U.S. Gets Its Draw and Sends Message
On the morning that the U.S. national soccer team learned it would be playing Cuba, Canada and Costa Rica in the first round of the Gold Cup in July, the Americans on Wednesday sent a resounding message to all Major League Soccer teams:
Chivas USA will not be invincible after all.
Using a squad made up of MLS players, the U.S. thrashed Chivas USA, 7-0, in a scrimmage at the Home Depot Center to end the league newcomers’ three-game unbeaten run.
And Chivas USA’s players were not the only ones to be shut out. Under U.S. Coach Bruce Arena’s closed-door edict, so were the public, so were the media and so was Jorge Campos, the former Galaxy and Mexico national team goalkeeper who is now a Mexico assistant coach.
Rebuffed in his scouting quest, Campos instead wandered over to watch the Galaxy reserves beat UCLA, 3-0, on another part of the sprawling Home Depot Center complex. Goals by rookie Mubarike Chisoni, former Chilean international Fabian Estai, who is training with the Galaxy in the hope of landing a roster spot, and Joseph Ngewenya were the difference.
Meanwhile, in the other match, goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and defender Chris Albright became the first Galaxy players to play against Chivas USA as the Americans rolled to an easy victory.
Taylor Twellman and Pat Noonan each scored twice for the U.S., which also got goals from Albright, Clint Mathis and Eddie Johnson.
“Defensively, they’re probably going to have to shore a few things up,” Hartman said.
Added Albright: “They were playing the national team, it’s not like they were playing the Galaxy. I think we’ll have to wait and see when the season begins. But they’re an expansion team. They have an uphill battle.”
The Gold Cup draw was held in New York and the U.S. will play its first two first-round games at Qwest Field in Seattle, opening against Cuba on July 7, then playing Canada on July 9 and Costa Rica on July 11 at Foxboro, Mass. By finishing first or second in Group B, the U.S. will advance to the July 16 quarterfinals also in Foxboro.
Defending champion Mexico was put in Group C, along with Guatemala, Jamaica and South Africa, and will play its first-round matches at the Home Depot Center, the Coliseum and in Houston.
Group A consists of Colombia, Honduras, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago and will play its first-round games at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
“All the groups are pretty well balanced, so it’s going to be one of the more competitive Gold Cups,” Arena said. “The only question with all the CONCACAF teams that are still in World Cup qualifying is how they design their rosters.”
The July 6-24 Gold Cup takes place right in the middle of final-round qualifying for Germany 2006, so teams could elect not to field their World Cup players. The U.S. squad, for instance, might be heavily MLS-oriented.
