SOCCER : U.S. Offense Missing Too Much in Loss to Colombia

The theme was friendship, the goals: to make money to help rebuild Los Angeles and showcase the talents of soccer players vying to be part of the 1994 World Cup.

With those goals as a backdrop, the first of a two-night, four-team international tournament at the Coliseum was a success.

The games Friday were friendly enough, some money was raised--a dollar for every ticket sold went to the rebuilding effort--and several soccer players shone beneath the Coliseum lights.

However, few of them were playing for the United States.

The U.S. national team, consisting of several players who will lose their jobs when the stars return from playing professionally in Europe, was beaten by Colombia, 1-0, before a crowd of 28,651.

In the second game, Brazil was leading Mexico, 5-0, with 15 minutes remaining.

The Colombians’ victory, their fourth in five meetings against the Americans, was more decisive than the score indicated.

In its past five games, the United States has scored only one goal--in a 1-1 tie with Italy in early June.

“They knocked the ball around, but we knocked the ball around, too,” U.S. forward Hugo Perez said of the Colombians. “We just need to score.”

The Americans took only two shots in the first half, one spent largely in their own zone.

They managed four in the second but were trailing, 1-0, with Colombia Coach Umberto Ortiz employing a defensive strategy for the final 20 minutes.

Colombia scored with 12:13 left in the first half when Adolfo Valencia dribbled past Fernando Clavijo and fired an unassisted goal to the left of goalkeeper Tony Meola.

Colombian goalkeeper Eddy Villarraga preserved the victory by turning away a shot by Mike Sorber in the final minute. Sorber had beaten defenders on the left side and sent a shot that would have cleared the top of the goal, but an outstretched Villarraga tipped the ball over and away.

Clavijo said the return of such European-based stars as Roy Wegerle, Ernie Stewart, John Harkes and Tab Ramos would aid the U.S. team.

“Those are people who find a way to put the ball into the back of the net,” Clavijo said.