U.S. Pushes Harder, Pushes On
All those nightmare scenarios Steve Sampson had envisioned last week disappeared here Saturday afternoon.
Instead of being ousted from World Cup ’98 contention, the United States is through to the next round of qualifying. Instead of worrying about Guatemala next Saturday, it can worry about Mexico and Canada and Jamaica and El Salvador and, in all likelihood, Costa Rica next year.
A 2-1 victory over Costa Rica in front of 40,527 at Stanford Stadium earned Sampson’s U.S. national team a place in the final six. Three will go to France ’98.
Based on Saturday’s performance, there will be more than an American in Paris in the summer of ’98.
Starting another new-look lineup, this time with Brian McBride and Roy Lassiter as his twin strikers and, unbelievably, Alexi Lalas at sweeper, Sampson watched as the U.S. avenged its 2-1 loss on the road to Costa Rica two weeks ago.
This time, instead of being pushed back on defense by the Costa Ricans, it was the U.S. players who did the pushing. They played hard and in the end they were rewarded for it.
Most satisfying to Sampson and his assistant coaches was the way Lassiter and McBride combined up front. With Eric Wynalda, the U.S team’s all-time scoring leader, suspended, it was left to McBride and Lassiter to provide the goals.
They both came through. McBride, the headband-wearing striker from Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, netted the first and Lassiter, the Tampa Bay Mutiny forward currently on loan to Genoa in the Italian second division, scored the second.
Considering that they had had exactly three days to practice together, it was an amazing effort.
“I think our styles match,” McBride said, “because we’re pretty much exact opposites. I like the ball played to my feet and Roy likes it played into space. So when I get the ball I know that Roy’s going to be making a run and I’m going to be able to thread the ball or put it out in front of him and he’ll get to it even if it’s a bad pass.”
Lassiter, the leading goal scorer in the Costa Rican League last year (and with a Costa Rican wife and child), and the top scorer in MLS this season, had a different explanation.
“It was a short period of time that we had to work together,” Lassiter said, “but good players can adapt to each other.”
But while the Lassiter-McBride experiment worked, the idea of playing Lalas at sweeper--in place of the injured Thomas Dooley--did not. Lalas seldom looked comfortable being the last line of defense, although his power in the air was evident.
“He has not had significant rest for the last 3 1/2 years,” Sampson said. “Now is the time to give him rest and for him to recharge his batteries. This is not the time for me to be critical of Alexi Lalas. I think he’s helped us get here and I’m going to support him and work with him and help him regain his confidence and his form.”
The incident-filled first half featured one bizarre interlude when referee Francisco Borja of Mexico red-carded U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel with about 10 minutes to play for intentionally handling the ball outside the goal area.
The U.S. players protested furiously, so Borja went to consult one of his linesmen. Afterward, he rescinded the red card and gave Friedel a yellow, apparently ruling that the hand ball was unintentional. This time it was the Costa Ricans who protested furiously.
“It took a lot of guts for the referee to change his mind and to solicit the input of his linesman,” Sampson said. “I’m really thankful that he did. It was the right decision and a very bold decision by the referee.”
Even Friedel admitted afterward that he was astonished to see the referee change his call.
“I was very surprised,” the former UCLA keeper said. “I’ve never seen that happen before in my life. Maybe I’m living right, but it was the wrong decision to begin with.
“I believe the rule states that if I catch the ball in my goal area and my momentum unintentionally carries me outside, it’s a yellow.”
Language difficulties prevented the U.S. players from protesting effectively, although their years under former U.S. and current Mexico Coach Bora Milutinovic helped.
“The only English that the referee told me was, ‘Get off [the field],’ ” Friedel said. “The linesman, I’m not sure [if he spoke English]. We were just saying, ‘Por favor’ and ‘mi amigo’ and stuff like that. If it wasn’t for [team captain John] Harkes [who insisted the linesman be consulted], I’m sure I would have been out of the game.”
There was no arguing the game’s opening goal, however. It came in the 17th minute, created by Ernie Stewart and scored by McBride. Stewart, who kept switching wings with Cobi Jones, sent a dangerous cross into the goal area from the right. Two Costa Rican defenders made a hash of trying to clear it and the ball bounced kindly for McBride, whose shot from close range gave goalkeeper Hermidio Barrantos no chance.
Lassiter made it 2-0 in the 60th minute after Barrantos had blocked a Lalas shot but couldn’t control the ball. Ronald Gomez scored for Costa Rica in the 75th minute.
* BILL PLASCHKE
More than 40,000 showed up at Stanford Stadium to support the United States against Costa Rica, but their presence was anything but intimidating. C2
