Friedel Dropped for U.S. Game at Mexico
Goalkeeper Brad Friedel was dropped Sunday from the U.S. roster for the Americans’ World Cup qualifier at Mexico next Sunday.
The move means Kasey Keller probably will start in goal for the U.S. (4-0-1), which could virtually clinch a berth in next year’s tournament with a victory in Mexico, where the Americans are 0-20-1.
Keller and Friedel had been thought to be co-No. 1s heading into World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, but Keller played in a scoreless tie at Jamaica and a 2-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago in Foxboro, Mass., extending his shutout streak in qualifying to five games.
If he plays against Mexico, it would be Keller’s 50th international appearance.
U.S. Coach Bruce Arena picked 13 players from Major League Soccer, including Cobi Jones and Greg Vanney from the Galaxy. The team will gather today in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In addition to Friedel, also dropped were midfielders Eddie Lewis and John O’Brien. Midfielder Claudio Reyna, the U.S. captain, is suspended for the game after getting his second yellow card of the regional finals.
Mexico is 44-1-5 in home qualifiers, losing 2-1 on June 16 to Costa Rica. Overall, Mexico has lost six consecutive, including a 3-1 defeat in Wednesday’s qualifier at Honduras that led to the resignation of coach Enrique Meza, who was replaced by Javier Aguirre.
By finishing second in its group, the U.S. will play Egypt on Wednesday at Buenos Aires in the second round of the FIFA World Youth Championship.
The final day of group play in Argentina saw Costa Rica defeat Ecuador, 1-0, to clinch Group E. Ecuador finished second. In the other game, the Netherlands defeated Ethiopia, 3-2, to finish third and advance.
In Group D, Angola finished first after a 1-1 tie against Australia, which also advanced as a third-place team. In another game, the Czech Republic advanced despite a 3-0 loss to Japan.
Ghana won Group F after a scoreless tie against France, which finished second. Paraguay finished third and advanced after a 2-0 victory against Iran.
Striker David Zdrilic scored two goals as Australia defeated New Zealand, 4-1, at Sydney to clinch the top spot in Oceania qualifying and advance into a November playoff against the fifth-place South American team for a berth in next year’s World Cup.
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In WUSA games:
Bay Area 0, San Diego 0--LaKeysia Beene made seven saves for her fifth consecutive shutout as the CyberRays played to a tie with the Spirit before 5,554 at San Diego. Beene extended her scoreless streak to 527 minutes.
Atlanta 1, Carolina 1--Charmaine Hooper scored in the 73rd minute as the Beat rallied to tie the Courage before 4,858 at Chapel Hill, N.C.
