.S. coach Bruce arena only started two players, forward Josh Wolff and defender Oguchi Onyewu, who started against Morocco. He chose the rest the others. “We played a different formation. I think a lot of the guys were hungry, wanted to play and wanted to prove that they should be on the team,” said Convey about the game in Cleveland. “It just worked out well. Guys felt a little bit more comfortable in different positions today than in the last game. It’s a process and it’s good to win in this game, obviously, after the loss in the last game.” Arena had positive comments about Convey’s play, particularly with regards to his ability to get the ball across and in from of Venezuela’s goal. "The other night in particular, there was no crossing on our part,” said Arena. “For the game, we told our guys in the first half the other night we had three crosses. I think Bobby Convey probably had five or six on his own in the first half tonight. Being a left-sided player and getting behind the other team, whipping in some good crosses, I thought he also did well on the defensive end of the field and brought a lot of energy to the game." When asked if Arena had challenge his team to raise their level against Venezuela, Convey said, “Yeah. He’s the coach and obviously we needed to improve and we need to do better than that. It’s all preparation for the first game of the World Cup. Obviously these games are really preparation to see what works and we just needed to tweak a few things. I think we did that today.” And was Arena angry with the loss? Convey replied, “I wouldn’t say angry. He was obviously disappointed that we lost. Everyone’s disappointed when you lose and you just try to come out the next game and do better. I think it was a good thing that we played so quickly. Now everyone will remember this and how well we did instead of a loss.” When asked if he had tried to impress Arena with his play against Venzuela, Convey was honest in how he approached the opportunity he had in Cleveland. Much like he had to prove himself with Reading last season. “Yeah, of course. I go out and I want to play” said Convey, “and I’ve tried to bring it the whole season forward. When you win games and you don’t know what it’s like to lose, you just grow in confidence and you get better. “You try to get better every week and you get better all the time. Obviously, playing with the National Team, you have better players and it’s a lot easier to play when you play with good players. That’s what I want to do. Nobody likes sitting on the bench and I want to just try and play as much as I can. A win is a win, especially when the U.S. men’s national team has suffered through back-to-back shutouts. In front of a big crowd of 29,745 at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the U.S., using mostly reserves from its World Cup roster, defeated a very average Venezuela team 2-0. The win came against a South American team that has never qualified for a World Cup final, and it came in the second of three games before the U.S. departys for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Coming off a 1-0 loss to Morocco three nights earlier in Nashville, the win gets the U.S. back on track with a meeting with Latvia set for Sunday night in East Hartford, CT. U.S. manager Bruce Arena rested most of his players from the Morocco game, only starting forward Josh Wolff and defender Oguchi Onyewu from the Morocco starters. Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley were late second-half substitutions. Arena challenged his team to step up after the disappointing loss to Morocco and for the players to prove they were worthy of a spot on the roster. They responded with a high intensity level and pressured Venezuela from the opening whistle. While Morocco jammed up the middle of the field and dropped 8-9 players back behind the ball, the U.S. players were able to find more space against Venezuela, especially down the flanks where they almost ran at will. Bobby Convey at outside left midfield was especially effective, and play in the ball that striker Brian Ching finished for the first goal and a 1-0 halftime lead. Venezuela, better known for baseball and for soccer, was not as good a team as Morocco and did not provide the U.S. with the same defensive problems. This allowed the U.S. to dominate play throughout most of the game. Both U.S. goals were quite similar, first with Ching in the 38th minute and then Clint Dempsey in the 73rd minute running from the midfield and scoring off crosses. A solid defensive team probably would have easily cleared the ball away before goals were scored, but Venezuela was far from solid in back and Ching and Dempsey were able to exploit that. Convey and Carlos Bocanegra played well enough to enhance their chances of playing more in Germany. Convey, who plays for Reading, newly promoted into the English Premier League, was a terror on the left side of the field, getting in time after time. Bocanegra, who plays for Fulham in the English Premiership, showed that he could play on the outside left defensive position, in addition to his normal central defender slot. The final minutes, and stoppage time, was played by the U.S. with 10 players aftyer Bocanegra was sent off with a second yellow card. Mexico’s Mauricio Morales, the referee, struggled to control the game as it got chippy in the second half. He handed out a total of nine yellow cards, five going to Venezuela. Against Morocco there were few scoring opportunities for the U.S., and against Venezuela there were many, and it would be fair to say that the U.S. must capitalize on opportunities like those in a meaningful game, and the U.S. did not in a game that mean very little. However, Arena got what the team needed, a win, and got what he needed, an opportunity to see some players he will need to call on at some point in the World Cup. Two weeks from opening the World Cup against the Czech Republic, and
the clock is counting! Berhalter Replaces Gibbs On U.S. Roster The U.S. men’s World Cup team took its second hit when Cory Gibbs was removed from the roster after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to Morocco in Nashville. Gibbs, 26, played the entire game and the severity of his injury was not determined until Thursday, the day before the U.S. was scheduled to play Venezuela in Cleveland. He has been replaced on the roster by 32-year-old central defender Gregg Berhalter, a veteran of the USA’s successful 2002 World Cup effort. “Naturally we are very sorry for Cory," manager Bruce Arena said in a U.S. Soccer Federation press release. "We know he was looking forward to playing in his first World Cup. I believe strongly in him as a player. We are going to miss him. In Gregg, we are fortunate to have a player of his experience ready to step in to his second World Cup. I'm confident that Gregg will be able to contribute immediately to our team." All news from the U.S. camp was not negative, as it was determined that midfielder and captain Claudio Reyna’s MRI exam showed no muscle damage from the right hamstring he strained in the 11th minute of the 1-0 loss to Morocco. He is doubtful for Sunday night's World Cup sendoff match against Latvia in East Hartford, Conn. (also on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.). "I am relieved that there is no serious damage," Reyna said in a USSF release. "I'll be working with the trainers on a daily basis and will be focused on getting back on the field as quickly as possible." Gibbs, who missed most of his 2005-06 club season with a knee injury, was expected to provide experienced depth for Eddie Lewis at left back. Had he been available, it would have given Arena an option of moving Lewis up to the midfield spot on the left flank. With Berhalter a central back, it would seem Lewis' backups will be reserve right defender Chris Albright and possibly midfielder John O'Brien, who has played the left back position in the past. On May 2, Gibbs was named to his first World Cup team and six days later signed with Charlton Athletic of the English Premier League. The injury throws a cloud over his future with Charlton. The deal was contingent on Gibbs receiving a work permit. Only time will tell if Charlton can or would reconsider its contract offer or whether being dropped from the World Cup might jeopardize Gibbs' ability to obtain a work permit, which is closely tied to how much a player has represented his nation in major competitions. Berhalter, who played collegiate soccer on the same UNC Chapel Hill team will fellow U.S. veteran Eddie Pope, has represented the U.S. 44 times since first representing his nation in 1994. In the 2002 World Cup, he did not play in the three group matches, but started both games in the knockout round. He etched his placed in World Cup lore when his shot in the 50th minute appeared destined to tie Germany 1-1, but was kept out of the net by defender Torsten Frings' hand. Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn gathered the ball, Scottish referee Hugh Dallas did not award the Americans a penalty kick and Germany held on for a 1-0 victory and a berth in the semifinals. "I don't want to be a sore loser, but that was a clear hand-ball and the referee should have given Frings) a red card," Berhalter told Associated Press after the match. Berhalter has served as captain for the last two seasons for Energie
Cottbus, which recently finished third in Germany's 2.Bundesliga, good
enough for promotion to the first Bundesliga. He has spent his entire
professional career, beginning in 1994, in Europe with stops in the Netherlands,
England and Germany. A Disappointing Loss In Nashville NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 23, 2006) — In their first match of the three-game Send-Off Series before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team fell to Morocco, 1-0, on a last-minute goal in front of 26,141 fans at the Coliseum in Nashville, Tenn. The U.S., now 4-2-2 in 2006, will continue the Send-Off Series this Friday, May 26, at 7 p.m. ET, as Sierra Mist presents U.S. vs. Venezuela at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio (tickets The final send-off match before departing for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany on June 1 will be on May 28 at 7 p.m. ET at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., vs. Latvia. Both matches will be televised live on ESPN2, and taped delay on Telemundo. "First of all I think our opponents played a better game than us tonight. They had a definite game plan and the objective was to keep the U.S. team off the scoreboard and they certainly accomplished that,” said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. “They shortened the game with fouling, delaying and both are fair and within the rules of the game. They did a very solid job. They caught us at the end of the game with a mistake and got a goal. I think they would have been very, very happy with zero-zero.” "On the other end, we weren't sharp. We were a little leg weary, a little over-trained at this point. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything we've done. Our objective is still to look ahead to June 12 and not necessarily these games, although we certainly would have liked to have a positive result tonight.” The U.S. had the better of play throughout the match and managed 13 shots, but struggled to breakdown Morocco in the final third. On the other end, the U.S. stifled Morocco’s attack for almost the entire match by only allowing four shots before a quick counter provided the African nation with the game-winner After subduing a U.S. free-kick opportunity in the 90th minute, Morocco knocked the ball up the field. U.S. defender Steve Cherundolo was able to stay in front of Moroccan forward Bouchaib El Moubarki and reached the ball first along the right edge of the penalty area, but his touch to his right was a bit too far in front and Moubarki was able to steal it away. With numbers joining in the attack, Moubarki quickly dribbled toward the middle of the field before slotting the ball to a wide-open Mohamed Madihi on the left side. At the top of the box, Madihi took a touch toward goal before finishing past the charging Kasey Keller into the top netting. The U.S. has lost to Morocco all three times the two countries have met. Before tonight’s match, the two previous meetings took place on Moroccan soil, the U.S. falling 3-1 on March 18, 1992, in Casablanca and 2-1 seven years later on Nov. 17, 1999, in Marrakech. The loss was the first for the U.S. on American soil since a 2-1 defeat on May 28, 2005, at the hands of England. Bobby Convey paced the U.S. early in the second half,
getting two shots in the first seven minutes. On his first attempt, Convey
got free on the left side of the penalty area and unleashed a shot from
a tight angle, but Jarmouni had the near post covered. His second attempt
came when Beasley dropped the ball back to him at the top of the area,
but once again Jarmouni was in position. After Morocco took the lead, the U.S. had one final chance to pull even during injury time off a 25-yard free kick. Convey’s left-footed strike cleared the wall, but was just wide right, hitting the outside of the side netting. "I've been working on that all year, and it has gotten better for me,” said Convey. “It was a little disappointing obviously to miss by a couple of inches. Hopefully next time I will be in the same position and it will go in. It would have been a good ending, but that is how it goes sometimes." Match-up: USA vs. Morocco Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA 0 0 0 MOR – Mohamed Madihi 90th minute Hejduk To Miss World Cup With ACL Injury Chris Albright has been added to the USA’s 23-man roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, replacing defender Frankie Hejduk who today was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee. Albright will join the U.S. training camp on May 10 in Cary, N.C. Hejduk, a two-time World Cup veteran, suffered the injury during the Crew’s 1-0 loss to Kansas City on April 29 in Columbus. Despite the injury, Hejduk completed the match as well as a full training session Tuesday before experiencing pain in his knee. An MRI taken this afternoon confirmed the ACL injury. Albright, who was named to the 13-player alternate list for the World Cup during the official announcement on the May 2 edition of SportsCenter, has appeared in 19 matches for the United States. He scored his lone goal in his debut match, a 2-2 draw against Jamaica on Sept. 8, 1999 in Kingston. Capable of playing on the right or left side of defense, he played in six final round qualifying matches in 2005, starting five. Albright posted his first career assist in 2005, setting up the game-winning goal in the United States' 2-0 qualifying win against Panama on Oct. 12 in Foxborough, Mass. "I deeply regret having to replace Frankie Hejduk on the roster. Frankie has been a great member of the national team program for many years. Unfortunately this last minute injury has forced us to make a change," said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. "I'm delighted to be able to offer Chris Albright an opportunity to be a member of our team. As the case with all of our alternates, they need to be prepared in case a situation like this occurs." Albright started all six of the U.S. matches at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, registering two goals and an assist. The Los Angeles Galaxy defender has won two MLS Cup titles with the Galaxy (2002 & 2005), assisting on Carlos Ruiz's game-winning goal to give the Galaxy their first title. The USA was drawn into Group E <http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_280529.html>
