U.S. Team Has Familiar Look

By GRAHAME L. JONES

Feb. 3, 2002 12 AM PT

Among those watching the Gold Cup tournament at the Rose Bowl the last couple of weeks have been two coaches with familiar names.

One is Bora Milutinovic, who in 1991 coached the United States to its first Gold Cup title and three years later became only the second coach in history to lead the U.S. beyond the first round of the World Cup.

The other is Steve Sampson, who along with Sigi Schmid was one of Milutinovic’s assistants in 1994 and who went on to coach the American team in the France ’98 World Cup.

Both men will have looked upon the U.S. squad with some interest. Milutinovic is sure to have recognized Cobi Jones, a World Cup starter in the 1994, and Jeff Agoos, who was one of his final cuts from that team.

Sampson will have noted that, besides Jones and Agoos, Coach Bruce Arena’s Gold Cup roster includes Kasey Keller, Eddie Pope, Frankie Hejduk, Brian Maisonneuve and Brian McBride--all members of the much-lambasted 1998 World Cup team.

Neither will it have escaped Sampson’s attention that absent from the Gold Cup, but quite likely to be part of Arena’s roster for this summer’s World Cup in Japan and South Korea, are Brad Friedel, David Regis, Claudio Reyna, Earnie Stewart and Joe-Max Moore, five more players from his ’98 team.

The point here is, by the time the May 21 deadline arrives for Arena to announce his 23-man World Cup roster, it is conceivable that half the squad will be holdovers from the France ’98 team that was swept by Germany, Iran and Yugoslavia in its three first-round games.

Arena is not about to tip his hand, however. There are too many things that can go wrong between now and June 5, when the U.S. opens its World Cup account against Portugal in Suwon, South Korea, with South Korea and Poland waiting in the wings.

Asked before the Gold Cup began how many roster spots were still in serious contention, Arena deflected the question.

“I don’t know how I can really answer that,” he said. “A lot of things can happen during a year. If we experience the same number of injuries we experienced last year [when McBride, Pope, Reyna, Clint Mathis, Josh Wolff and Ante Razov were among a slew of players injured], there could be 15 spots open on this roster.

“So it’s hard for me to say in January 2002 how many spots are open. We’re hopeful that Mathis comes back at full strength, Pope comes back at full strength, McBride, etc., etc.

“There are so many questions about players at this point, and things are going to happen during the year, like they happen every year. I think I’d be foolish right now to lock myself in to saying we’re set at a bunch of positions. I think we still need to keep an open mind and watch how players move along during the year.”

That said, Arena was willing to indicate that at least some names already are written in ink, barring injury.

“Obviously, you’d have to think that if Friedel and Keller are healthy, they’re part of it [the World Cup 2002 roster],” he said. “You’d have to think that Reyna is part of it. Stewart is part of it. Those type of players.

“There are probably 10 of those guys that I can think of off the top of my head who we would clearly pencil in as being part of our roster, but there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered before we make some final decisions.”

The Gold Cup has helped answer some of them.

Assuming that Arena’s 10 sure bets are Keller, Friedel, Tony Meola, Agoos, Jones, Reyna, Stewart, Moore, McBride and Chris Armas, 13 spots are open.

Judging by their Gold Cup performances, teenagers Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley will be in the mix when Arena has to make his call.

If Wolff and Mathis continue to progress and eventually regain their form of a year ago, before injuries sidelined them for long spells, they also are certain of a trip to Korea/Japan ’02. The same goes for Pope.

The French-based Regis is still in the picture as the starting left back, although Carlos Bocanegra has turned in a solid performance in the Gold Cup.

Greg Vanney remains a longshot.

At right back, Arena still is uncertain about European-based Steve Cherundolo, Tony Sanneh and Hejduk, whose Gold Cup play has put him back in a favorable light. Pope could play out there too.

With Agoos sure to occupy one centerback position, the other could go to Pope, or to Carlos Llamosa. Gregg Berhalter is a possibility, and Pablo Mastroeni is making a strong late run. Danny Califf will have to wait until 2006.

Armas, Reyna and Stewart are virtually assured three of the starting midfield slots, and the Netherlands-based John O’Brien could find himself in a battle with Donovan and others for the fourth. Jones probably will be used as an off-the-bench weapon, as will Beasley. Sanneh could fill in here, as could Maisonneuve, if Arena wants to be defensive. Eddie Lewis has not yet shown enough to earn a place.

Up front, Razov will have to do a lot more to make the 2002 squad, and Jovan Kirovski’s national team days surely are over.

Of course, much depends on how Arena intends to divide his team among defenders, midfielders and forwards. He will take three goalkeepers, for sure, but the balance among the other 20 players will depend on whether he wants to try to win at the World Cup, or simply avoid losing.

A long spring of difficult games and even more difficult decisions lies ahead, but these are the 23 players who, at the moment, would appear to have the edge:

Goalkeepers: Keller, Friedel, Meola.

Defenders: Agoos, Pope, Llamosa, Regis, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Mastroeni, Hejduk.

Midfielders: Armas, Reyna, O’Brien, Stewart, Jones, Sanneh, Donovan, Beasley.

Forwards: McBride, Moore, Mathis, Wolff.

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What’s Ahead for the U.S.

Feb. 13 vs. Italy at Catania, Sicily

March 2 vs. Honduras at Seattle

March 10 vs. Ecuador at Birmingham, Ala.

March 27 vs. Germany at Rostock, Germany

April 17 vs. Ireland at Dublin

May: U.S. Cup tournament