No Problems On--or Off--Field for U.S. Team
So much for threats.
Shrugging off warnings of potential fan violence, the United States held El Salvador to a 1-1 tie in front of 29,000 rain-soaked fans at Cuscatlan Stadium on Sunday, taking another small step closer to the France ’98 World Cup.
A goal by Roy Lassiter, Major League Soccer’s top scorer in 1996, was enough to earn the American team a point on the road and deny the Salvadorans the victory they so desperately needed.
Raul Diaz Arce, who finished second behind Lassiter in MLS scoring last season, tallied for El Salvador, but the tie leaves the Central American nation with little hope of reaching France next summer.
The United States, meanwhile, has a long way to go before clinching a berth, but it is well positioned.
The U.S. State Department had warned Americans living here not to go to Sunday’s match and embassy employees were forbidden from attending. The belief among the ambassadorial set, apparently, was that soccer games by their nature are unsafe.
It didn’t turn out that way.
Aside from a few minor and isolated incidents--”I got some mangoes thrown at me but I wasn’t hungry,” U.S. captain John Harkes said--the fans were not in the least bit menacing.
American reporters wandered through the crowd outside the stadium and were greeted either with friendly smiles or good-natured ribbing. At no point were any threats made.
But, in keeping with the tight security accorded the U.S. players throughout their visit, the team bus was escorted by police vehicles to and from the stadium, with a police helicopter above.
Riot officers carrying shields and wearing protective headgear surrounded the field, part of a 1,500-strong security detail.
But the fans were on their best behavior. The only anti-American sentiments in evidence were a couple of hand-painted signs in the stands. One read “Welcome to Vietnam,” but it was quickly pointed out to U.S. reporters that this was merely the name the most vociferous Salvadoran fans had given that section of the stadium.
“I thought the fans were very well-behaved,” U.S. Coach Steve Sampson said. “We were very well treated here. Maybe the ambassador might want to reconsider her statement. This is a futbol-loving country and I think they demonstrated that again today in a very friendly environment.”
Sampson started yet another new-look lineup, with Brad Friedel in goal, Jeff Agoos, Marcelo Balboa, Alexi Lalas and Eddie Pope on defense, Mike Sorber, John Harkes, Ernie Stewart and Cobi Jones in midfield and Jovan Kirovski and David Wagner up front.
Kirovski held his own as a forward in place of the injured Eric Wynalda, but Wagner was a nightmare. It is doubtful he will be making many more appearances for the national team.
At halftime, Sampson sent Lassiter on in Wagner’s place and Stewart and Jones swapped wings. The moves immediately paid off.
In the 52nd minute, Harkes threw the ball in on the right sideline, Stewart passed it back to him and Harkes sent a crossing pass to the far post, where Lassiter ghosted in past a defender and directed a left-foot volley into the net from close range.
“I just wanted to get to the ball before the defender did,” the Tampa Bay Mutiny striker said. “Like most goal scorers, I usually know just when to go for the ball. It just happened and the ball went in the net.
“I was looking forward to the next one after that.”
The U.S. goal was greeted with absolute silence.
But the Americans failed to take advantage of the moment. Within nine minutes, El Salvador had tied the score.
A corner kick by the Galaxy’s Mauricio Cienfuegos was miss-kicked by Alexander Amaya, the ball ricocheted off a few U.S. defenders and Salvadoran forwards and fell kindly for Diaz Arce. The Washington D.C. United striker fired a left-foot shot that somehow deflected off his right foot, catching Friedel by surprise.
“As I was going from my right to my left [to stop the initial shot] the ball ended up going to my right,” said the former UCLA keeper, who did well to deflect a fierce shot by Cienfuegos onto the crossbar in the first half when El Salvador dominated the game.
In terms of sheer technical skill, Cienfuegos, playing in his 82nd international match, was the best player on the field by far. But he did not have the support he needed and was well guarded by Sorber.
“Cienfuegos saw a lot of the ball but he didn’t do anything necessarily destructive to us,” Sampson said. “I think Mike Sorber did a wonderful job shutting him down and forcing him to play back and square [instead of forward].”
With rain drenching the fans in the stadium and the several hundred watching from a nearby hilltop, the U.S. regained the initiative, kept up the pressure but could not score the winning goal. The closest it came was when Lassiter hammered a shot off the crossbar in the dying seconds.
And so the United States and El Salvador each earned a point, leaving the Americans in third place in the six-nation qualifying group halfway through the final round. Their six points leave them five behind Mexico and one behind Costa Rica, but one ahead of Canada, El Salvador and Jamaica.
The top three will advance to France ’98. The next U.S. qualifying match is Sept. 7 in Portland, Ore., against Costa Rica.
“I think coming away with a point was critical in order to maintain our high level of confidence,” Sampson said. “Since the [April 20] Mexico match [a 2-2 tie at Foxboro Stadium] the players are believing in themselves again and are now playing like it.
“This team is only going to get stronger.”
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World Cup ’98 Qualifying
STANDINGS
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Team GP W-L-T GF GA PT Mexico 5 3-0-2 13 2 11 Costa Rica 5 2-2-1 7 6 7 United States 5 1-1-3 8 6 6 El Salvador 5 1-2-2 3 4 5 Canada 5 1-2-2 1 7 5 Jamaica 5 1-2-2 2 9 5
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