for the 2006 FIFA World Cup along with the Czech Republic, Ghana, and
Italy. The U.S. plays their opening match against the Czechs on June 12
in Gelsenkirchen before meeting Italy on June 17 in Kaiserslautern and
then finishing off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. The
U.S. has chosen the northern port city of Hamburg <http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_252191.html>
as their base of operations throughout the tournament. CHICAGO (May 2, 2006) —After a nearly four-year process in which the United States has used 85 players in 59 overall matches, there were very few surprises when U.S. Men’s National Team manager Bruce Arena named his team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Arena picked a veteran team, headed by goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Claudio Reyna, headed to their fourth World Cup, on the roster of 23 players who head to Cary, NC to begin final preparations for the team’s fifth consecutive World Cup. The official roster must be submitted to FIFA no later than May 15. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the inclusion of forward Brian Ching, who has not been effective in international friendlies for the U.S. this year. The fourth forward spot on the team probably came down between Ching and Taylor Twellman, who was not included, but was named as an alternate Since the 2002 World Cup, 85 players made at least one international appearance for the U.S. which compiled a 36-9-14 (.729) record in that period. Forty-six players appeared in at least one of the 18 World Cup qualifiers in 2004 and 2005. Twelve players play for teams in Europe, with the other 11 are based in MLS. "I'm comfortable in saying that over these 59 games, I've been able to observe and evaluate a pool of very talented players," Arena said. "It is unfortunate that I am not able to bring all these players to Germany. "With the right mental approach, our team will be one that challenges any team.". The team will begin their pre-World Cup training camp May 10 in Cary, N.C., when 20 players are expected to report. Both Steve Cherundolo and Keller will join camp after the German Bundesliga season ends on May 13. Additionally, Eddie Lewis may still be competing in the promotion playoffs in the English League Championship. The United States will play matches in the Send-Off Series on May 23 in Nashville, May 26 in Cleveland and May 28 in East Hartford, Conn., with all three games airing live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET. The team is scheduled to depart for Germany on June 1 from Newark, N.J., arriving into Hamburg the following day. During the four-year cycle, 85 players have earned at least one cap for the U.S. as the team collected a 36-9-14 record. Additionally, 46 players appeared in at least one of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, giving Arena an extremely thorough opportunity to evaluate players based both domestically and abroad. "The naming of this 23-man roster is the end of a long and arduous process that has carried the U.S. National Team throughout the CONCACAF region and the world over the last 3 1/2 years," said Arena in making the announcement. "I'm comfortable in saying that over these 59 games, I've been able to observe and evaluate a pool of very talented players. It is unfortunate that I am not able to bring all these players to Germany. I am extremely grateful for the effort and professionalism that all our players exhibited throughout the process. "Today, a new journey begins as we start final preparations for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. As usual, we will not make any bold statements or predictions. However, I can assure everyone that the team that steps on the field on June 12 against the Czech Republic will be a team that all Americans will be proud of. We look forward to preparing for an exciting and demanding challenge, and we appreciate the support of all Americans." Twelve players return from the 2002 World Cup roster, led by Reyna, the team captain. The New Jersey native became the first U.S. Men’s National Team player to be named to the FIFA All-World Cup Team in 2002. Reyna and 2005 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Kasey Keller are set to become the only players in U.S. Soccer history to appear on four World Cup rosters. Reyna, Frankie Hejduk, Brian McBride and Eddie Pope boast the most appearances in World Cup matches on the roster, each having appeared in seven contests. The team is nearly evenly balanced between those playing professionally abroad and those plying their trade in Major League Soccer. In 2006, 12 players will come from Europe while 11 play in MLS, the same ratio as the 2002 team. The Kansas Wizards contribute the most players to the roster, sending 2002 World Cup veteran Josh Wolff along with Jimmy Conrad and Johnson. In total, nine MLS teams are represented on the roster, with an additional 10 teams sending at least one player from clubs in Belgium (1), England (7), Germany (2) and Holland (2). The U.S. team also features seven players who have played professionally in Germany (Cherundolo, Landon Donovan, Cory Gibbs, Hejduk, Keller, McBride and Reyna). Keller leads the goalkeeping trio as the USA’s all-time leader for goalkeepers in wins (51), shutouts (44) and World Cup qualifying appearances (31). Both Hahnemann and Tim Howard have collected PFA Goalkeeper of the Year honors in England. Hahnemann earned his trophy with Reading FC in the English League Championship this year as his side gained promotion to the English Premier League for the first time in the 135-year history of the club while setting a league record for points. Howard grabbed the EPL Goalkeeper of the Year award in his debut season at Manchester United in 2003. The backline unit boasts a pair of players appearing in their third World Cup finals, with Pope the elder statesmen at 78 caps overall and Hejduk just behind with 72 appearances. Cherundolo goes to his second straight World Cup after being unable to participate in games during the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan because of an injury suffered the day before the USA’s first match against Portugal. Lewis played in 11 of 18 World Cup qualifiers, scoring two goals and delivering two assists. Carlos Bocanegra, Conrad, Gibbs and Onyewu are all making their World Cup debuts. Reyna marshals a midfield that includes two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Landon Donovan. The 24-year-old is already the leading assist man in U.S history (23), and has led the team in points the last three years running. DaMarcus Beasley, who had a breakout performance in Korea as a 20-year-old four years ago, is coming off two consecutive four-goal years for the U.S., appearing in 13 of 18 World Cup qualifiers and tallying the insurance goal in the 2-0 win against Mexico that secured the USA’s ticket to Germany. Both Pablo Mastroeni and John O’Brien return to reprise their role in the middle of the park from 2002, O’Brien having recorded the USA’s first goal in Korea just four minutes past the opening whistle in the 3-2 victory against Portugal and one of only three players to play every minute of every match. Ben Olsen is the only player on the 23-man roster not to play in a single World Cup qualifier in the 2006 campaign, assuming the mantle occupied by Mastroeni in 2002. (Olsen did, however, play in a qualifying game back in 2001.) Bobby Convey and Clint Dempsey round out the midfield group, also making their World Cup debuts. McBride is the only player in U.S. history to score goals in multiple World Cups, his three career goals include the game-winners in the 3-2 opening match victory against Portugal in the 2002 World Cup and the 2-0 win against Mexico in the Round of 16. Just one shy of the USA’s all-time leader in World Cup goals, his 29 international strikes also put him in second place on the all-time U.S. list. Wolff makes his second World Cup appearance, having set up McBride for the game-winner against Mexico four years ago. While the youngest player on the roster, Johnson already holds a U.S. Soccer record as the only player to score a goal in his first four matches for the senior team, all of which were 2006 World Cup qualifiers. Brian Ching made his World Cup qualifying debut in style, scoring the equalizer in the 88th minute to deliver the U.S. a valuable road point in the 1-1 draw against Jamaica on Aug. 18, 2004 in Kingston. Arena has also nominated 13 alternates to the squad, who will be available for selection should any injuries occur. In 2002, the U.S. twice had to make roster changes after both Chris Armas and his replacement Greg Vanney were ruled out through injury. After the official 23-man roster is submitted on May 15 to FIFA, a player may only be replaced on the roster as a result of an injury. - 2006 FIFA World Cup U.S. Men’s National Team Roster -
UNITED STATES 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION
Goalkeepers (3): Marcus Hahnemann (2006), Tim Howard (2006), Kasey Keller (1990, 1998, 2002, 2006) Defenders (8): Carlos Bocanegra (2006), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006), Jimmy Conrad (2006), Cory Gibbs (2006), Frankie Hejduk (1998, 2002, 2006), Eddie Lewis (2002, 2006), Oguchi Onyewu (2006), Eddie Pope (1998, 2002, 2006) Midfielders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006), Bobby Convey (2006), Clint Dempsey (2006), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006), Pablo Mastroeni (2002, 2006) John O’Brien (2002, 2006), Ben Olsen (2006), Claudio Reyna (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006) Forwards (4): Brian Ching (2006), Eddie Johnson (2006), Brian McBride (1998, 2002, 2006), Josh Wolff (2002, 2006) ALTERNATES Goalkeepers (2): Tony Meola (New York Red Bulls), Matt Reis (New England Revolution) Defenders (3): Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy) Midfielders (5): Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Chris Klein (Real Salt Lake), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards) Forwards (3): Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution) As the saying goes, if you snooze you lose. It only took 90 minutes for SAS Stadium in Cary to sellout for the April 11 game between the United States men and Jamaica. It is the final pre-World Cup game for the U.S. before manager Bruce Arena selects his World Cup team. The 7 p.m. (ET) match will be broadcast by ESPN2 with Spanish-language Telemudo showing it on tape delay at 11:30 p.m. (ET and PT). SAS is listed as having a capacity of 7,000, but more than 8,000 tickets were sold since they went on sale Friday morning at 10 a.m. Reserved seats were gone after 90 minutes with the game selling out by Sunday night. A limited number of premium ticket packages are still available through the U.S. Soccer Federation. The U.S. will return to Cary May 9 for two weeks of training before departing for the World Cup in Germany. First, the U.S. visits Germany for a March 22 friendly at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. The Americans are 4-0-1 in 2006 and are in a tie for sixth in world governing body FIFA' rankings. The U.S. has played five times in North Carolina -- all between 1990 and 1994 -- and compiled a 3-1-1 record, but none of those games was played in Cary. The team did scrimmage the second-division Richmond Kickers at SAS during preparations for the 2002 World Cup. The U.S. is coming off a 1-0 defeat of Poland in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The Americans begin World Cup Group E play June 12 against the Czech
Republic in Gelsenkirchen, followed by facing Italy June 17 in Kaiserslautern
