McBride, U.S. Miss by a Hair, Settle for Tie With Macedonia

Perhaps Brian McBride should follow Alexi Lalas’ example.

Perhaps if the pony-tailed U.S. striker had trimmed his locks the way the team’s most famous defender has done, all those headers Saturday night might have been goals instead of near-misses.

Three times McBride threw himself at the ball. Three times it flashed just wide of the left post.

Those misses, combined with several other close calls, meant that the United States had to settle for a 0-0 tie with Macedonia in front of a chilled and not-altogether-pleased crowd of 23,861 at Spartan Stadium.

There were more boos than cheers when the players finally trudged off the field shortly after 10 p.m.

It was a cold night for a World Cup warm-up game, and neither team really rose to the task. The play was sloppy, the creativity limited.

Macedonia, with nothing to prove, showed little flair. It defended in numbers for 90 minutes and the U.S. offense could not find the key to unlock the door.

In addition to McBride’s three headed efforts, the Columbus Crew forward also missed the easiest chance of the night when he skied the ball high over the crossbar from eight yards out off a cross from Mike Burns.

That came in the 14th minute, but there were other miscues by other players.

* Joe-Max Moore fired a shot that sailed over the crossbar in the first half.

* Cobi Jones darted into the penalty area and tried a cheeky flick with the outside of his right foot, but the ball looped just over the bar.

* In the game’s dying minutes, three U.S. players scrambled to find the back of the net. All three ended up flat on their face, with Moore’s shot sliding wide of the right post.

In short, it was a game of missed chances by the U.S. and one missed opportunity by Macedonia.

As San Jose Clash Coach Brian Quinn, a former U.S. national team player, said afterward, “If it had been 2-0 at the half, there would have been no complaints.”

As it was, only the fans left disgruntled.

The U.S., which will play Kuwait in Portland, Ore., next Sunday, left knowing that it had pretty much outplayed a strong team from the Balkans and the players will take heart from the result, goals or no goals.

Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a chance that Macedonia’s neighbor, Yugoslavia, can be similarly frustrated in Nantes, France, on June 25 when the teams meet in the World Cup.

Only a remarkable one-handed save by U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller in the 15th minute kept Macedonia from stealing a victory, however.

Midfielder Toni Micevski crossed the ball to Georgi Hristov and the Macedonian forward powered a hard shot toward the lower-left corner of the net. Keller flung himself down and to his right and deflected the ball with his outstretched right hand.

Curiously, the Macedonians did not keep up the pressure, being more content to pack their defense and thwart what few offensive chances the U.S. created.

With luck, the weather will be warmer in Portland.

With luck, injured players Frankie Hejduk, Ernie Stewart, Eric Wynalda and Claudio Reyna will return.

With luck, some goals will come.

But McBride still might consider visiting the barber the way Lalas has done. Superstition is a part of soccer, and a trim might do the trick.