U.S. Gets Win in Wolff’s Clothing

Josh Wolff has scored important goals in his brief career--in Major League Soccer, at the Sydney Olympics and even for the U.S. national team.

But on a bitterly cold Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 24,624 at Crew Stadium, the 24-year-old Chicago Fire forward outdid himself.

Wolff scored the first goal and assisted on the second by Earnie Stewart as the U.S. earned a vital 2-0 victory over Mexico as the final round of World Cup qualifying got underway in the North and Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) region.

The game-winning goal, 1:10 into the second half, came off a long pass from Clint Mathis that Wolff and Mexico goalkeeper Jorge Campos both went for. Wolff won the ball and outraced three defenders before scoring into the empty net.

“Clint and I have an understanding,” a broadly grinning Wolff said. “The ball came to him, I immediately made my run and he delivered a very good ball.

“Jorge had to make a decision [whether to go for the ball or to stay in his net] and when he came out I was able to get to it before him, get a little piece of it, and then I was able to tap it in.”

Oddly enough, neither Wolff nor Mathis would have been on the field had it not been for first-half injuries to striker Brian McBride and midfielder Claudio Reyna.

The victory, the U.S. team’s third in a row over Mexico in the last year but its first in 18 years against its neighbor in World Cup qualifying, earned the U.S. three points and left it in first place in the six-team group.

Jamaica, which defeated Trinidad and Tobago, 1-0, in Kingston, Jamaica, on an 18th-minute goal by Tyrone Marshall, also has three points but has scored one less goal.

Honduras and Costa Rica, who played to a 2-2 tie in San Jose, Costa Rica, later Wednesday night, each have one point.

The top three finishers among the six countries in the 30-game, round-robin series that will qualify for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea

The U.S. deserved its victory, outplaying Mexico in the second 45 minutes by utilizing the speed of Wolff, Stewart and Cobi Jones and taking advantage of two fine saves by goalkeeper Brad Friedel, including a spectacular one against Francisco Palencia.

Enrique Meza, Mexico’s coach--somewhat bizarrely--pronounced himself pleased with his team’s performance despite the loss. He said the 29-degree temperature at kickoff and the vocal crowd support for the U.S. had not been factors in the defeat.

The players got into a brief shoving match in the final minutes, but overall it was not a mean-spirited encounter.

The U.S. put the game out of reach in the 87th minute when Wolff took a throw-in from Jones in the right corner, spun past defenders Claudio Suarez and Alberto Macias and cut the ball back between two other defenders for Stewart to hammer into the net.

“Any time you come in as a sub you’re trying to make an impact,” said Wolff, who was playing in only his fifth game for the national team and his first World Cup qualifier.

“It doesn’t happen every time, but I’m very excited that it was able to happen tonight.”

The first half was a desultory affair, with the main focus of interest being the injury to two American starters, each of them key figures on the squad.

Arena elected to start a lineup with extensive experience and playing in a 4-4-2 formation. Six of the starters play for European clubs and five for MLS teams.

Friedel was in goal; Tony Sanneh, Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos and David Regis were on defense; Chris Armas, Stewart, Reyna and Jones were in midfield, and McBride and Joe-Max Moore were the forwards.

The Americans suffered an early setback when McBride, their main scoring threat, had to leave in the 15th minute when his right eye was swollen shut after a clash of heads with a Mexican defender.

“I headed the ball, he headed me,” the Columbus Crew striker said.

McBride was replaced by Wolff and, as Arena said, he fit in right away.

“We had talked to Josh in the last couple of days,” Arena said. “He knew what his role was going to be. We really emphasized that his speed could make a difference in this game.

“He’s very good running off the ball and I thought he was a factor as soon as he stepped on the field today.

“I was pleased with his performance and hopefully he can fill the void we’ve had [as far as] having that kind of speed up front.”

Eleven minutes after McBride left, Reyna, the team’s most influential playmaker, pulled up short with a groin strain.

He signaled to the bench that he had been injured, but the substitution, strangely, was not made until just before halftime, with Mathis coming on in his place.

In the end, both forced moves paid rich dividends.