and Ghana June 22 in Nürnberg. Dempsey’s Goal Gives U.S. 1-0 Win Over Poland KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany (Wednesday, March 1, 2006) -- Midfielder Clint Dempsey was in the right place at the right time. As a deflection of Eddie Lewis's free kick came bouncing his way, Dempsey put it away with a diving header from point-blank range shortly after intermission to send the United States men to their fourth straight victory, a 1-0 decision over Poland in a friendly before 13,395 at Fritz-Walter-Stadion tonight. With American service members from the nearby Ramstein Air Base comprising much of those in attendance, the game started with a light snow and a temperature of 28 degrees. Conditions only worsened from there, with the snow so heavy in the final 20 minutes or so that it was difficult to see the players. German referee Thorston Kinhofer replaced the white game ball with a yellow, "high-resolution" ball in the 80th minute. Playing at the same stadium where it will face Italy June 17 in the second of its three World Cup Group E matches, the Americans ran their record for 2006 to 4-0-1. "I was pleased with the win for our team," said U.S. manager Bruce Arena, whose record against European opponents on their soil increased to 2-7-1. "It was not an easy game for either team. The field conditions were very difficult. I thought our team was a little unsteady in the first 30 minutes. but in the last 15 minutes of the first half we settled in." The game turned on an error by Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who had just entered to play the second half, and Dempsey's timely far-post run. Striker Eddie Johnson received a throw-in from the right, carried left before sending a ball to Lewis on the left side. Lewis surveyed the situation before lifting a cross to within eight yards of the center of the goal. Boruc probably should have been able to catch the ball or, at worst knock it away safely, Meanwhile, Twellman was battling with defenders Mariusz Jop and Jacek Bak in an effort to head the ball on goal from just ahead of the penalty spot. Boruc lunged forward and used his left fist to punch the ball away, but it hit Twellman in the right side of his head and caromed toward the right post. Dempsey had a step on Poland defender Michal Zewlakow and dove forward to head two yards into the top of the net while Boruc helplessly retreated. Twellman jumped into the arms of Dempsey, his teammate with Major League Soccer's New England revolution, while the pair and several other U.S. players saluted the American service personnel in the stands. "It was one of those games where someone had to take an opportunity and we were the team today," arena said. "We did well to hold on to the lead. A number of our young players really gained from this game tonight. It was an important experience for our young guys and hopefully we can continue to build as we move forward towards the World Cup." Dempsey's fourth international strike was his first game-winner for the U.S. men. Twellman now has four goals and three assists in his last three U.S. appearances. Not much happened during the first half with neither team establishing any consistent rhythm. Poland registered four shots compared to just one for the U.S., but that lone attempt from defender Steve Cherundolo's nearly gave the Americans the lead. After Bak sent Dempsey sprawling with a hip check about 30 yards from the center of the goal, Cherundolo curled the free kick over the defensive wall and appeared to have keeper Jerzy Dudek beaten, but the shot veered inches wide of the left post. Kasey Keller was lightly tested in goal before giving way to Tim Howard who started the second half. After a relatively easy save on forward Tomasz Frankowski's header off a free kick in the 19th minute, Keller aggressiveness squelched a couple of Poland chances eight minutes later. Jacek Krzynowek dropped in a nice lead ball at the top of the penalty area for his midfield partner Euzebiuz Smolarek, but Keller came off his line to clear the ball away before the attacker could get to it. Soon after, Zewlakow ripped a low drive toward the lower left corner, but Keller dropped to his right to make the save. Poland had a good chance to pull even in the 66th minute, when Kryzynowek eluded the wall with a free kick, but Howard was there for the save. Howard caused U.S. supporters some anxiety in the 85th minute when he came out of his box to the top of the penalty arc. While the slippery footing could have caused disaster, Howard calmly booted the ball safely away as opponents approached. "I think the goal was a big relief for us," Cherundolo said. "I think we played a little nervous in the first half. The field conditions were very bad. Believe it or not, with the snow, it played a little better. It wasn't as bumpy and it went a little slower so it went to our advantage. We kept the ball on the floor and, like I said, with the score, it gave us a lot of confidence and we took the game home from there." There were only five shots on frame in the game with Poland taking three. In overall shots, Poland led 6-4. The U.S. has two more matches before Arena selects his 23-man World Cup roster. The U.S. again travel for a match against Germany March 22 in Dortmund, then faced Jamaica April 11 at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Prior to the Jamaica game, the U.S. will use Cary as its base for training. Starting May 9, the Americans will spend their final two weeks of preparations there before departing for Germany and ten World Cup, which runs from June 9-July 9. In the World Cup Group E, The U.S. faces the Czech Republic June 12, Italy June 17 and Ghana June 22. The Americans will reside and train in Hamburg. Notes: In four consecutive victories, the U.S, has outscored the opposition 13-2 and recorded three shutouts. * The U.S. wore new white Nike uniforms for the first time, opting for
the long sleeves in the sub-freezing conditions Lineups: United States - Kasey Keller - captain (Tim Howard 46), Eddie Lewis, Gregg Berhalter (Carlos Bocanegra 46), Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, DaMarcus Beasley (Bobby Convey 71), Kerry Zavagnin (Pablo Mastroeni 55), Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey (Chris Klein 89), Taylor Twellman, Eddie Johnson (Josh Wolff 79). Poland - Jerzy Dudek (Artur Boruc 46), Mariusz Jop (20-Tomasz Klos 83), Marcin Baszczynski, Jacek Bak (captain), Michal Zewlakow (Tomasz Rzasa 72), Arkadiusz Radomski (Radoslaw Sobolewski 80), Euzebiuz Smolarek, Jacek Krzynowek, Miroslaw Szymkowiak, Grzegorz Rasiak (Kamil Kosowski 61), Tomasz Frankowski (Andrzej Niedzielan 61). Scoring: Shots: United States 4, Poland 6. Saves: United States 3, Poland 1. Corner kicks: United States 3, Poland 2. Fouls: United States 15, Poland 21. Offside: United States 3, Poland 4. Yellow card cautions: United States - Bocanegra 58; Poland - Jop 79. Referee: Thorston Kinhofer (Germany). Assistant referees: Mark Seemann (Germany), Rainer Werthmann (Germany). Fourth official: Jochen Drees (Germany). Attendance: 13,395 at Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Weather: Cold, snow, 30 degrees. U.S. Men’s National Team Manager Bruce Arena has selected 20 players to face fellow FIFA World Cup finalists Poland on March 1 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Kickoff at Fritz-Walter-Stadion, the site of the USA’s highly anticipated FIFA World Cup match against Italy on June 17, is set for 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Fans can also follow the action live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The match falls on the lone international fixture date set aside by FIFA prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, allowing Arena the opportunity to call upon a full complement of European-based players for the only time prior to naming a roster for Germany. "With only one international fixture date prior to the World Cup, this is an important opportunity for our players based in Europe to demonstrate their form and fitness,” said Arena. “The match is extremely valuable as we continue to evaluate players with an eye towards finalizing our 23-man roster for Germany.” The roster boasts a wealth of experience, led by Fulham forward Brian McBride. With 90 caps to his credit, the USA’s second all-time leading scorer (29 goals) is just five shy of the team record. At the other end, veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller (Borussia Mönchengladbach) has collected an amazing 44 shutouts in 89 career matches, an average of nearly one shutout for every two games played. PSV Eindhoven midfielder DaMarcus Beasley had a banner year for both club and country in 2005, posting career highs in goals (4) and assists (4) for the national team while becoming the first American ever to play in the semifinals of the prestigious UEFA Champions League. Eddie Lewis (Leeds United) sits third on the all-time U.S. assist list with 16 total, while Bobby Convey enjoys regular starting time on a Reading FC side sitting atop the League Championship table. The U.S. backline looks to have a largely European flavor as well, with 2002 World Cup veterans Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus) and Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96) being called upon along with Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham) and Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege). Landon Donovan heads the domestic-based contingent. The two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year now sits tied with Cobi Jones for the all-time U.S. assist lead (22) after setting up the final U.S. goal in the 5-0 win against Norway on Jan. 29 in Carson. Calif. The 2005 MLS MVP, Taylor Twellman, has scored four goals and tallied two assists in his last two matches for the U.S., recording the USA’s ninth-ever hat trick in the Norway victory. Kansas City Wizards striker Josh Wolff is the only player on the roster to start all four of the USA’s matches in 2006, while teammate Kerry Zavagnin has appeared in every match as either a starter or a reserve. The U.S. has begun 2006 in solid form, going 3-0-1 and netting 12 goals while surrendering only two. After drawing with Canada on Jan. 22 in San Diego, the U.S. has produced three straight comprehensive wins against Norway, Japan (another FIFA World Cup finalist) and Guatemala, including two by shutout. Against Poland, the United States has an all-time record of 5-7-2 in 14 meetings. The teams have met once before on neutral soil, a 3-1 victory for Poland in the teams’ final Group D match at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Daejeon, Korea Republic. The USA was drawn into Group E the 2006 FIFA World Cup along with the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana. The U.S. plays their opening match against the Czechs on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen before meeting Italy and then finishing off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. U.S. Men’s National Team Roster v. Poland March 1, 2006 - Kaiserslautern, Germany Goalkeepers (2) – Tim Howard (Manchester United), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach) Defenders (7) – Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Jonathan Spector (Charlton Athletic) Midfielders (6) – DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards) Forwards (5) – Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards),
Brian McBride (Fulham FC), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Taylor
Twellman (New England Revolution), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards) U.S. Men To Play April 11 In Cary U.S. MNT manager Bruce Arena will have a pretty good idea what his World Cup roster will look like when the his team takes on Jamaica on Tuesday, April 11, at SAS Park in Cary, N.C. The game, which is expected to be the final match in the USA’s World Cup preparations, is set for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff and will be televised live on ESPN2. The match will occur just under a month before the team begins to use the Cary facility as their base training camp prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The team will begin final preparations for Germany on May 9 in Cary, and will train for approximately two weeks at the facility. For a number of domestic-based professionals, the game in Cary will be the final opportunity for them to make their case for a spot on the roster. "The match in Cary is our last game before we make our final decisions on the World Cup roster, so it is obviously an important one for us," said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. "With our World Cup training camp scheduled here in May and the great success that we had in Cary in advance of the 2002 World Cup, it is great to schedule an actual international game for the fans in the area. We are very comfortable with facilities at SAS Soccer Park and are looking forward to the match." Tickets for the game go on sale starting Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m. ET online at ussoccer.com, at all Cary and Raleigh Ticketmaster outlets (including Hechts, FYE, and Publix Stores) and by phone at 919-834-4000. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets by calling 312-528-1290. The U.S. MNT has played five games in three different locations in North Carolina, amassing a 3-1-1 record (all between 1990-94), but has never played an international match at SAS Soccer Park. However, Arena and the players are familiar with the facility at Cary, as it was the USA’s base of operations prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan when the team played a friendly at SAS Soccer Park against the Richmond Kickers. The U.S. is undefeated in 15 meetings with Jamaica, holding an 8-0-7 record against the Reggae Boyz. The team’s last two meetings were in 2004 during the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, both home and away matches ending in 1-1 draws. While never dropping a match to Jamaica, there have been a number of close match-ups with five of the eight victories coming by just one goal. Currently ranked sixth in the FIFA World Rankings, the U.S. opened their
2006 campaign with a 0-0 draw against Canada in San Diego, before snagging
victories over Norway (5-0) in Carson, Japan (3-2) in San Francisco and
Guatemala (4-0) in Frisco, Texas. The U.S. will return three weeks later to face Germany on Wednesday, March 22, at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. Kickoff for the match is at 2:25 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN2 and delayed on Telemundo. Fans can also follow both matches in Germany live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The USA was drawn into Group E for the 2006 FIFA World Cup along with
the Czech Republic, Ghana, and Italy. The U.S. plays their opening match
against the Czechs on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen before meeting Italy and
then finishing off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. The
U.S. has chosen the northern port city of Hamburg as their base of operations
