U.S. Impresses Opposing Coaches

Tony DiCicco found an unlikely supporter Sunday when Russia’s coach, Yurii Bystritzkii, was asked to compare the U.S. team, world champion in 1991, to the reigning world champion Norwegians.

“I like the Americans’ style of play better [than Norway’s],” Bystritzkii said. “I think their combination play and their physical abilities put them ahead of the Norwegians.”

Also impressed by the U.S. team’s opening-game 3-0 victory over Denmark was Greg Brown, Australia’s coach.

“I think one thing the United States has got is a lot of good players in the squad,” he said, “they’ve got a lot of depth and they do finish their chances. The goals they scored yesterday weren’t probably as easy as our chances were [in a 1-1 tie with Ghana]. They were sort of half-chances, a bit of a turn, a good strike of the ball and the ball went in.

“We had more clear-cut chances today and didn’t finish them off, so I think the strength with the United States is that they can take half-chances, they’re very well organized and have excellent players.

“I think China has shown us [in a 2-1 win over Sweden] that they’re the best technical team here [in the World Cup], but the United States has a lot more strengths, I feel.”

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Major League Soccer’s bad influence on American fans was brought into sharp focus at Giants Stadium on Saturday when the crowd of 78,972 began chanting down the seconds to the final whistle.

“10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . .”

Unfortunately, in the rest of the world, and certainly in international play, there is no clock and the time is kept only by the referee on the field. It left the fans looking somewhat sheepish, not to mention baffled, when they completed their countdown and the game continued.

If MLS adopted international rules, such embarrassing incidents would not occur.