U.S. Team in Shock Over Rout by Czechs

Humiliated in a 5-1 loss Sunday to Czechoslovakia in its World Cup opener, the U.S. soccer team could hardly have expected better reviews than it received the next day in the Italian press.

But because the International Federation of International Football will not allow the United States to close the show until after its third and presumably final game June 19 against Austria, workouts continued as scheduled at a seaside training camp today.

U.S. Coach Bob Gansler looked on the bright side.

“Sun’s shining, let’s not dwell on what happened,” he said as he sent his team onto the field.

Following his lead, the players tried to act as if nothing had happened. But it was like trying to ignore a train wreck. They were still in shock.

“Look at it this way,” forward Bruce Murray said. “We can’t play any worse.”

But, as the United States is likely to discover Thursday in Rome’s Olympic Stadium, the opposition can play better. Next on the schedule is Italy, the tournament favorite.

The Italian press predicts a goleada , which, loosely translated, means rout.

“This could get ugly if we have the wrong attitude,” Murray said.

As if Gansler did not have enough problems trying to revive his team’s spirits, he must replace offensive midfielder Eric Wynalda of Westlake Village among the starting 11.

Wynalda was issued a red card for a flagrant foul in the 50th minute, which disqualified him not only for the remainder of the first game but also for the second game as well.

As part of the federation’s stricter “fair play” rules, a red card also carries a $7,000 fine, which Wynalda may have difficulty paying on his salary of about $25,000.

Irish players have announced they will pool their money to pay for fines levied against them, but it is unlikely that Wynalda’s teammates will do the same for him.

They were not feeling charitable toward him after his ejection left them with only 10 men for the final 40 minutes. Some players said they felt as if there were only 10 men on the field when he was playing.

Wynalda, who prefers playing forward, has not been happy since he was moved last month to the midfield in an effort to inject more offense into the team. His negative attitude appears to have affected his play.

One player lectured Wynalda at halftime, calling him immature.

“Even if Eric could play against Italy, there might have been a change,” reserve forward Chris Sullivan said. “That’s a very special position, one that has to be effective for us. Eric wasn’t a factor there.”

Wynalda said he did not deserve the red card, which came after he shoved a player, Jozef Chovanec, in the midfield. Wynalda said the Czech had been baiting him the entire game.

“It wasn’t a blatant foul,” Wynalda said. “I’m not a hothead. I would just call it a bad mistake, if anything.”

Gansler was not so easy on Wynalda. The coach said he warned Wynalda at halftime that the referee would be watching him closely after his running battle with Chovanec in the first 45 minutes. Five minutes into the second half, Wynalda was sent off.

“He obviously forgot it quickly,” Gansler said. “That’s inexperience, exuberance or the stupidity of youth.” Saturday was Wynalda’s 21st birthday.

Gansler said he will consider two defenders, Jimmy Banks and Paul Krumpe, and Sullivan for Wynalda’s position.

Gansler said he may make other changes in the lineup but did not elaborate.

In the Italian newspapers, which evaluate the players after each game, only goalkeeper Tony Meola, midfielder Paul Caligiuri and midfielder Tab Ramos received high grades for their play against the Czechs.

The headline on the game story in Corriere Dello Sport read, “The USA: What a Delusion.”

The correspondent for Gazetta Dello Sport, Lodovico Maradei, wrote that Czechoslovakia won with “incredible ease. At the end, the soccer was reduced to a church-league level with farcical aspects that made it impossible to evaluate the potential of the Czechs.”