throughout the tournament. U.S. Rolls To 4-0 Win Over Guatemala With his team up 2-0, U.S. manager Bruce Arena’s message to his team was score another goal in the first 15 minutes of the second half. It took Ed Johnson just over 67 seconds to get that done. He came in as a second-half sub during intermission and finished the first touches he had on the ball. It was ventage Johnson, who got his first U.S. goal in 11 months. Johnson’s goal removed any doubt in the 4-0 win over Guatemala and brought a huge smile to Arena’s face. Midfielder Chris Klein contributed a goal and two assists, leading the U.S. to its third win over the year before 14,453 who braved surprising chilly conditions at Pizza Hut Park. With temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, the U.S. also received other goals from midfielder Ben Olsen and Brian Ching in raising its record to 3-0-1 in 2006. The Americans have scored 12 goals in the last three games, following a scoreless draw with Canada by burying Norway 5-0 and edging Japan 3-2. "I thought it was a good performance today by our team," U.S. manager Bruce Arena said. "Obviously, the conditions weren't perfect, but I thought the field was great. It's a terrific facility here to play in. I think the Guatemalan team gave us a really good game. They were tough to break down and they defended well in the early going. We had some goal-scoring opportunities that we failed on early in the game and we struggled a bit." After testing 20-year-old Guatemalan goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez, who made his first international appearance, with opportunities by forwards Josh Wolff and Chris Rolfe, and midfielder Kerry Zavagnin in the first half, the U.S. finally broke through when Olsen nailed a blistering shot in the 38th minute. Klein served in a cross from the right sideline to Olsen at the top of the penalty area. The midfielder with Major League Soccer's D.C. United took a settling touch with his left foot before unleashing a right-footed blast into the top left corner past the outstretched hands of Jerez. Olsen recorded his fifth international goal and his first since November 17, 2002, a 2-0 victory over El Salvador in Washington. D.C. The U.S. made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time. After a foul along the right sideline, Wolff chipped the ball over a defender to Klein who lofted a high cross into the penalty area for Ching. With a defender blanketing him, Ching did well to bring the ball down and drill his shot from the penalty spot past Jerez into the left side of the goal. "The first goal by Ben Olsen was a terrific individual effort as well as a big goal psychologically in the game," Arena said. "Certainly, the second goal by Ching right at the end of the half basically put the game away." On the other end of the field, Brad Guzan collected his first cap in goal, but he was not busy, needing to make two saves on Guatemala's five shots. After he easily snagged an attempt from Guillermo Ramirez in the third minute, forward Julio Goran had the best effort of the day for Guatemala when his 20-yard drive sailed inches over the top right corner of the net in the 24th minute. Johnson came off the bench at the break and quickly erased any Guatemalan ideas of a comeback. Striker Chris Rolfe flicked a long ball forward to the top of the penalty area where a Guatemalan back whiffed. Johnson streaked through and avoided defender Luis Swisher before lifting the ball high into the net with the outside of his right foot from the six-yard box for a 3-0 lead. The goal was Johnson's ninth in 12 games with the U.S. men and his first since returning from a foot injury that had kept him out of the lineup for most of 2005. Klein put the finishing touches on the match with an unassisted tally in the 71st minute. Olsen served a free kick from the left flank to Rolfe at the back post where his shot was deflected by a Guatemalan defender. The ball caromed to the top of the box where Klein sent a low drive through a crowd and into the net. Eddie Pope anchored a U.S. defense that shut down potent striker Carlos Ruiz and the rest of the Guatemalan attack. Pope's partner in the middle, Jimmy Conrad came up with a number of well-timed tackles, while Frankie Hejduk and Heath Pearce shut down the flanks. Late in the match, Arena added two more names to the long list of players that have received their first cap since he took over as manager in 1998. Defender Bobby Boswell came on in reserve for Hejduk in the 76th minute, while Zach Wells replaced Guzan in the 80th minute. Notes: The U.S. plays its next two matches in Germany, The Americans face Poland March 1 at Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern, the site of the U.S.'s World Cup Group E game against Italy on June 17. That 2 p.m. (ET) match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and on a delayed basis by Spanish-language Telemundo. On March 22, the U.S. takes on Germany at Westfalenstadion in Dortmund,
a 2:25 p.m. start that again will be televised live by ESPN2 and delayed
by Telemundo. Lineups: United States - Brad Guzan (Zach Wells 80), Heath Pearce, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Pope (captain), Frankie Hejduk (Bobby Boswell 76), Kerry Zavagnin (Brian Carroll 63), Ben Olsen (Santino Quaranta 71), Chris Klein, Josh Wolff (Eddie Johnson 46), Brian Ching, Chris Rolfe (Kyle Martino 80) . Guatemala - Ricardo Jerez, Pablo Melgar, Luis Swisher, Henry Medina, Martin Machon (Juan Carlos Plata 46), Gonzalo Romero (Leonel Noriega 83), Guillermo Ramirez (Marvin Avila), Selvyn Ponciano, Mario Rodriguez (Carlos Figueroa 46), Julio Giron - captain (Patrick Howell 88), Carlos Ruiz (Mario Acevedo 63). Scoring: Shots: United States 20, Guatemala 5. Saves: United States 2, Guatemala 5. Corner kicks: United States 6, Guatemala 4. Fouls: United State 21, Guatemala 12. Offside: United States 0, Guatemala 0. Yellow card cautions: United States - Pearce 40, Rolfe 55; Guatemala - Giron, 62, Romero 69. Referee: Mauricio Navallo (Canada). Assistant referees:
Simon Fearn (Canada), Amado DeLuca (Canada). Fourth official: Michael
Kennedy (United States). Attendance: 14,452 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco,
Texas. Weather: 30 degrees, overcast. Bruce Arena’s U.S. Men’s National Team, which was offensively challenged a week ago in an unimpressive 0-0 draw with Canada, exploded with a 5-0 win over Norway at The Home Depot Center, Jan. 29. Taylor Twellman, Major League Soccer’s MVP this past season, did much to enhance his chances of making the World Cup roster for Germany this summer by scoring three of those goals. It was only the ninth’s all-time hat trick for a U.S. national team player over a span of 93 years. Eddie Pope scored a goal in his 75th international appearance, and Chris Klein capped the scoring in the 87th minute. Twellman's goals came in the fifth, 17th and 76th minutes. The margin of victory was the largest ever by a U.S. team against a European opponent. Only one starter from its World Cup qualifying squad played for Norway, and it showed. While the U.S. squad was a domestic side, filled with players who are battling for seven or eight spots on the final U.S. World Cup roster, Norway’s young players looked as those they came to California on holiday. The U.S. outshot them 24-2 and U.S. goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was seldom challenged, having to make only one save. “They have a lot of good players and we knew that,” said Norway’s coach Age Hareide. “Our boys weren’t up to it today. We had a lot of inexperienced players. I let them play just to have a look at them, and it turned out to be a very disastrous experience for them.” Twellman has been on Arena’s radar screen in recent months, and finally showed in a national team jersey what he does best….score goals. He has four goals in his last three U.S. appearances, but had only one in 14 previous appearances. “Obviously, it was a good performance on our part today, certainly improved from last week,” said Arena. “We played quite well for 90 minutes. I am very pleased.” Of Twellman’s effort, Arena said, “He scored three goals, and that’s sometimes how you’re graded as a striker. If that’s the case, he gets an A for today. All three goals were great and he also at one point in the first half made a great play defensively.” In the draw with Canada about the only significant thing that happened was the first full national team apparance by D.C. United teenager Freddy Adu. He became the youngest player to ever earn a full national cap at the age of 16 years and 234 days when he replaced Eddie Johnson in the 81st minute. The appearance locked in Adu to the U.S. national team program. Although a U.S. citizen, Adu was born in Ghana and was still eligible to play for that country’s national team until he made his first full U.S. appearance. Along with Todd Dunivant, who started at left back, forward Nate Jacqua and defender Ugo Ihemelu earned their first caps with the U.S. MNT, coming on in reserve in the second half. Next up for the U.S. will be Japan on Feb. 10 at SBC Park in San Francisco. Arena Calls 30 To January Camp U.S. Men’s National Team manager Bruce Arena has named 30 players to the training camp roster that will begin workouts Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The group will prepare for a series of friendlies to take place in January and February. The U.S. will open 2006 action against Canada on Jan. 22 in San Diego (5 p.m. PT), then host Norway on Jan. 29 at The Home Depot Center (2 p.m. PT, ESPN2). The U.S. will play Japan for only the second time in history when they meet at SBC Park on Feb. 10 in San Francisco. The USA’s first match in the city in 26 years kicks off at 8 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2. “We eagerly look forward to seeing our domestic players,” said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. “We want to do the best job we can of making the roster as competitive as possible over the next six months so we can position our team to be successful in the World Cup. We view this camp and the games in January and February as critical towards our preparation for Germany.” 2005 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year finalist Landon Donovan headlines the group that has 29 of 30 players based in MLS. Donovan was the U.S. leader in scoring in 2005, setting a career high for assists (6) while notching an equal number of goals. With 73 international appearances, he is also the most capped player on the roster alongside Real Salt Lake defender Eddie Pope. Pope and Columbus Crew defender Frankie Hejduk are the only two players in the group who have played in two World Cups. The two MLS Cup finalists contribute the most players, with league champion Los Angeles Galaxy and the New England Revolution sending five men apiece. In addition to Donovan, defender Chris Albright returns to the fold after making seven appearances in 2005, the most of his international career. Meantime, the Revolution send their regular quartet of attacking players, led by midfielder Steve Ralston. The 31-year old tied Donovan for most appearances for the USA (15) while collecting three assists, good for third best on the U.S. list. FC Dallas striker Eddie Johnson returns to the fold after missing five months of action with a toe injury. Johnson, who had three goals and one assist in six games played in ’05, became the first player in MNT history to score in his first four games when he scored the opening goal in the USA’s 2-1 qualifying win against Trinidad & Tobago on Feb. 9 in Port of Spain. FC Nordsjælland defender Heath Pearce, who made his debut for the senior team in the 1-1 draw against Scotland on Nov. 12 in Glasgow, is the only European-based player on the roster and is available because the Danish Super League is shut down for the winter break. Arena has called four goalkeepers into camp, including both starters from MLS Cup ’05 in Kevin Hartman and Matt Reis. Brad Guzan becomes the first player called from Chivas USA to a U.S. camp, and is one of five players making their debut. Freddy Adu, Todd Dunivant, Ugo Ihemelu and Nate Jaqua round out the rookie class. The U.S. will play two friendlies in March, including a visit to three-time World Cup champions Germany. The 2002 FIFA World Cup runners up will host the U.S. on March 22, 2006, in Dortmund, Germany, one off 12 cities hosting matches in the tournament next summer. Kickoff at the Westfalenstadion is set for 8 p.m. in Germany (2 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN. Fans can follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The USA was drawn into Group E for the 2006 FIFA World Cup along with the Czech Republic, Ghana, and Italy. The U.S. plays their opening match against the Czechs on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen at 12 p.m. ET. Five days later, the USA faces Italy in Kaiserslautern, and then finishes off group play against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. The U.S. has chosen the northern port city of Hamburg as their base of operations throughout the tournament. U.S. Men's National Team Training Camp Roster ROSTER BY POSITION (a detailed roster is available at
ussoccer.com <http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=287651>
) Defenders (8) – Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Ugo Ihemelu (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake) Midfielders (12) – Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Kyle Martino (Columbus Crew), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution) Forwards (6) – Brian Ching (Houston MLS), Nate
Jaqua (Chicago Fire), Eddie Johnson (FC Dallas), Chris Rolfe (Chicago
Fire), U.S. Drawn Into Difficult Group LEIPZIG, Germany (December 9, 2005) – The U.S. Men’s National Team has been drawn into Group E with Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The Final Draw took place today at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. local) at the Congress Center Leipzig in Leipzig, Germany. The U.S. will open Group E play against Czech Republic on June 12 in Gelsenkirchen, and will follow that game with matches against three-time World Cup Champions Italy (1934, ’38, ‘82) on June 17 in Kaiserslautern and against Ghana on June 22 in Nuremberg. “I'm pleased now that we know our opponents and now we can prepare,” said U.S. Manager Bruce Arena. “Obviously, it's a group with some very good teams including the second best team in the world (Czech Republic). Italy, in everyone's opinion, is a top 10 team in the world, and Ghana is an excellent newcomer to the World Cup. We have our hands full, but we really look forward to the competition.” The U.S. was drawn into one of the toughest groups of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Group E is the only group with three teams in the top 12 in the World FIFA Rankings, with the Czech Republic (ranked second), the U.S. (eighth), Italy (12) and Ghana (50). The U.S. has never beaten any of the three teams it will face in group play (having never faced Ghana), holding a combined lifetime record of 0-4-2. This will be the second time the U.S. will face the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia) and Italy in group play of a World Cup as the three teams, along with Austria, were drawn into Group A of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. The match order in the group is the same as well, with the U.S. facing the Czech Republic first and Italy second. The U.S. qualified for the 1990 World Cup after a 40-year absence and lost all three matches, but has since made five straight World Cup appearances. "I went to the tournament in Italy in 1990,” said Arena.
