U.S. Gains More Than Win Over Kuwait
The words were spoken in French, but their meaning was clear in the smile David Regis wore on Sunday.
“I think I am in a dream right now,” he said. “It’s a good dream, in any case.”
A dream debut, in fact.
Regis, born in Martinique and naturalized as a U.S. citizen only last Wednesday, made his first start for the U.S. national team on Sunday and, in a sparkling 90-minute performance, virtually clinched himself a spot on the U.S. World Cup team.
Although his role in the United States’ 2-0 victory over Kuwait in front of a rain-soaked crowd of 25,343 was a defensive one, he showed enough composure and skill to guarantee himself a trip to France in 10 days.
“I’m very, very happy with him,” U.S. Coach Steve Sampson said. “I think he played an outstanding match today. You can see how simply he plays, how he can come forward with ease. He’s very good in the air. Tactically, he was always in the right spot at the right time.”
Regis, 29, showed no sign of nerves. His only emotions, in fact, came when he lined up with his U.S. teammates as the national anthems were played.
“I had tears in my eyes,” he acknowledged. “I cried a little.”
Once the players took their positions, team captain Thomas Dooley ran over to Regis, gave him a hug and, in the sign language that passes for communication between German-speaking and French-speaking teammates, pointed to his eyes to suggest staying alert and slammed a fist into his hand to indicate playing tough.
Regis did both, and more.
“We have another great guy on defense that we can trust,” Dooley said after the U.S. victory on goals by Ernie Stewart and Tab Ramos. “He is very good in man-against-man, he’s good in the air, you could see he’s dangerous up front. He wants the ball and is looking to go forward. He has a good touch with his left foot. We don’t have too many left-footed players in our team and you need that. So we have another good player and I’m very happy about that.”
If Regis has made a strong case to be in the starting lineup when the United States plays Germany in Paris on June 15, so have several other U.S. players.
Goalkeeper Kasey Keller was seldom troubled Sunday, the only close call coming midway through the second half when Ali Al-Hadiyah outjumped Regis and looped a header against the crossbar.
On defense, Dooley played his usual solid game, as did Eddie Pope, who shared marking-back duties with Regis. Brian Maisonneuve and Chad Deering were assigned defensive midfield roles and both impressed, especially Maisonneuve, who was battling a slight ankle injury.
“He’s certainly playing well,” Sampson said. “Whether or not he’s a starter against Germany, we’ll determine that in France.”
In the absence of injured wingers Cobi Jones and Frankie Hejduk, who provide the United States with speed down the flanks, Sampson had to move defenders Mike Burns and Jeff Agoos into the wide roles. Burns appeared comfortable; Agoos less so, although it was his pass that led to the first goal in the 37th minute.
Agoos, on the left flank, passed the ball to Maisonneuve, who used the outside of his right foot to chip it diagonally ahead to Stewart, sprinting in from the left. Stewart fired a shot just inside the right post that gave Kuwaiti goalkeeper Khalid Al-Fadhli no chance.
Claudio Reyna again looked sharp in the playmaking role, although like the other players he was hampered because of a muddy field soaked by days of rain.
Roy Wegerle played the lone striker role in the first half, giving way to Eric Wynalda in the second. Brian McBride was a late scratch because of concussion-caused headaches he has suffered since the 0-0 tie against Macedonia on May 16.
The United States apparently made it 2-0 in the 69th minute when Deering’s corner kick from the right was headed powerfully into the net by Dooley. But in a rare call, one of the Guatemalan linesmen ruled that the ball had curved out of bounds before reaching Dooley and the goal was disallowed.
Ramos sealed the victory when he took a pass from fellow substitute Preki with nine minutes left, cut inside defender Jamal Abdulrahman and blasted a shot into the far corner of the net.
Three shutouts in a row for the defense, signs of creativity in midfield and some better finishing have Sampson feeling confident. “We’re not ready for Germany yet, but we’re slowly getting there. It’s important that we peak at the right time.”
