SOCCER : U.S. to Face El Salvador in World Cup Qualifier

With a victory today over winless El Salvador in a World Cup qualifying match, U.S. Coach Bob Gansler and his young soccer team can make things easier for themselves when they play the decisive game later this month against Trinidad and Tobago.

If the United States (3-2-1) beats the Salvadorans (0-4-1) at the St. Louis Soccer Park, it will advance to the World Cup next June in Italy for the first time since 1950 with either a victory or a tie on Nov. 19 at Port of Spain, Trinidad.

But with a loss or tie against El Salvador, the United States will have to win at Port of Spain in its last qualifying game in the North and Central American and Caribbean region.

In their previous game in September at Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the United States beat El Salvador, 1-0. U.S. midfielder Hugo Perez scored the only goal, but he will miss today’s match because of a groin injury.

The Salvadorans appeared to be playing for a scoreless tie in that game, but Gansler said Saturday that he expects them to be more aggressive today.

They have a new coach and several new players, most of them from El Salvador’s first-place league team, Firpo. Because of financial problems, the Salvadorans were not scheduled to arrive in St. Louis until Saturday night.

A capacity crowd of 8,500 is expected to attend today’s match, including a small group from the St. Louis Latin America Solidarity Group that plans to protest U.S. military aid to El Salvador.