“It will be interesting to see how far we've progressed in 16 years." This will be the third time the U.S. will face Italy in the World Cup as the two countries met in 1934 and 1990. Both matches were played in Rome, Italy, with the U.S. falling 7-1 in 1934 and 1-0 in 1990. In Germany, the matchup will take place in Kaiserslautern which, despite being by far the smallest of the 12 German venues, holds the largest U.S. military base outside the United States, housing some 40,000 American troops. In their history, the U.S. holds a 0-3-2 record against the Italians, who advanced to the 2006 World Cup by winning Group 5 in UEFA qualifying. The USA’s final group match against Ghana will be their first meeting against the African nation. Ghana qualified for their first-ever World Cup when they finished atop Group 2 in CAF, but have been considered a team on the rise, twice finishing second at the FIFA World Youth Championships (1993 & 2001), and winning two U-17 World Youth Championships (1991 & 1995). Should the U.S. advance to the second round, the U.S. would meet a team from Group F (Brazil, Croatia, Australia and Japan) in either Kaiserslautern (June 26) or Dortmund (June 27). The rest of the USA’s quarterfinal bracket includes Group G (France, Switzerland, Korea Republic and Togo) and Group H (Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia). The remaining World Cup groupings are as follows: Group A (Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador), Group B (England, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden), Group C (Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and Netherlands) and Group D (Mexico, Iran, Angola and Portugal). Group A features the tournament’s opening game (Germany vs. Costa Rica on June 9 in Munich). The U.S. will use the city of Hamburg <http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=252191&itype=113&iCategoryID=0> as their home base throughout the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which is the northern most venue in Germany, traveling to its three match venues. For a complete recap of today’s Final Draw, which includes more interesting facts on some of the other group pairings, media and fans can log on to ussoccer.com’s DrawTracker <http://www.ussoccer.com/> . The DrawTracker includes up-to-date and detailed information on each of the 32 tournament finalists, and a complete 2006 World Cup schedule. – U.S. All-Time Record vs. “Group E” World Cup Opponents –
– U.S. 2002 World Cup Schedule –
Opponents Profiles Czech Republic 2006 World Cup qualifying: Won playoff with Norway 2-0 on aggregate (11-3-0, 35 GF, 12 GA) 2005 Overall Record: 9-3-0 Overall Record in World Cup: 11-5-14 Record vs. USA: 1-0-0 Last Meeting vs. USA: June 10, 1990 (5-1 win in Florence, Italy) Manager: Karel Bruckner (CZE) Championship Honors: European Championship (1976) Leading World Cup Qualifying Scorers: Jan Koller (9), Tomasz Rosicky (7) Other Key Players: Pavel Nedved (M, Juventus), Petr Cech (GK, Chelsea) Language: Czech Fast Facts: Czech Republic played their first game as a new nation in 1998, after formerly being a part of Czechoslovakia ... Czechoslovakia’s illustrious World Cup history (which includes runner-up finishes in 1934 and 1962) is officially recognized by both the Czech Republic and Slovakia … Czechoslovakia beat the United States 5-1 in the 1990 World Cup, the USA’s first match in a World Cup in 40 years ... Czech Republic scored the most goals in European qualifying (37) ... Jan Koller scored nine goals during the qualifying campaign, the second-most in Europe behind Portugal's Pauleta (11). 2005 Overall Record: 7-0-6 World Cup final appearances: 16 – 1934 (1st),
1938 (1st), 1950 (7th), 1954 (10th), 1962 (9th), 1966 (9th), 1970 (2nd),
1974 (10th), 1978 (4th), 1982 (1st), 1986 (12th), 1990 (3rd), 1994 (2nd),
1998 (5th), 2002 (15th), 2006 Record vs. USA: 3-0-2 Championship Honors: FIFA World Cup (1934, 1938 & 1982); European Championship (1968); Olympic Soccer Tournament (1936) Leading World Cup Qualifying Scorers: Luca Toni (4), Alberto Gilardino (2), Andrea Pirlo (2), Francesco Totti (2) Other Key Players: Gianluca Buffon (GK, Juventus), Alessandro Nesta (D, AC Milan), Christian Vieri (F, AC Milan) Language: Italian Fast Facts: Three-time winners of the World Cup, equal with Germany and two behind Brazil … Have qualified for 12 consecutive World Cups and their 16 overall appearances is also even with Germany (and just two behind Brazil’s 18) … Roberto Baggio, Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri all have scored nine goals in World Cup play for Italy.
2006 World Cup qualifying: Finished first in CAF Group 2 (6-1-3; 17 GF, 4 GA) 2005 Overall Record: 5-0-3 World Cup final appearances: First appearance Record vs. USA: None Manager: Ratomir Dujkovic (CRO) Championship Honors: African Nations Cup (1963, 1965, 1978 & 1982) Leading World Cup Qualifying Scorers: Stephen Appiah (4), Asamoah Gyan (4) Other Key Players: Matthew Amoah (F, Vitesse), Michael Essien (M, Chelsea) Language: English Fast Facts: Finally fulfilled their long-ballyhooed promise by qualifying for their first World Cup … Had to beat Somalia in a two-game series just to qualify for Africa’s Group 2 (won 7-0 on aggregate) … Long considered a team on the rise, Ghana has twice finished second at the FIFA World Youth Championships (1993 & 2001), and won two U-17 World Youth Championships (1991 & 1995) … Ghana’s only qualifying loss came at the hands of Burkina Faso. U.S. Quote Sheet U.S. MNT Midfielder/Defender EDDIE LEWIS "I was watching at home and the way it was unfolding, knowing our pot was at the end, I was getting a bit antsy. As it is, we had to be put in some group. And I'm trying to be as objective as possible, but it certainly looks like the hardest group.” On watching the draw in England: "Watching here in England, they are only talking about England, but they did stop long enough to say they thought our group was the toughest." On playing two European teams: "There are probably some other groups I would prefer, but every team in this tournament is a decent team so who is to say how it will play out? We have to have two European teams with the tournament being played on European soil, so that was always going to be a tough challenge." On drawing Ghana and Czech Republic: "It certainly looks like the toughest group, but again you want to be objective and don't want to believe it, but you look at the African teams and certainly Ghana is probably the most difficult. And other than Holland of the second pot European teams, Czech Republic is the one you don't want." U.S. MNT Defender STEVE CHERUNDOLO On the Draw: "Tough draw. Definitely could have been easier for us. They are all very good teams. Italy and Czech Republic are two of the stronger European teams and Ghana is one of the stronger African teams. We have to win two games to assure we get out of the group, so that will be the challenge.” On the stadiums that will host the United States: "Gelsenkirchen is a beautiful stadium, very nice and very modern. The field rolls in and out. The other two venues are not as modern. Kaiserslautern is the smallest venue city and Nuremberg has a track around the field, so those stadiums aren't as modern." U.S. MNT Midfielder DAMARCUS BEASLEY "Tough group. Tough group. They are labeling it here as “The Group of Death,” but Holland has a real tough group, too. Italy is a proven world power and to me personally, the Czech Republic has been the best European team of the last two years and they have a lot of good players. They are going to be even better with (Pavel) Nedved coming back to boost their chances. And Ghana is a very good team and could be the surprise of the tournament. They are a tough team as well." On the first game: “It sets the tone for the World Cup. For everybody, the first game is very important. You don’t want to lose. You don’t want to come out of the first game and have zero points. You at least want a draw. It gives you a chance for the second game and anything can happen. Usually you need four or five points to get to the second round and you need teams to knock each other out. Getting that first point and winning the second or third game can maybe get you to the second round. Getting a point and not giving up any goals is definitely important for the first game.” Key to get out of group: “Basically, we have to win. At the same time, it’s going to be tough. It’s going to take a lot of work. >From Czech, Italy and Ghana, we could be in “The Group of Death.” There are four very good teams in that group. It’s going to take a lot of work; we’re going to take it one game at a time. We start with Czech, then Italy and then we go to Ghana. Our staff with Bruce Arena and the rest of the coaches will scout them heavily. We’ll know them inside and out, and I’m sure they’ll know us inside and out. When we get to the first game, we’ll see what happens, but we definitely are very optimistic and very confident in what we can do and how we can play on the pitch. I think everybody is excited about the draw and everybody is excited about the World Cup.” On what the team learned in 2002: “We learned that you can’t take anybody for granted, any team. If you are Italy or Czech, you can’t take the U.S. or Ghana for granted. I’m sure that Italy and Czech are favorites to go out of the group, but at the same time, every point in every game means a lot in the World Cup. We just have to take it one game at a time and it starts with the Czech Republic. We can’t take them lightly and they can’t take us lightly, but hopefully we come out with a good result.” On his role on the team: “Now I am more of a veteran -- I’m a veteran at 23. People always say that now. I have one World Cup under my belt, and I know the pressure and what goes on in a World Cup. I was young and kind of naive going out there and not fearing anybody, but now it’s a little bit different. Now there is a lot more pressure on Americans to play and get a result.” On the pressure of the World Cup: “We have that experience in Europe that we play in a lot of big games every year, playing in Champions League, playing against big name players and big name teams gets you ready for tough games. The World Cup is the highest competition level that we can go to in our sport. This is where it all happens. This is where World Cup legends are made. We can become one of the surprise teams and surprise some people.” On U.S. teammate Landon Donovan: “Landon is a big player for us. He can play a lot of different positions. He is a guy who gets us going a lot of times scoring great goals. He is a goal scorer. When he gets around the goal nine times out of 10 he’ll put it in the back of the net. You saw that in the World Cup in 2002 where he scored two great goals, and he led his team to the championship in MLS so he has definitely improved since 2002. I think we’ll see more of a leadership role out of Landon, and we just have to come up and play at the same kind of level he plays at.” Mexico Seeded Ahead Of U.S. For World Cup Draw The first indication of the pairings for the 2006 FIFA World Cup came today when U.S. Soccer learned that the U.S. Men’s National Team had not received one of the favored top eight seeds. Actually, the USA was seeded #9, one spot ahead of The Netherlands. The U.S. has been placed in Pot 4 alongside fellow CONCACAF countries Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as the four Asian qualifiers (Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea). With Mexico being placed as one of eight seeds in Pot 1, the U.S. will be placed in a group with either Germany, Brazil, Argentina, England, France, Italy or Spain. The remaining two U.S. opponents will come one each from Pot 2 and Pot 3. Even though the U.S. finished ahead of Mexico in the recently completed CONCACAF qualifying, on goal differental, and beat Mexico 2-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, the Tri-Colors still earned a higher seeding.
