Reyna Makes U.S. Shine

By GRAHAME L. JONES

Oct. 7, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

FOXBORO, Mass. —

Today is the day they measure Claudio Reyna’s shoulders. If they’re broad enough, the 28-year-old midfielder from Springfield, N.J., just might be able to carry the United States into next year’s World Cup. If not, well, who else was Coach Bruce Arena going to call upon to revive the national soccer team’s sagging fortunes?

The Americans have lost three qualifying games in a row--at Mexico, at home against Honduras and at Costa Rica--and one common denominator in all three losses was Reyna’s absence because of suspension and injury.

To say that the U.S. midfield, and indeed the whole team, has struggled without him is an understatement.

Today, Reyna returns, hoping to lead the U.S. to victory over Jamaica at Foxboro Stadium and, if other results go the Americans’ way, to a place in the World Cup.

Also today, Mexico is at Costa Rica, which already has qualified, and Honduras plays host to Trinidad and Tobago, which already has been mathematically eliminated.

The scenario changes depending on the outcome of the three games, but here are some possibilities:

* The U.S. will qualify for Korea/Japan 2002 today if it defeats Jamaica, and Mexico and Honduras fail to win.

* The U.S. will almost certainly miss the World Cup if it loses today and Honduras and Mexico win. That would qualify Honduras and would leave Mexico with a vastly superior goal difference to the U.S. entering the final round of games on Nov. 11.

* Honduras will qualify for the World Cup today if it beats Trinidad and Tobago and if either Mexico or the U.S. loses.

* Jamaica’s only chance of qualifying is if it wins its final two games, including today’s, and Mexico and the U.S. each lose their final two games.

* Mexico very likely will not be going to Korea/Japan if it loses today and Honduras and the U.S. both win. The U.S. would eliminate it by defeating Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 11, no matter what Mexico does against Honduras in its final game.

Such considerations are far from Reyna’s thoughts. Mostly, he is wondering how the bruised right knee he suffered while playing for Rangers in Scotland last Sunday will hold up and how quickly he will be able to get back in sync with teammates he has not played alongside since June 16.

“The understanding comes back real quick,” he said, hopefully. “It shouldn’t be an issue.”

Reyna played in four of the U.S. team’s first five qualifying games this year as it compiled a 4-0-1 record. Reaching the World Cup looked like a foregone conclusion. But once the three-time NCAA champion from Virginia was out of the lineup, the U.S. fell apart.

That does not mean all the pressure is on him today, Reyna maintained. “It’s not just about one player,” he said. “It’s a team effort. I don’t feel any pressure or responsibility to do anything.”

Arena, however, knows what Reyna, with two Olympics and two World Cups on his resume, can mean to the team.

“His qualities help make other players better, and players have much more confidence when he’s on the field,” the coach said.

The questions that have to be asked, however, are these: How could the U.S. be so reliant on one player? Why is there no backup who can step in and assume Reyna’s creative, attacking, playmaking role?

The answer is twofold.

Midfielder John O’Brien, 24, of Playa del Rey is Reyna’s understudy, the player who eventually will replace him. But O’Brien, who plays for Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands, also has been sidelined because of injury. Like Reyna, he is available again.

The only other player with the type of skills needed for the role--vision, passing ability, knowing when to hold the ball and how to distribute it--is Preki, the 38-year-old Miami Fusion veteran.

Arena called in Preki for the games against Honduras and Costa Rica, but gave him only 23 minutes in the former and 19 in the latter.

Arena, who admits “the coach did a lousy job” in those games, has few resources to call upon at that position.

Most Major League Soccer teams rely on experienced foreign players--Mauricio Cienfuegos, Marco Etcheverry, Peter Nowak--to fill the playmaking role and, as a result, there are precious few Americans who can handle the position at the international level.

All of which is why Arena calls Reyna “an invaluable member” of the U.S. team, going into today’s crucial game against Jamaica.

“We know what we have to do, and that is win,” Reyna said.

Chicago Fire forward Ante Razov, who had been a likely starter, will not take part in today’s game after turning his ankle in training. ... The U.S. is 5-0-5 against Jamaica. The teams played to a 0-0 tie in Kingston, Jamaica, in a qualifying game on June 16. ... Jamaica’s roster for the game includes five Major League Soccer players: Christopher Dawes (Colorado), Onandi Lowe (Kansas City), Tyrone Marshall (Miami) and Wolde Harris and Andy Williams (both of the New England Revolution).

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

World Cup Qualifying

Who: United States vs. Jamaica

Where: Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.

When: 11 a.m. PDT

TV: Channel 7

Note: Top three teams advance to Korea/Japan 2002

Remaining Schedule

(home team listed first)

Today

United States vs. Jamaica

Costa Rica vs. Mexico