U.S. Draws, but It’s Not Pretty Picture
To the traditional island menu of jerk chicken and curried goat, now add another dish: American lamb.
How else to explain the United States national soccer team’s curiously toothless offensive performance Sunday in its 0-0 World Cup ’98 qualifying match against Jamaica?
Perhaps it was the heat. Perhaps it was the reggae rap. Perhaps it was that strangely aromatic smoke drifting down from the 35,246 fans at sold-out National Stadium.
Or perhaps it was simply Kasey Keller.
Whenever Keller is in the nets, the U.S. strikers know there really isn’t an overwhelming need to score goals. Keller won’t allow any, so a tie is almost a sure thing.
Sunday’s shutout was the American goalkeeper’s fourth in as many qualifying games. He has yet to be beaten on the road to France ’98.
Guatemala couldn’t score against him. Trinidad and Tobago had two chances and failed both times. And now Jamaica has been blanked.
“Kasey’s a world-class goalkeeper,” relieved U.S. Coach Steve Sampson said after the American defense had soaked up 90 minutes of Jamaican pressure without cracking. “He has tremendous composure and confidence in goal.
“I have absolutely no fear of any situation when he is in goal. I think he played an outstanding match.”
But it took a little help, most notably from sweeper Thomas Dooley, who was his usual reliable self except for one mistake involving Keller, and Mike Burns, who saved the day for the U.S. by clearing a 44th-minute shot off the line when Keller had been forced out of position.
Jamaica, under the arm-waving sideline urging of Brazilian Coach Rene Simoes, kept almost constant pressure on the U.S. team, especially in the first half. The Jamaicans, most notably forwards Andy Williams and Walter “Blacka” Boyd, midfielders Peter Cargill and Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore and defenders Dean Sewell and Gregory Messam, were faster of foot and speedier of thought.
Whereas the U.S. team seemed lacking in purpose and cohesion for much of the game, the islanders showed in their passing and their first-touch on the ball the influence of their Brazilian coach and their familiarity with the narrow, bumpy field.
Not that it was all speed and skill. U.S. defender Jeff Agoos’ cracked and dislodged front tooth is proof that an elbow to the face from Stephen Malcolm can be not only ugly and painful but can go unseen by Honduran referees and linesmen. Even so, wave upon wave of yellow-shirted Jamaican attacks foundered on the rocks of Keller’s goalkeeping. The 27-year-old from Olympia, Washington, who starts for Leicester City in the English Premier League, was in fine form.
His best save came in the first half when Boyd danced past Alexi Lalas and hit a low shot that Keller had to fling himself downward to stop with his right hand. Later, Keller leaped high to claw a corner kick from Williams out of the air when it looked as if the ball might sneak in beneath the crossbar.
And, in the waning moments of the game, Keller rushed to head away a dangerous back-pass from Dooley.
The one time Keller was not there, Burns was.
With Jamaica attacking, Keller had to leave his net to challenge an opposing player and the ball reached Williams, whose shot seemed destined to give the home team the lead, but Burns got back to clear it off the line just in time.
“The ball just popped through and the next thing we knew he [Williams] had a clear shot,” Burns said. “He had a good chance to score, but luckily I was there.
“Any time Kasey comes out, like on a corner kick or any other situation, one of us [defenders] has to drop back and cover the line in case something like that happens. I was just in the right place at the right time and able to make the play.”
On offense, it was a different story. Neither Eric Wynalda, Brian McBride, Ernie Stewart nor Roy Lassiter were able to generate any clear scoring chances. Wynalda had the only two real U.S. shots on goal, both easily saved by Jamaica’s Warren Barrett.
And so, after the first of 10 qualifying games this year, the United States has but one point to show for its efforts.
“I think we can play much better, and we’re going to have to in order to qualify for France,” Sampson said. “Put us in better conditions, especially field conditions, and I think you’ll see a much better U.S. team.
“Certainly at home [against Canada at Palo Alto on March 16], the onus will be on us to play for the three points and to create many more goal-scoring opportunities.”
That will be welcome because, as Mexico showed Sunday in its 4-0 demolition of Canada in front of more than 100,000 in Mexico City, goals will be needed.
Under Bora Milutinovic, the former U.S. coach, Mexico got two goals from Carlos Hermosillo and one apiece from Benjamin Galindo and Carlos Roberto Alves, better known as Zague, to earn three points and lead the standings.
Costa Rica and El Salvador have yet to begin play in this final qualifying round, which will see three of the six teams advancing to France ’98.