CHERUNDOLO, REYNA & LEWIS TALK ABOUT THE DRAW: U.S. manager Bruce Arena has his say about the upcoming draw today with a media teleconference (more below), and ussoccer.com has the pre-draw thoughts of some key U.S. players heading into Friday. all_access video <http://www.ussoccer.com/editorial/content.sps?iType=9943> caught up with U.S. captain Claudio Reyna and defender Steve Cherundolo to talk about the draw ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup (watch <http://www.ussoccer.com/editorial/content.sps?iType=9943> ). Meanwhile, defender/midfielder Eddie Lewis offers his thoughts on the upcoming draw via ussoccer.com podcast <http://www.ussoccer.com/editorial/content.sps?iType=9943&icustompageid=14924> , talking about some possible U.S. opponents, including the opportunity at a rematch with host Germany, who knocked the U.S. out of the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan (listen <http://podcast.ussoccer.com/archive/lewisdrawpreview.mp3> ). ARENA DISCUSSES WORLD CUP DRAW, POTS VIA CONFERENCE CALL:
U.S. MNT manager Bruce Arena held a media conference call
following Tuesday's announcement from FIFA designating the pots for the
Final World Cup Draw to be held on Friday, Dec. 9. Arena responds to questions
regarding the international experience of his team and the importance
of winning the first match in group play. On whether he thinks of the different permutations of the
teams the U.S. can be drawn against: On whether he was disappointed at not being seeded: On the players he’s bringing into camp in January: On whether there are any kinds of teams he’d like to
avoid: On choosing Hamburg <http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=252191&itype=113&icategoryid=78>
before the draw: On preference in terms of toughness of the first match: On what it’s going to be like at the draw: T&T Earns Region’s Fourth World Cup Berth Finally the 2006 FIFA World Cup bracket is complete and CONCACAF will have four teams in the World Cup for the first time. Trinidad & Tobago earned the region’s fourth berth by winning a home-home series with Bahrain, winning 1-0 on the road and playing a 1-1 draw at home in Port-of-Spain. Dennis Lawrence scored the deciding goal early in the second-half of the road victory, earning the Soca Warriors their first trip to a World Cup final. The United States, Mexico and Costa Rica finished 1-2-3 in CONCACAF's final round of qualifying to gain automatic berths. T&T finished fourth and earned the right to face Asia's fifth-place team in the playoff. The tiny island nation, with a population of slightly less than 1.1 million, will be the smallest of the 32 countries competing next summer in the quadrennial tournament. T&T will be the fourth Caribbean representative in Cup history with Jamaica the last to qualify in 1998. Cuba qualified in 1938, as did Haiti in 1974. Avery John, a defender with MLS’ New England Revolution, played the entire 90 minutes for T&T, as did former Columbus Crew striker Stern John. Current Crew striker Cornell Glen was available, but did not get into the game. Australia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Spain also earned Cup bids today, the final day of qualifying. Australia shocked Uruguay with a 4-2 victory in a penalty-kicks tiebreaker after the series ended tied 1-1 on aggregate. Australia, which had only once before played in the World Cup, back in 1974, entered today's home game having lost Saturday's first leg 1-0 in Montevideo, but responded by winning today 1-0 on Mark Bresciano's striker in the 35th minute before 82,698 at Telstra Stadium in Sydney. Switzerland ended a 12-year absence from the Cup although Turkey won today's second leg 4-2 in Istanbul. Switzerland captured the first game 2-0 at home Saturday, tying the series at 4-4 on aggregate with the Swiss advancing on the strength of two road goals to Turkey's none. Spain will make its eighth straight Cup appearance after going to Slovakia and drawing 1-1. That was good enough for an easy 6-2 aggregate win after Spain won 5-1 Saturday in Madrid. Tomas Rosicky's goal in the 35th minute gave the Czech
Republic a 1-0 decision over Norway today for a 2-0 aggregate victory.
The Czechs had not qualified for the World Cup since becoming an independent
nation, last appearing as Czechoslovakia in Italy in 1990. Africa (5): Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tunisia. Asia (4): Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea. Europe (14): Germany (host), the Czech Republic, England, France, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia-Montenegro, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine. North America, Central America and Caribbean (4): United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago. South America (4): Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay. Oceania (1): Australia. Wolff's PK Earns 1-1 draw with Scotland Striker Josh Wolff put away an early penalty kick and the United State men held on for a 1-1 draw before 26,708 at Hampden Lane in Glasgow, Scotland. Midfielder Andy Webster took Scotland's only shot on goal for the day and he scored with it in the 37th minute to give Scotland the 1-1 tie. The U.S. concludes its 2005 schedule with a 13-3-4 record, an all-time high for victories and the best-ever winning percentage (.750) in a season where the Americans played more than 10 games. Last year, the U.S. set the previous best of .733, going 8-1-6. "I thought it was a good match," said U.S. manager Bruce Arena. "It was a game where we were only able to field four of our first-team players. We always have a concern about continuity and how the players will play over 90 minutes. I think the second 45 minutes were solid from start to finish. I was pleased with that." The U.S. used the match as the start of preparations for the 2006 World Cup in Germany next summer. For the second consecutive cycle, Scotland failed to qualify for the Cup, so it is at the beginning of a rebuilding process. "We had the opportunity to look at a lot of new faces so it was very positive for us," Arena said. "Anywhere you go on the road in the world, it's always difficult to get a (good) result. At the end of the day, it's certainly not the worst score line for us." Two Americans -- forward Chris Rolfe and defender Heath Pearce -- made their international debuts, and Eddie Gaven made his first career start for the full men's team at right midfield. Arena used 54 total players in the 20 games this year. "It's all about building our team for the future. Why not start now?," Beasley asked "We've got six to seven months and the guys that are here deserve to get looked at. . . They deserve a spot and a chance to make it to the next World Cup." Along with Beasley, the balance of the U.S. midfield featured three players with just 17 combined caps -- Kerry Zavagnin with 14, Gaven with two and Brian Carroll with one. Nonetheless, the U.S. got off to a flying start, taking advantage of the space provided by Scotland. "We were lacking a little bit in central midfield today with (Claudio) Reyna out," Arena said. "(John) O'Brien, who plays in Holland, wasn't available, Landon Donovan, who is in the (Major League Soccer) championship tomorrow wasn't available. So, that hurt us a little bit and we were forced to play with two holding midfielders because we didn't have a midfielder that was comfortable coming forward at that position. So that hurt us a little bit in the attack." It was the experienced duo of Beasley and Wolff that combined to set up the U.S. goal in the ninth minute. Wolff, Carrying down the left side, slipped a pinpoint pass to Beasley in the penalty area. Scotland captain Christian Dailly, who was beaten on the play, clipped Beasley's heels and gave him a slight shove from behind, sending him to the ground before he could get off a shot. Wolff drilled the ensuing penalty kick low and into the left corner of the net, sending goalkeeper Craig Gordon in the wrong direction. "I take (penalty kicks) with my club (MLS's Kansas City Wizards)," Wolff said. "We didn't have a number of experienced guys in the front half, so I figured that I would just go up and take it. Those are just about keeping your wits and your nerves a bit and just slip it in the corner, and it was taken pretty well." After the impressive start in the opening 25 minutes, the fortunes began to swing as Scotland took control of possession and eventually equalized on a free kick in the 37th minute, its first shot of the match. The play was set up when Carroll was whistled for a foul 35 yards from goal on the right side. Defender Graham Alexander played the free kick to the center of the area where Andy Webster, whose slight shove sent U.S. striker Brian Ching to the turf, flicked a header into the right corner past keeper Kasey Keller. The U.S. outshot Scotland 13-3, 5-1 on frame. Gordon made two fantastic saves to limit the U.S. to only one goal. In the 16th minute, Gregg Berhalter curled a low free kick to the back post with Gordon diving to tip it away. Just before halftime, Ching chased down a through ball to the left end-line and cut the ball back to Wolff at the near post, but his low shot from 12 yards skidded wide left. "I probably should have put away," Wolff said. "I tried to sneak it at the near post and just missed." With the match winding down, the U.S. had two more clear chances. Defender Jonathan Spector, making the start at left back, cut inside on one of many of his individual runs into space, and cracked a low, right-footed drive that forced a diving fist save from Gordon. One minute later, Ching's header was wide left after Pearce got driven a cross to the near post. "In the first 20 minutes I think we answered everything they brought, and we were rewarded with the goal, and I think it was deserved," Wolff said. "After that we lost our way a bit and they took it to us and were able to pull even. In the second half, we were able to play a little more composed, the game slowed down a little. 1-1 is OK. It would have been nice to get the win, but everyone was pleased in the end." Keller was protected from much action by back four of Steve Cherundolo, Berhalter, Carlos Bocanegra and Spector. Keller closed out a campaign in which he played in a career-high 14 games and set U.S. goalkeeping records for victories (nine) and shutouts (eight) in a calendar year, allowing 0.56 goals goals per match and posting a 9-2-3 record. The U.S. is 1-7-2 under Arena in games in Europe. The victory came in the last outing there, when the Americans downed Poland 1-0 on March 31, 2004. "I was pleased that some of our young players had the opportunity
to see their first international match," Arena said. "Overall,
(it was) a good way for us to start and begin the process of identifying
players that might be part of our 23-man roster next year." Lineups: Scotland - Craig Gordon, Christian Dailly (captain), Graham Alexander, David Weir (Gary Caldwell 46), Steven Pressley (Steven Caldwell 46), Andy Webster, Paul Hartley, Nigel Quashie (Scott Brown 74), Darren Fletcher, Garry O'Connor (Shaun Maloney 74), Neil McCann (James McFadden 64). United States - Kasey Keller (captain), Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Bocanegra (Jimmy Conrad 80), Gregg Berhalter, Jonathan Spector, Brian Carroll, Kerry Zavagnin (Ben Olsen 46), Eddie Gaven (Santino Quaranta 46), DaMarcus Beasley (Heath Pearce 77), Josh Wolff (Chris Rolfe 58), Brian Ching. Scoring: Shots: Scotland 3, United States 13. Saves: Scotland 4; United States 0. Corner kicks: Scotland 2, United States 4. Fouls: Scotland 13, United States 11. Offside: Scotland 5, United States 1. Yellow card cautions: Scotland - Dailly 8, Caldwell 63. Referee: Alberto Undiamo Mallenco (Spain) Assistant
referees: Fermin Martinez Ibanez (Spain), Raul Montiel Alonso (Spain).
