U.S. Defeats Mexico, 4-0, in Soccer

It wasn’t the World Cup. It wasn’t even qualifying for the World Cup. Still, for 90 minutes the U.S. soccer team dominated a team that had routinely beaten the Americans for years.

Scoring four goals against Mexico for the first time in 61 years, the United States routed North America’s strongest team, 4-0, Sunday in the U.S. Cup ’95 tournament.

Mexico hadn’t allowed four goals to the Americans since the 1934 World Cup, when the United States won, 4-2, in Rome.

Only two years ago, Mexico beat the United States, 4-0, in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean region.

“This was pay-back,” goalkeeper Kasey Keller said.

Roy Wegerle, Thomas Dooley, John Harkes and Claudio Reyna scored for the United States, which beat the Mexicans for only the seventh time in 43 games. Reyna, getting back to form after a year of injuries, also assisted on two goals in playing center forward for the first time.

“I had my back to the goal a lot and I’m not comfortable with that,” said Reyna, who missed the World Cup because of a torn right hamstring and then dislocated his shoulder last winter.

Keller, making his first international appearance since May 1992, got the shutout before 38,615 at RFK Stadium.

He made a key save early in the first half and got help in the 22nd minute when Dooley cleared a shot by Luis Roberto Alves, Mexico’s star forward, off the goal line.

“It was good to get back into the national team,” said Keller, who starts for Millwall in England.

Keller was the backup to Tony Meola in the 1990 World Cup but was bypassed by Coach Bora Milutinovic, who used him only once in four years. In the final minute of the first half, Keller stopped Carlos Hermosillo’s point-blank shot.

“He made some very important saves early on,” said Steve Sampson, the U.S. interim coach.

Sampson, in his fourth game since Milutinovic was fired April 14, hopes to get the job permanently.