WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : Spotlight : SHORT MEMORIES COST U.S., SAYS STEINBRECHER
Hank Steinbrecher, general secretary of the U.S. Soccer Federation, said U.S. players had been warned about the yellow-card rules that cost them John Harkes for the second-round game against Brazil.
The World Cup rules state that upon receiving two yellow cards, a player is suspended for the next game.
Alexi Lalas, a U.S. defender, recently blasted Steinbrecher’s group for not informing the U.S. team of those rules.
Steinbrecher said the players were told, but forgot.
“I asked our coach (Bora Milutinovic) about this, and he said he told the players all about this before the tournament, but that their memories were too short,” Steinbrecher said.
Steinbrecher added that the U.S. team was still suffering growing pains.
He said before the tournament, and repeated it Tuesday, that the target date for fielding a team that can consistently compete for the World Cup championship was the year 2002.
