U.S. Could Be in Right Places at Right Times

By GRAHAME L. JONES

June 19, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

PROVIDENCE, R.I. —

The timing couldn’t be better. By the Fourth of July, it might be over.

The U.S. soccer team, which needs only two more victories to virtually assure itself a place in the 2002 World Cup, next faces two teams in turmoil.

Both Trinidad and Tobago, Wednesday night’s opponent at Foxboro, Mass., and Mexico, which plays the U.S. in Mexico City on July 1, are disintegrating more visibly with each loss.

Chances are, their respective coaches--Ian Porterfield and Enrique Meza--soon will be ousted.

Porterfield already has been told as much--and by a FIFA vice president, no less.

“Enough is enough,” said Jack Warner, after Trinidad and Tobago had been soundly defeated, 4-2, at home Saturday by Honduras.

“I have told them [Trinidad and Tobago soccer federation officials] that come what may, changes must come . . . because the more we play, the less it seems our chances are.”

Warner’s words carry some weight. He not only is a vice president of soccer’s world governing body but also president of the North and Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) region. And, as a native Trinidadian, he is embarrassed by his team’s abysmal 0-3-1 start in World Cup qualifying.

“I suspect our chances [of reaching Japan and South Korea next summer] are remote at best,” Warner told Reuters in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Meza, meanwhile, is trying to fend off those who are calling for his scalp after Mexico lost its proud record of never having lost at home in a World Cup qualifying match.

Costa Rica’s momentous 2-1 victory Saturday in Mexico City was also the first time in 20 years that Mexico (1-2-1) had lost an international game of any sort at Azteca Stadium.

The surprise result left Costa Rica (2-1-1) well positioned to be one of the three CONCACAF teams to advance to the World Cup next May 31-June 30.

A victory over Jamaica (1-1-2) in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Wednesday would keep the second-place squad right on the heels of the first-place U.S. (3-0-1).

Mexico, meanwhile, finds itself in fifth place in the six-team group, heading into a potentially troublesome game Wednesday at rejuvenated Honduras (1-1-2).

But Meza is holding fast as the team has lost five in a row.

“I will not resign,” he said after the latest setback Saturday.

U.S. Coach Bruce Arena, waiting out a tropical downpour in the tunnel beneath the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday afternoon, said he was not shocked by Mexico’s loss.

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “I think Costa Rica is a very good team and I told somebody today that I wouldn’t be surprised if Costa Rica won. At the very least I expected them to get a point.”

A point is all that Trinidad and Tobago has, and it trails the U.S. by nine points, or three full games, with only six to play--a fact that Porterfield realized well when the team trained at Babson College on Monday.

Porterfield, and his immediate boss, technical director Rene Simoes, the Brazilian who coached Jamaica into the 1998 World Cup in France, were not helped in their cause last week by an unseemly squabble with the team’s star player, Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke.

Yorke, 29, chose to skip a warm-up game at Panama, claiming he had missed a flight and that he then had been faced by an illness in the family. But he was spotted at a Trinidad nightclub, partying with other sports figures, and was dropped from the national team.

He then threatened to quit the team altogether and another leading player, team captain Russell Latapy, threatened not to play against Honduras on Saturday unless Yorke was reinstated.

Inevitably, Yorke was, but it didn’t help change Trinidad and Tobago’s slumping fortunes.

Arena, whose record as U.S. coach improved to 21-8-11 with Saturday’s 0-0 tie in Jamaica, believes the Yorke squabble will have little impact on Wednesday’s game.

Arena has strengthened the U.S. squad by calling in Galaxy players Cobi Jones and Greg Vanney. He said the starting lineup is likely to feature several changes.

“Why not?” he asked. “Trinidad’s going to be doing the same thing. We think we can make a couple of changes on Wednesday and not miss a beat.”

The U.S., which will train at Foxboro Stadium tonight, is unbeaten at home in World Cup qualifying since 1985, going 13-0-5 on its own turf.

A victory Wednesday will leave it poised to reach its fourth consecutive World Cup, something it never before has achieved.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN FINALS

*--*

Country W L T GF GA Pts United States 3 0 1 5 1 10 Costa Rica 2 1 1 7 4 7 Honduras 1 1 2 8 7 5 Jamaica 1 1 2 2 5 5 Mexico 1 2 1 6 5 4 Trinidad 0 3 1 3 9 1

*--*

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

At Mexico City

Costa Rica 2, Mexico 1

At Kingston, Jamaica

United States 0, Jamaica 0

At Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

Honduras 4, Tr. and Tobago 2

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

At Foxboro, Mass.

Tr. and Tobago vs. U.S., 4:30 p.m.

At San Pedro Sula, Honduras