WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : Spotlight : YOUNG AMERICANS ARE GROWING UP

Bob Gansler, director of coaching for the U.S. Soccer Federation, liked the U.S. World Cup opener Saturday more than the 1990 opener. He was coaching the team in Italy in 1990, when it lost its first game to Czechoslovakia, 5-1.

“Six guys who opened against the Czechs played today, and when you add Thomas Dooley, Ernie Stewart and Roy Wegerle, you’ve got a team with some experience,” Gansler said. “Instead of a graduate-school team like we had, you’ve got a young pro team out there now.”

Said Balboa, a veteran of the ’90 team: “We know we are a better team than ’90. We knew ’90 wasn’t going to happen again.”