WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : COMMENTARY : Uncooperative Romania Sets U.S. Up for Fall
Don’t look now--and if you are like the majority of American television viewers, chances are you didn’t--but this World Cup tournament took a mighty wicked twist on the home team Saturday afternoon, and for that we can thank that renowned Romanian pop icon, Boy Gheorghe Hagi.
Hagi was supposed to tumble for us, he and his Romanian teammates, leaving Colombia precisely where it belonged after one game (atop Group A) and putting the United States one point up in the race for the group’s other automatic boarding pass to the second round.
Isn’t that how Alan Rothenberg had characterized U.S. chances of advancing to the next round? “A lead-pipe cinch?”
Well, the lead-pipe cinch was looking more and more like a lead balloon after Hagi shredded Colombia at the Rose Bowl with one booming goal and two deft passes that led to others, enabling Romania to upset one of the tournament favorites, 3-1, while putting a serious crimp in any U.S. plans to still be around and kicking come July.
Now Colombia is miffed, and it gets the Americans Wednesday afternoon at the Rose Bowl. Colombia not only needs to beat the Yanks in that one, it needs to stomp them. By two goals, at least, if it is to balance its goal-differential account, so important when it comes to placement in the second round.
Then, next Sunday, the United States plays Romania at the Rose Bowl. Romania already has broken in the place, it knows the angles, and it has Hagi, who did the unthinkable Saturday.
He silenced the huge pro-Colombia crowd that had turned Pasadena into North Bogota for a day and sent the confident Colombian players into the tunnel muttering to themselves.
To advance, the United States, most likely, needs at least three points in group play. It has one after tying Switzerland in its opener, which means it now must either:
a) Tie both Colombia and Romania.
b) Beat Colombia.
c) Beat Romania.
Ahem.
Well, there’s always France ’98.
If you don’t think about it, four years can pass just like that.
U.S.-Switzerland was clearly the undercard on the Group A marquee Saturday. Romanian Coach Anghel Iordanescu has proclaimed Colombia and Romania the class of the group and at this point, who’s to argue?
Colombia has jaw-dropping speed and sends its attackers at the net in waves. First, Faustino Asprilla, then Adolfo Valencia, then Freddy Rincon. The onslaught can be numbing, and Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea did everything but don a jetpack in a scrambling defense of his territory.
Romania simply grabs the midfield by the throat and squeezes until it gives. Its defensive style is physical and oppressive and when Iordanescu added an extra defender late in the second half--bringing the total on the back line from five to six--it wasn’t uncommon for Asprilla to begin a dribble toward the box, look up and find four yellow shirts in his face.
Romania also had to overcome a considerable home-field disadvantage, braving a sea of flapping Colombian flags and screaming yellow fright wigs, worn out of deference to the storied Colombian midfielder Carlos Valderrama.
But Romania’s first goal, by Florin Raducioiu via a brilliant bouncing 25-yard pass from Hagi, made all that hair stop standing on end. It was 2-0 after Hagi’s towering shot hooked the top right corner of the net, and in the 89th minute, it was that man Hagi again, pounding a long ball so hard that Colombian goalkeeper Oscar Cordoba misplayed it into an easy poach for Raducioiu.
When asked about the odds of his squad advancing to the round of 16, Iordanescu mused--and you can blame the translator-- “You can never not be sure. Because the ball is round and football is football.”
And Romania is undefeated, and Colombia is fixing to let off some steam, and the poor United States is left in its path, staring wildly into the headlights.
It is a lousy place to be, and for that, the Americans can blame the hot soccer trend of the moment.
L.A. Hagi Chic.
