U.S. Going for a Final Checkup

Even in a city accustomed to out-of-the-ordinary meetings, the one that took place Friday morning on the field at RFK Stadium was extraordinary.

For the first time, the U.S. women’s national team and the U.S. men’s national team shared the same patch of grass, holding back-to-back practice sessions for today’s historic doubleheader against New Zealand and Scotland, respectively.

In between, the former world champions and reigning Olympic gold medalists met and mingled with the World Cup-bound men, the overachievers presenting the underachievers--well, OK, the yet-to-achievers--with a large placard signed by each of the women wishing the men luck in France.

A better gift would have been a healthy striker or a fully fit midfielder, say a Debbie Keller or a Kristine Lilly.

If the Americans’ opening World Cup ’98 game were to be played today instead of June 15, neither Eric Wynalda nor Tab Ramos would be able to last the 90 minutes.

“Probably not,” Ramos agreed Friday. “I would definitely like to try, but I think it would be hard for me to go 90 minutes right now.”

Wynalda echoed the sentiment.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see how the next couple of weeks go.”

Wynalda and Ramos, veterans of the 1990 and 1994 World Cup tournaments, are coming off knee surgery and battling to regain their match sharpness. As the team’s top goal scorer and most experienced playmaker, respectively, their fitness is vital to U.S. hopes against Germany, Iran and Yugoslavia.

Under Coach Steve Sampson’s experimental 3-6-1 formation, Wynalda is expected to be the lone striker up front, the player counted on for goals, or at least to occupy opposing defenders while others score.

Today’s match against Scotland (3 p.m., delayed on Channel 7) is the final warmup for the U.S. before the squad leaves for France on Thursday. As such it is Wynalda’s last chance to play a full 90 minutes before the World Cup opener.

But he is unlikely to have the opportunity.

“Eric continues to make progress,” Sampson said. “We look to give him anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes against Scotland.”

That means Roy Wegerle probably will start, with Wynalda coming off the bench and Brian McBride, the third striker, perhaps staying seated.

Knowing that Wynalda is the only proven goal scorer on his 22-man squad, Sampson wants to give the San Jose Clash forward as much time as he needs to regain full fitness.

“It’s just a matter of his physical state right now and not having that explosiveness that he’s accustomed to,” Sampson said. “I’m sure that once he gets 100% fit, that will come back very quickly. There’s no doubt in my mind that Eric believes that he can continue to play at a very high level and intends to have a great World Cup. It’s just a matter of getting him to that peak fitness level.”

Wynalda believes he is close to that goal.

“I feel very confident,” he said Friday. “I feel I’m getting my speed back. Things are happening very quickly right now. The game up in Oregon [a 2-0 victory over Kuwait on Sunday] for me was miserable. I think I did fairly well under the circumstances.

“Everybody was tired, but for me, especially, to play 45 minutes under those [wet and muddy] conditions was asking a great deal after the whole week of therapy. The team had been training only once a day and I had been going three times a day on the bike and weights, and my legs got heavy. It wasn’t wind [stamina], it was just the legs got heavy, that’s it.”

Ramos’ comeback from his second ACL surgery in as many years has been even more remarkable than Wynalda’s return from arthroscopic surgery. Even the New York/New Jersey MetroStar is amazed he has progressed this far this fast.

“In two or three weeks from now I think I’ll be 100%,” he said. “My knee feels great. The recovery has gone excellent. I can’t believe how much I’ve improved in the last, say, four or five weeks. Three months ago I wasn’t even sure if I would be here.

“I’m feeling pretty close to my level. Obviously, I still need a lot of game fitness because I haven’t played enough games. But that’s going to come.”

Today’s send-off game for France ’98 at RFK Stadium will be preceded by the U.S. women’s game against New Zealand (8 a.m., ESPN2). The doubleheader marks the first time the American men and women have played together.

Get used to it. The U.S. women will be playing a doubleheader with the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl next spring as part of an 11-game buildup for Women’s World Cup ’99.

Perhaps by then the men will be the curtain-raisers.