LET THE DISENCHANTMENT BEGIN

Two of John Harkes’ oldest friends with the U.S. soccer team were less than overjoyed with Steve Sampson Monday.

Said striker Eric Wynalda, who started and played 63 minutes before Sampson replaced him with Roy Wegerle: “Steve’s been very critical of my play. It’s something I’ve gotten used to. He’s also under the impression I couldn’t go 90 minutes today.”

And from Tab Ramos, veteran of the World Cups of 1990 and 1994, who was summoned off the bench by Sampson to replace Chad Deering in the 69th minute: “To be honest, I’m not a 15-minute player. Preki can have more impact on a game than I can in 15 minutes. I had a few shots and attacked pretty hard, but I’m a player who needs more than 15 minutes.”

Only five most second-guessing days until the Iran game.