Painful Separation for Galaxy Regulars
Six Galaxy players missed the team’s loss to D.C. United at the Rose Bowl on Saturday because they were playing in qualifying games for the 2002 World Cup.
Given what happened, the six should have stayed in Pasadena.
* In Mazatenango, Guatemala, defender Greg Vanney was beaten in the air by Dwight Pezzarossi and defender Robin Fraser was beaten on the ground by Carlos Ruiz on the same play as Ruiz scored an 88th-minute goal to earn Guatemala a 1-1 tie with the United States.
* In Kingstown, St. Vincent, defender Ezra Hendrickson sent an errant pass across his team’s goal mouth, allowing Onandi Lowe to intercept and score the lone goal as St. Vincent and the Grenadines lost, 1-0, to Jamaica.
* In San Salvador, El Salvador, midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos at least managed to score a goal, but it came in the 89th minute and did nothing to ease the gloom surrounding El Salvador’s humiliating 5-2 loss at home to Honduras.
* In Panama City, Panama, forward Luis Hernandez was on the winning side as Mexico edged Panama, 1-0, on an 88th-minute goal by Miguel Zepeda, but Hernandez did not start, coming on as a second-half substitute.
All six players also will miss the Galaxy’s game at Tampa, Fla., Saturday because of World Cup qualifying.
HARDLY A FIESTA
Mexican powerhouse Chivas of Guadalajara made a quick visit north of the border and played games against two MLS teams. It defeated the Chicago Fire, 1-0, in front of 22,260 at Soldier Field and shut out the Colorado Rapids, 3-0, in front of 23,971 at Denver’s Mile High Stadium.
The reaction?
Said Fire Coach Bob Bradley, “The Mexican American fans in Chicago are great soccer fans. We can’t expect them to choose us as their favorite team. We can only hope they’ll pick us as their second-favorite team.”
Said Dan Counce, the Rapids’ general manager, “It’s the one team that the Latino audience in Colorado responds to. This inspires Mexican pride.”
Says a lot for MLS, doesn’t it?
DANTE’S INFERNO
One of the hottest players in MLS at the moment is Columbus Crew forward Dante Washington, whose 14 goals rank second in the league behind the Tampa Bay Mutiny’s Mamadou Diallo, who has 17.
Surprisingly, Washington said the absence of Crew teammate and U.S. national team forward Brian McBride--out with a fractured cheek--has hampered his chance to win the scoring title.
“I don’t think it has helped me as much as it’s hurt me,” he said. “Everyone knows how dangerous Brian is. With him on the field, back in the midfield, it helps me a tremendous amount. He creates a lot of space for me.”
Still, with 14 goals, it’s very strange that Washington has not been called up to the national team by Coach Bruce Arena.
Especially with the U.S. needing goals and McBride likely to remain sidelined for another month or more.
MULTITUDE OF STARS
Four Galaxy players were picked as starters on the West team for the July 29 MLS All-Star Game at Columbus, Ohio.
Cobi Jones and Cienfuegos will join Tampa Bay Mutiny midfielder Carlos Valderrama as three of the league’s six five-time all-stars. Valderrama was the top vote-getter with 57,319 and will start for the East.
The other five-time all-stars are Marco Etcheverry and Jeff Agoos of D.C. United and Preki of the Kansas City Wizards.
The Galaxy’s Fraser and Vanney were the team’s other two selections.
Among the first-time all-stars for the East are former Galaxy players Ante Razov (Chicago) and Clint Mathis (New York-New Jersey).
Reserves will be announced Monday.
QUICK PASSES
Dutch-based defender Gregg Berhalter has been called into the U.S. training camp for the World Cup 2002 qualifying game at Costa Rica on Sunday. . . . ESPN’s coverage of the Guatemala-U.S. World Cup qualifier was dreadful, not surprising considering that announcers Jack Edwards and Ty Keough broadcast the 1-1 tie from the network’s studios in Bristol, Conn.
