U.S. Men Work on Reputation
With the U.S. women off in Portugal preparing for a World Cup tournament they are favored to win, the U.S. men’s national soccer team competes for a smaller trophy in its own backyard tonight and Saturday, hoping to take another step in its daunting worldwide reputation recovery program.
The sixth U.S. Cup opens tonight at the Coliseum with a doubleheader pitting the United States against Guatemala at 5:30 p.m., followed by Mexico and Bolivia at 8. Saturday, the mini-tournament concludes at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium with the United States facing rival Mexico at 12:30 p.m., followed by Guatemala-Bolivia at 3.
The United States has not won the U.S. Cup since 1995, finishing third in a four-team field in 1996 and last at 0-3 in 1997. Mexico won the cup both of those years and is favored again this week, having lost only one of five matches--1-0 to Argentina in last month’s exhibition match at the Coliseum--since its impressive round-of-16 showing in the 1998 World Cup.
The United States, meanwhile, has spent the last four months slowly climbing back off the canvas upon which it was splattered during the World Cup. The Americans are 2-0-2 under new Coach Bruce Arena, including last month’s shocking 3-0 triumph over Germany, and had not yielded a goal until the second half of their 2-1 victory over Chile on Feb. 21.
The upset of Germany came with an asterisk attached; the German national team has been in disarray since the World Cup, having replaced longtime coach Berti Vogts and overhauled its aging roster. Only a handful of World Cup regulars were on the field for Germany when the United States scored its historic first victory over the three-time World Cup holders.
But the result caused a stir around the world, and, for Team USA, served as a desperately needed ego boost.
Last week, Pele pronounced the United States an international up-and-comer--”a team nobody wants to play right now.”
Underscoring the achievement was the fact Arena had done it primarily with MLS players--a broadside to former coach Steve Sampson’s theory that MLS-grown talent couldn’t cut it on the international level.
Arena’s 22-man roster will again feature 18 MLS players, augmented by four European-based professionals:
* Midfielder Frankie Hejduk, one of the few Americans to acquit himself during last summer’s 0-3 World Cup, now with the German club team Bayer Leverkusen.
* Defender David Regis, another U.S. starter during the World Cup, now with FC Metz of the French First Division.
* Midfielder Claudio Reyna, who plays professionally for the German club team Wolfsburg.
* Forward Jovan Kirovski, a regular with Fortuna Cologne of the German Second Division.
Instead of its customary three-game round-robin format, the U.S. Cup is utilizing a double doubleheader system this year. Three points will be awarded for each game won and one point for each game tied, with the champion to be determined by total points.
In case of a tie atop the standings, the champion will be decided by head-to-head results and, if necessary, goal differential.
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U.S. Cup
TONIGHT
U.S. vs. Guatemala, 5:30, ESPN
Mexico vs. Bolivia, 8, PPV
SATURDAY
U.S. vs. Mexico, 12:30 p.m., Ch. 7
Guatemala vs. Bolivia, 3 p.m.