Attendance: 26,708 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.
Weather: 46 degrees The U.S. Men’s National Team’s final match of 2005 will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel as the U.S. takes on Scotland on Saturday, Nov. 12, in Glasgow. Kickoff at Hampden Park is set for 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET), and fans will also be able to follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics. The match will be the 20th of the year for manager Bruce Arena, whose squad will have a chance to improve on their 13-3-3 record, already the best win total in U.S. history. Of the 20 games played in 2005, 19 have been televised in the United States, including the live broadcast of the USA-Scotland match on Fox Soccer Channel despite the game coming together and being announced just a few weeks before the match. When he announces a roster for the match on Monday, Nov. 7 at ussoccer.com, following the slate of club matches the preceding weekend, Arena is expected to call up a squad of both European based and domestic players. “With only one international fixture date next year, this is an excellent opportunity to get our group together as we continue to shape our team for the World Cup,” Arena said. “Scotland is traditionally a very solid team, and we are looking forward to the game.” The match falls on an international fixture date, and will take place on the first of two playoff dates set aside for the final 10 teams trying to earn a spot in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The match also falls one day before the MLS Cup championship game being played in Dallas on Sunday, Nov. 13. The U.S. has played Scotland five times in their history, holding a lifetime record of just 1-3-1, but hasn’t played in Scotland in 53 years. The team’s lone match in Scotland came way back on Aug. 30, 1952, when the Tartan Army blanked the U.S. 6-0 in Glasgow. The teams last met in the USA’s final preparation match before the 1998 FIFA World Cup, playing to a scoreless draw on May 30, 1998, in Washington, D.C. Hampden Park is one of the most storied facilities in Britain, and is the National Stadium of Scotland. Opened in the early 1900’s, the stadium hosted a record crowd of 149,415 in 1937 for a Scotland v. England match. They hosted over 130,000 fans at the 1960 European Cup final, a 7-3 win for Real Madrid against Eintracht Frankfurt. The current stadium capacity is 52,000. The U.S. is one of 32 finalists that will compete in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Draw to determine group pairings will take place Dec. 9 in Leipzig, Germany. The USA has chosen the northern port city of Hamburg as its base of operations in Germany. U.S. Men’s National Team finished their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Panama on a blustery evening at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., to finish atop the CONCACAF Hexagonal for the first time in their history. After a scoreless first half, Kyle Martino and Taylor Twellman both scored their first international goals in a seven-minute span to give the U.S. a 7-2-1 overall record in the final round of qualifying. The victory, coupled with Mexico’s 2-1 loss to Trinidad & Tobago, put the U.S. tied at 22 points with their border rival, but the U.S. won the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 3-2 aggregate score. The U.S., which secured their spot in the 2006 FIFA World Cup back on September 3 with a 2-0 shutout of Mexico at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, will learn the venue in which they will play their group matches on December 9, 2005, at the FIFA World Cup Draw in Leipzig, Germany. U.S. Soccer has also announced that the MNT will use the City of Hamburg as their home base throughout the upcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup, being staged in 12 venues in Germany from June 9 to July 9, 2006. “It was a good win and good experience for a lot of players,” said U.S. manager Bruce Arena. “I’ve been told that we finished first in the group, which is nice, but wasn’t critical. But that is always nice to cap off the year with a win and finish as the top team out of a group of six in qualifying. “That’s a great accomplishment for our group. We had a fantastic year here at home with the five wins and the 15 points, which is the name of the game. Great year.” The U.S. finally broke through in the 51st minute when Martino scored his first international goal on a stunning one-timer from just beyond the left corner of the six-yard box. The goal started off a throw-in from the left sideline by Justin Mapp to Chris Albright, who chipped the ball into the left side of the penalty area for the streaking Martino. The Columbus Crew midfielder blasted the ball out of the air past goalkeeper Jaime Penedo from the tough angle, skimming it off the left post before it finally rested in the right side netting. Six minutes later, the U.S. secured the victory when Twellman also tallied his first strike in international play by capitalizing on a Panama defensive miscue. Danny Califf cleared a ball from the U.S. defensive half up the field and defender Felipe Baloy slid in to control the ball, but instead knocked it behind him in the air. Twellman beat the onrushing Penedo to the loose ball, heading it past him just outside the box and then slipping the ball into the open net before the backtracking Luis Moreno could get in front to close down the angle. With the victory, the U.S. finished undefeated at home during the qualifying campaign, going 8-0-1, with all eight victories coming by shutout. During the entire 18-game World Cup qualifying campaign, the U.S. compiled a 12-2-4 record with 10 shutouts, scoring 35 goals for, while allowing just 11 goals against. The U.S. remains undefeated against Panama all-time, now holding a 4-0-2 advantage, and increased its impressive record in Foxboro to 14-1-4, with the 19 games almost split evenly between Gillette Stadium (9) and the old Foxboro Stadium (10). A total of three players earned their first international cap with the MNT, with Brian Carroll and Justin Mapp getting the starting nod, while Ricardo Clark came on in reserve in the second half. Danny Califf started in central defense for his first World Cup qualifying appearance in 13 caps. In the first half, the U.S. was outshot by Panama 5-2, but had the best opportunity when Penedo saved Clint Dempsey’s close range attempt in the 14th minute. Santino Quaranta dropped in the first of his numerous dangerous services from the right wing finding Dempsey at the penalty spot, but his first touch got away from him and rolled towards goal. He was able to run it down at the six-yard box, but his shot attempt was blocked by Penedo who was able to stand his ground to make the point-blank save. While Quaranta was serving in crosses from the right flank, Mapp was also making an impact on the opposite end of the field, taking on players and starting attacking runs on goal. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard was only tested three times overall, all in the first half, and was up to the task on each attempt to snag his sixth shutout. While he didn’t make a save in the second half, he did well to come off his line to clear two through balls away in back-to-back minutes, clearing the first with his hands and the following with his feet. In the 87th minute, Dely Valdes had the chance to cut the lead in half when Brian Ching was called for a handball in the penalty box, but his low attempt was wide left. Ching committed the handball while trying to bring down a Panama corner kick at the far end of the box, the ball hitting his left arm after taking the first touch off his chest. Trinidad & Tobago clinched fourth place and a playoff spot against Bahrain, the fifth place team from Asia, with their win against Mexico in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Trinidad & Tobago will take on Bahrain for a spot in 2006 FIFA World Cup in a two-game head-to-head series that will take place on Nov. 12/13 and Nov. 16. Guatemala was left out of the World Cup despite a 3-1 win against Costa Rica at home, as they finished in fifth place with 11 points, two points behind the Soca Warriors. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Panama Scoring Summary: 1 2 F Scoring: Since the U.S. had already qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, U.S. coach Bruce Arena said he would use the last CONCACAF qualifying games to evaluate players and give them a chance to make an impression before next January’s training camp. Against Costa Rica he probably didn’t find anyone new who could make an impact on the roster, but may have seen some things that would indicate some of those who played in the 3-0 loss in Costa Rica were not ready to contribute at the World Cup level. Costa Rica joined the U.S. and Mexico from CONCACAF in booking their ticket to the 2006 FIFA World Cup on Saturday night with a 3-0 victory over the U.S. Men’s National Team in front of a sold out crowd at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa. Paulo Wanchope scored the game winner in the 34th minute, and Carlos Hernandez came on as a second half sub to score twice as the U.S. was handed their first three goal defeat in World Cup qualifying since a 5-1 loss to Mexico in November of 1980. The last three goal defeat for the U.S. in any competition was a 4-1 loss to Denmark on January 22, 1997 in the Gold Cup. Wanchope’s goal ended a shutout streak for the U.S. in qualifying that dated back to March 27 vs. Mexico spanning 631 minutes. “First of all, congratulations to Costa Rica. They deserved to qualify for the World Cup,” said Arena who suffered his first three-goal defeat in 115 games at the helm. “I thought for large segments of the game, play was even. In the first half, we had the better of the chances. “Some mistakes were made that more experienced players would not have made but, overall, I accomplished the objective of watching certain combinations of players play together.” Costa Rica sent their home crowd into a frenzy in the 34th minute as a great through ball found Alvaro Saborio streaking into the right side of the area and bringing his marker with him. Saborio lunged and touched off a shot that Tim Howard dove to his right to make a touch save, but Wanchope slid to beat Howard to the rebound with his foot to score his Costa Rican record 43rd international goal in his 66th appearance. The U.S. appeared to level the score at 1-1 in the 39th minute after Bobby Convey drew a foul at the top left corner of the area. Eddie Lewis took the free kick and found Pope and the back post who headed the ball across the six yard box. There, the ball hit the chest of Walter Centeno and fell right to the foot of Taylor Twellman who tapped the ball into the back of the net at the left post but was flagged for being offside. Hernandez came on as a sub in the 59th minute and immediately put his stamp on the match with a 20-yard strike. Ronald Gomez fed the ball to Hernandez five yards outside of the penalty area, and he turned past DaMarcus Beasley who tried to intercept but got there late. With no one between him and goal, Hernandez took a pair of touches before drilling the ball off the inside of the left post and into the goal. In the 79th minute, Twellman almost struck for his first U.S. goal. Bobby Convey played across and in-swinging corner kick that found the striker unmarked at the top of the six yard box. Twellman headed the ball down on goal, but Jervis Drummond was in the right place to clear the ball off the goal line. Hernandez closed out the scoring in the 88th minute with a rocketed volley that went over the underside of the crossbar in the upper left corner of the net. Gilberto Martinez took a free kick and sent it long into the area where Oguchi Onyewu headed it out. Hernandez stepped up and volleyed the ball first time for his second goal of the night. Carlos Bocanegra and Eddie Lewis picked up yellow cards in the second half and will serve suspensions for their second yellow card in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday when the U.S. takes on Panama in Foxboro, Mass. live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET. Onyewu was also booked for the U.S. Tim Howard returned for the U.S. after a 13 month hiatus and started for the U.S. in his second World Cup qualifying appearance. Pope as moved up into a tie with Claudio Renya for all-time World Cup qualifying appearances for the U.S. with 31. Kasey Keller is the all-time leader with 32. The match was the 50th played by the U.S. since the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the team has a 31-8-11 record, including recording a shutout in 28 of those matches. With the loss, the U.S. continues their winless streak in Costa Rica in qualifying, now at seven games with an 0-6-1 record. Overall, the U.S. is 11-10-4 against the Ticos. In the rest of CONCACAF, Mexico reclaimed the top spot in the region with a 5-2 win against Guatemala. The Chapines drop a spot to fifth in the standings, after Trinidad and Tobago defeated Panama by a 1-0 scoreline. While CONCACAF'S three automatic berths have been decided, the fourth place team, who will have a play off against the fifth place team from Asia, could come down to the final match. Guatemala currently sits with eight points, two behind Trinidad and Tobago, but could still overcome the Trinidadians with a win against Costa Rica on Wednesday if Trinidad loses to Mexico. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Costa Rica Scoring Summary: 1 2 F Scoring: Lineups: CRC: 18-Jose Porras; 3-Luis Marin (capt.), 5-Gilberto
