SOCCER / JULIE CART : U.S. Struggles Without Foreign-Based Aid

The lesson for the U.S. national team halfway through its busy summer has been one of frustration.

Early on, the team was stymied by its inability to score, even against weak opponents. The team won one of 14 international matches going into this month’s U.S. Cup. Scoreless ties against Bolivia and Peru did not send the United States into the tournament with much of a boost.

Against that backdrop, the United States performed remarkably well in its three U.S. Cup matches.

The high points for the U.S. team:

--After scoring only 13 goals all year, getting five goals in three games.

--After trailing by three goals against the world champions, coming back to lose by only one to Germany.

--Beating England. The two goals ended the United States’ 388-minute scoreless streak. Goalkeeper Tony Meola’s performance propelled him to selection as the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

--Ernie Stewart’s amazing score from a spot nearly parallel to the goal against Germany.

--The stirring play of the European-based players, especially Thomas Dooley, John Harkes, Tab Ramos and Roy Wegerle.

The low points:

--The opening game against Brazil. Coach Bora Milutinovic’s “losing well” theory stretched thin in the team’s 2-0 loss. Even with many of its best players still at home, the Brazilians gave the United States a lesson in the possession style that Milutinovic so admires.

--Defense. The Brazilians toyed with American defenders in the first half. The defenders also spent the entire game on their heels against Germany, whose give-and-go plays befuddled them.

--The clear dependency on the European-based players. A contender with them, forgettable without them. The good news and bad news of the summer.

The one thing the U.S. team wanted to establish during the tournament was credibility. It did that, with one proviso. The full U.S. team gained credibility.

For a reminder of what the American-based team is capable of sinking to, consider that the Copa America is still being played, without the United States.

A defensive lapse led to a 1-0 loss to Uruguay. That game was followed by a 2-0 loss to Ecuador. Still, going into its final first-round game, the United States could have advanced with a victory against Venezuela, South American soccer’s punching bag.

The U.S. team had a 3-0 lead going into the second half, but fell apart. The Venezuelans, who have won only one match in the Copa America in 26 years, scored three goals to tie.

Rather than advancing in a tournament that a U.S. team had never been invited to, the United States came home to Mission Viejo to regroup and prepare for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, to be held in Dallas and Mexico City.

Without the services of the European-based players, the U.S. team doesn’t appear to be a strong bet to retain its regional title.

Frustrating.

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Credibility also was gained for the Detroit World Cup venue.

The Pontiac Silverdome’s $1.5-million lawn is still mostly green, growing and still taking athletic abuse.

After the Germans and English played the final U.S. Cup game June 19, the U.S. women’s team played host to Canada two days later.

The U.S. women won, and the grass held up well, according to agronomist Trey Rogers. The few brown spots on the field are perfectly normal, he said.

Two club games are scheduled this week, so that the indoor natural grass will be subject to the same four-game schedule as in next year’s World Cup. The U.S. team opens in the Silverdome.

Worldwide interest in the historic first soccer game played indoors on natural grass was high.

Rogers said Japan exhibited the most interest in learning the secrets of the Michigan State University scientists.

“We won’t tell,” Rogers said.