THE SIDELINES : U.S. Bows 3-2 to East Germany
From Times Wire Services
EAST BERLIN —
Ulf Kirsten scored three goals after bad defensive mistakes as East Germany beat the United States 3-2 tonight in the first soccer game between the two countries. The Americans showed some improvement after their 2-0 loss at Hungary last week. But Kirsten’s finishing buried the American’s hopes of pulling off an upset.
Peter Vermes scored for the United States with five minutes left in the first half, and Bruce Murray scored with five minutes remaining in the game.
The United States is 2-5 on its buildup to the World Cup, which begins June 8 in Italy. The U.S. team beat Bermuda and Finland and lost to Costa Rica, Colombia, the Soviet Union, Hungary and East Germany.