Martinez, 2-Jervis Drummond, 12 Leonardo Gonzalez; Stats Summary: USA CRC Misconduct Summary: Officials: ussoccer.com Man of the Match: Eddie Lewis 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Schedule – CONCACAF Final
Round USA Settles For 0-0 In Guatemala With a berth in the 2006 FIFA Men’s World Cup already secured, the United States didn’t need a win over Guatemala. It’s a good thing because the American started sloppy on a wet, slick field and didn’t put away some easy second-half chances in settling for a 0-0 draw against Guatemala. The tie came on the road in Guatemala City, and U.S. coach Bruce Arena had 11 different players in his lineup from the one he started four nights ago in a 2-0 win over Mexico. It was billed as an opportunity for some of the “bubble players” to make an impression, and a couple of them did that. The United States (6-1-1) clinched its fifth straight World Cup berth with the win over Mexico at Columbus, Ohio, allowing coach Bruce Arena to excuse most of his regular starters from the trip. Seven Americans made their first start in a World Cup qualifier, including four who made their first appearance in a qualifier. Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, competing for a backup job behind Kasey Keller, made several leaping saves to deny Guatemala in his first qualifying game. He made the case for being the #2 goalkeeper. Bobby Convey, now playing regularly in England with Reading, owned the left side of the field and was impressive. On the other hand, Taylor Twellman and Jeff
Cunningham, the top goalscorers in Major League Soccer, came
up empty. Clint Demsey, who should have been the focal
point of the U.S. attack in the middle, was missing in action. Johnson had the Americans' best chance in the 81st minute, but his open header off a Donovan cross went wide. Taylor Twellman also failed to connect on a good second-half chance for the United States. Guatemala nearly scored in the 90th minute when Edwin Villatoro's shot bounced off a post. The United States and Mexico (both 6-1-1) have 19 points each and have
clinched two of the three automatic berths from soccer's North and Central
American and Caribbean region. Mexico clinched Wednesday night with a
5-0 rout of visiting Panama on goals by Luis Perez, Rafael Maquez, Jared
Borgetti, Francisco Fonseca and Pavel Pardo. Guatemala (2-4-2) has eight points, one head of Trinidad (2-5-1) in the fight to finish fourth and earn a spot in a playoff against Bahrain or Uzbekistan for another berth. Guatemala is at Mexico on Oct. 8, then closes at home against Costa Rica, while T&T plays at Panama and hosts the Mexicans. The United States has never lost to Guatemala in World Cup qualifying, but has also never won Guatemalan soil. U.S. Men Qualify For Germany 2006 History will record September 3, 2005 as a significant day in the history of soccer in the United States. In probably the most important win ever on home soil, the U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Mexico 2-0 at Columbus Crew Stadium to earn a berth in the 2006 FIFA World Championship in Germany. For the first time since 1934, the U.S. became the first team from CONCACAF to earn a berth in the World Cup, and it was especially sweet because it came against arch-rival Mexico. Mexico came into the game with a one-point advantage over the U.S. and had beaten the Americans 2-1 last March in Mexico City. Before a raucous sold-out crowd of 24,685 in Columbus, the U.S. put together two goals, five minutes apart, to gain the win. The U.S. advances with 18 points, two ahead of Mexico. After a disjointed first half, the U.S. got on the scoreboard in the 53rd minute when Steve Ralston headed the ball into an open goal after a rebound of Oguchi Onyewu’s header came to him. DaMarcus Beasley curled a shot past Mexico’s goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez in the 58th minute for the 2-0 win. Both goals were started by free kicks. The U.S. held an 11-7 margin over Mexico in shots on goal. U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller was called on to make only two saves, but one, in extra time just before the end of the first half, was the save of the game. Keller dove to his right to stop a low free kick, putting the ball over the end line to preserve his shutout. He extended his string of shutout minutes to 510 in World Cup qualifying, and the win was his 50th career win wearing the U.S. uniform. The game was chippy from the beginning, with Beasley getting hammered throughout the game. Five yellow cards were issues, three to Mexico. Claudio Reyna and Gregg Berhalfter picked up cautions, and will have to sit out next Wednesday’s qualifier at Guatemala with yellow card accumulations. “The top two teams in CONCACAF are the U.S. and Mexico. We had the one blemish on our record in the first part of the final round when we lost in Mexico City,” said U.S. manager Bruce Arena, who advanced to his second straight World Cup while increasing his home qualifying record to 14-1-2. “It’s nice to get that back and it’s obviously very special to qualify at home and against our arch rival.” Mexico, which is ranked #5 in the FIFA World rankings, needed only a draw in the game to earn a berth in the next World Cup, but will have to wait another game. It looked as if the visitors were playing for the draw. The U.S., ranked #6, still has three games to play in the final qualifying round, and is likely to use a lineup of players from Major League Soccer in those games. However, the results are still important. The U.S., with its world ranking, needs to finish strong in the qualifying
round in order to have a chance of earning one of the eight seeds in the
World Cup. The seeds will be announced prior to the World Cup draw, which
is scheduled for Dec. 9 in Leipzig, Germany. In the two other matches in the hexagonal, Trinidad & Tobago got
two late goals from Stern John for a dramatic 3-2 win over Guatemala to
keep their World Cup hopes alive, while Costa Rica took over sole possession
of third place with a 3-1 win over Panama. U.S. Men Close In On World Cup Berth With 1-0 Win Brian McBride’s goal in the second minute of play led the U.S. Men’s National Team to a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in an important World Cup qualifying match at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., The win, before a crowd of 25,488, puts the U.S. closer to qualifying for FIFA World Cup Germany 2006. "I think we deserved the three points,” said U.S. manager Bruce Arena. “I thought we played very well and I think we felt guilty that perhaps we made it a little bit difficult on ourselves. We created a number of good goal scoring opportunities and came up short, and that allowed Trinidad to hang around for 89 minutes or so, and I think they could have been punished and sent home a lot earlier. “Give them credit: they never quit. They defended well and we failed to convert our chances. However, the three points are huge. Fifteen points after six games is as good as it gets and I think we're getting real close to qualifying for Germany. We're pleased where we are. We'll size up the troops after this game and prepare for the next set of games against Mexico and Guatemala." With a win over Mexico in their next qulifier on Sept. 3 at Columbus Crew Stadium, the U.S. is guaranteed a spot in their fifth consecutive World Cup. Likewise, a tie vs. Mexico can also clinch a U.S. berth in the 2006 World Cup ONLY if the other two CONCACAF matches on Matchday 7 (Panama vs. Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guatemala) result in ties. Mexico defeated Costa Rica at home 2-0, to maintain the top spot in the final round of qualifying with 16 points. In the other CONCACAF match, Guatemala came from behind to beat Panama at home 2-1. McBride’s early goal came just 91 seconds into the game on an easy pass from the left side of the penalty area from Bobby Convey, playing in his third straight qualifier for the U.S. The goal was created when midfielder John O’Brien shook off his marker in midfield and played a perfect ball into Convey, breaking behind a slow reacting Trinidad & Tobago defense. The goal for McBride moved him ahead of Earnie Stewart as the USA’s all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup qualifying play with 10 all-time strikes. "Basically it was good ball movement,” said McBride. “Bobby (Convey) ran off a shoulder and was played in and I knew I just had to beat the guy to the spot. The angle that he was at, he was going to play the ball across. It was a nice ball in, and I just had to open up my foot." In the 29th minute, Landon Donovan had a chance to put the U.S. ahead 2-0 after a poor clearance from Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Kelvin Jack landed at the feet of the high-scoring forward at the top of the area. With just the ‘keeper to beat, Donovan moved into the box and tried to lift the ball over the charging Jack, but the goalkeeper redeemed himself with a fine save. Less than 10 minutes later, Convey had a breakaway and slid a ball just outside the right post after Donovan had split two defenders with a soft, short pass to free the midfielder on his run. At the end of the first half, Donovan used his speed to turn a bad back pass from Marvin Andrews into a red card for Trinidad & Tobago defender Dennis Lawrence, who had to trace back as the U.S. forward sprinted toward goal with the errant pass. As the pair reached the top of the penalty area, Lawrence tugged on Donovan’s shoulder to throw him off stride and earn the red card ejection from referee Marco Rodriguez. John O’Brien was forced out of the match at the start of the second half with a left hip contusion, giving way to Chris Armas. O’Brien is not expected to miss any significant time due to the injury. The U.S. played the bulk of the second half with the man advantage; however, a second yellow card caution on Convey in the 88th minute evened the sides at 10 men each. Just moments before the red card, second half sub Taylor Twellman appeared to ice the game in 86th minute with an empty net tap in after an excellent cross from the right flank by Santino Quaranta, a second half sub making his World Cup qualifying debut for the U.S. However, the assistant referee raised his flag immediately, disallowing the goal with a very close offside call. For the match, the U.S. out shot their Caribbean rivals 18-1 as Kasey Keller earned his fourth straight shutout in World Cup qualifying without being called upon to make a single save. Keller now has a shutout streak of 417 minutes in qualifying play dating back to the USA’s 2-1 loss in Mexico on March 27. Keller has also now played in 30 World Cup qualifiers for the U.S., tying him for the team’s all-time lead with Cobi Jones, Eddie Pope and Earnie Stewart. The match at Rentschler Field was the 100th all-time FIFA World Cup qualifying game for the United States, and improved the USA’s record to 44-29-27. It was the team’s first game since the USA claimed their third CONCACAF Gold Cup crown in July with a penalty kick victory over Panama in East Rutherford, N.J. The U.S. takes the field again in just a little more than two weeks against Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 3. That game is followed immediately with a Sept. 7 match in Guatemala City against Guatemala, the eighth of 10 final round World Cup qualifying matches in CONCACAF. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago Scoring Summary: Scoring: Lineups: TRI: 21-Kelvin Jack; 3-Avery John, 4-Marvin Andrews, 2-Atiba Charles
(8-Scott Sealy, 46+), 6-Dennis Lawrence; 9-Aurtis Whitley, 16-Silvio Spann,
7-Christopher Birchall, 20-Collin Samuel (5-Brent Sancho, 46+); 19-Dwight
Yorke (capt.), 14-Stern John (15-Kenwyne Jones, 55) Stats Summary: USA TRI Misconduct Summary: Officials: ussoccer.com Man of the Match: Claudio Reyna 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Schedule – CONCACAF Final Round Date Match (home teams listed first) Location Kickoff/Result March 26 Costa Rica vs. Panama Estadio Ricardo Saprissa; San Jose 2:1 March 30 Panama vs. Mexico Estadio Rommel Fernandez; Panama City 1:1 June 4 Trinidad & Tobago vs. Panama Hasely Crawford Stadium; Port
of Spain 2:0 June 8 Panama vs. USA Estadio Rommel Fernandez; Panama City 0:3 Aug. 17 Guatemala vs. Panama Estadio Mateo Flores; Guatemala City 2:1 Sept. 3 Panama vs. Costa Rica Estadio Rommel Fernandez; Panama City 8
p.m. ET Sept. 7 Mexico vs. Panama Estadio Azteca; Mexico City 9 p.m. CT Oct. 8/9 Costa Rica vs. USA San Jose, Costa Rica 7 p.m. CT Oct. 12 USA vs. Panama TBD TBD Playoff |
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