U.S. Team Hopes It Can Really Stand Out in a Crowd

By GRAHAME L. JONES

Oct. 3, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

WASHINGTON —

This, according to Steve Sampson, is crunch time.

Which no doubt is the reason a sellout crowd of 51,528 will be on hand at RFK Stadium tonight when the United States plays Jamaica in a key World Cup ’98 qualifying game for both countries.

A victory by the U.S. would put it in first place in its regional qualifying group. A victory or a tie would do the same for Jamaica. A loss by either team would put a severe dent in its chances of reaching soccer’s showcase event next summer in France.

“We consider this game as important [as], if not more so than, our recent game against Costa Rica,” Sampson, the U.S. coach, said earlier this week. “We must get at least two wins in the next four matches to secure our spot in France. This game is very important toward that end.”

After tonight, the U.S. has only one home game remaining, against El Salvador in Boston on Nov. 16. It also plays two on the road, at Mexico on Nov. 2 and at Canada on Nov. 9.

For Jamaica, the game is even more crucial. Whereas the United States has four games left, including tonight’s, Jamaica has only three, and no easy ones. After tonight’s match, Jamaica plays El Salvador in San Salvador and ends up against Mexico in Kingston.

To strengthen “the Reggae Boyz,” as the Jamaican national team is nicknamed, Brazilian Coach “Professor” Rene Simoes this summer brought in four players from England--Deon Burton, Paul Hall, Robbie Earle and Fitzroy Simpson. They are known as “the Beatles,” and their only known connection to Jamaica is that they once bought a Bob Marley record.

Still, the move paid off and, since their arrival, Jamaica has defeated El Salvador, Canada and Costa Rica, and moved into a first-place tie with Mexico. The top three finishers from the six-nation group qualify for France ’98.

“We’re playing against a Jamaican team that is playing much better than it did earlier in the year,” Sampson said. “They have three or four additional players from England who have added tremendous depth to their team.

“Their two front-runners, Hall and Burton, are very comfortable playing with their back to goal, receiving balls to their feet, and are quick on the turn. So they have a great combination of speed and technical ability. They complement each other very well.

“I think this is one of the main reasons they’re playing so well. In addition to Simpson, who plays in midfield. The English mentality is that they have a high work rate, and in the past, prior to Simoes coming on board, Jamaica was criticized for lack of organization and lack of work rate. It always had wonderful skill and physical ability, but lacked the organization. They now have that.

“So I think they’re a greatly improved team. But then, so are we.”

Jamaica and the United States played to a 0-0 tie in Kingston in a qualifying game on March 2 and Simoes has already said he would be satisfied with a similar result tonight.

Sampson, therefore, expects Jamaica to play defensively, despite the urging of as many as 15,000 to 20,000 Jamaican fans in the stands.

“Jamaica will come, I would anticipate, with five in midfield, two up top and three in the back,” he said. “If anything, they will play even more conservatively, and play a 4-5-1 [formation]. I would doubt very much they would play [a more open style] and commit more players to the attack. But you never know.

“The bottom line is that we have to force ourselves upon them. We have to impose our game on them and force them to defend against us. We have the responsibility of attacking and getting the victory, whereas they don’t.”

Jamaica is trying to become only the third Caribbean nation, after Cuba in 1938 and Haiti in 1974, to reach the World Cup.

The United States has gone 9-3-0 against Jamaica in a series dating to 1972, and Sampson is unlikely to shuffle the starting lineup of a team that is within striking distance of France.

“I’m hesitant to make a lot of changes [from the squad that defeated Costa Rica, 1-0, in Portland on Sept. 7],” he said. “We have to find a place for John Harkes in the lineup someplace and I have to resolve the issue of who is going to play up top [in the forward line]. Really, I see those as my most critical issues right now.”

Harkes, the team captain, was suspended for the Costa Rica game because of accumulated yellow cards, but will return to his midfield role tonight. At whose expense, no one can guess.

As for the U.S. strike force, Sampson has been juggling his forwards throughout the two-year qualifying campaign, trying--so far without luck--to find the correct combination.

Eric Wynalda, the all-time U.S. goal scoring leader, missed the last two qualifying games because of injury but should return tonight.

“Eric is physically fit to play,” Sampson said. “It’s a question of whether he’s 90-minutes fit. He will either start for us and I’ll go as long as we can with him, or I’ll bring him off the bench.”

In Wynalda’s absence, Sampson played David Wagner and Jovan Kirovski up front in a 1-1 tie against El Salvador on the road, but the combination was ineffective. Against Costa Rica, Roy Lassiter and Roy Wegerle played but they, too, failed to click.

There is every chance that Joe-Max Moore, former UCLA and now New England Revolution forward, could get some playing time. Sampson said Moore, who also is returning from an injury-caused layoff, is being seriously considered as a starter.

Defensively, Alexi Lalas was a surprise omission from the last game, but Sampson said Lalas would start tonight only if Thomas Dooley’s troublesome hamstring is causing problems.

“The beauty of this team now is that I have a lot of options and roles that players are familiar with,” Sampson said. “We don’t have to play one system of play for us to be successful.”

The struggle to score, however, remains a problem. In its dozen qualifying games so far, the United States has outscored its opponents, 19-11, but its average of little more than 1.5 goals a game will not carry it far in France, where opposing defenses will be a lot stronger.

“What we need is a little bit better timing in our attack,” Sampson said. “We need much better precision in front of the goal, we need players looking more for the goal, as opposed to the pass, in the attacking third of the field. These are things that we’re going to work on.

“Not taking anything away from the importance of playing good, solid defense, we have to combine that with a little more sense of urgency, better timing and better precision in front of the goal.”

Soccer Notes

This is the third consecutive home sellout for the U.S. team in qualifying play. A game against Mexico in Boston drew 57,877, and another against Costa Rica in Portland attracted 27,369.

Forward Wolde Harris of the Colorado Rapids was called up by Jamaica and could be playing back-to-back games this weekend. The Rapids play the Kansas City Wizards in a Major League Soccer playoff game on Saturday.

U.S. defender Eddie Pope, of Washington D.C. United, is being courted by at least two top European teams. Feyenoord, of the Netherlands, has a scout in Washington who will be watching Pope play against Jamaica tonight and for D.C. United in an MLS playoff game against the New England Revolution on Sunday. AC Milan of Italy also has expressed interest in the 23-year-old former University of North Carolina standout.

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller arrived by Concorde on Wednesday after playing for his English Premier League team, Leicester City, in a 2-0 UEFA Cup loss to Atletico Madrid of Spain on Tuesday night.

The 35-foot-tall color portraits of U.S. players Pope, Keller, Claudio Reyna, Tab Ramos, Roy Lassiter and Marcelo Balboa that adorned Portland’s Civic Stadium in the 1-0 victory over Costa Rica on Sept. 7 will also be on display at RFK Stadium tonight. . . . Fourteen of the 32 World Cup ’98 berths have been filled, with two months of qualifying play remaining.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

World Cup Qualifying

* Who--United States vs. Jamaica.

* Where--RFK Stadium, Washington.

* When--4:30 p.m. PDT.

* TV--ESPN.

* At stake--First place in the region, from which the top three of six nations qualify for France ’98.

CONCACAF CURRENT STANDINGS

*--*

Team W L T GF GA Pts Mexico 3 0 2 13 2 11 Jamaica 3 2 2 4 9 11 U.S. 2 1 3 9 6 9 El Salvador 2 2 3 7 5 9 Costa Rica 2 4 2 7 8 8 Canada 1 4 2 2 12 5

*--*

REMAINING SCHEDULE