U.S. Earns a Spot in Final Eight
Galaxy midfielder Guillermo “Memo” Gonzalez and 14-year-old Freddy Adu each scored a goal and goalkeeper Phil Marfuggi made 10 saves Sunday as the United States defeated Sierra Leone, 2-1, in Lahti, Finland, to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-17 World Championship.
The Americans will play Spain in their final first-round match Wednesday, but Sunday’s result assured them of reaching the tournament’s final eight.
Adu’s goal, his fourth of the competition, came in the 89th minute of a game in which the African team applied most of the pressure on offense, outshooting the U.S., 12-6, in shots on goal and taking 25 shots in all.
“Sierra Leone was a handful today and I think we did well to get a win against such a strong side,” U.S. Coach John Ellinger told U.S. Soccer. “They had our backs up against the wall a lot of the time, but we were able to get the strike from Freddy at the end to make the difference.”
Alimamy Sesay had given Sierra Leone the lead in the 32nd minute, but Gonzalez tied the match on a penalty kick 12 minutes later after Sierra Leone goalkeeper Patrick Bantamoi had brought down the New York/New Jersey MetroStars’ Eddie Gaven.
Adu’s game-winner came shortly after he had suffered the latest in a series of fouls.
“I learned how tough I can really be,” he told U.S. Soccer. “Sometimes I get hit all the time and I have to come out of games because it hurts so much, and today was brutal. But we just dug deep and worked through it, and ended up getting the winning goal.”
In other games Sunday, Brazil routed Portugal, 5-0; Yemen and Cameroon tied, 1-1, and Spain defeated South Korea, 3-2.
Adu to Man U?
Manchester United appears to have gained the inside track in what promises to be a heated battle to sign Adu, the Ghana-born American teenager emerging as a star at the Under-17 world championship.
English newspapers reported Sunday that United has been in talks with Adu’s mother and with Arnold Tarzy, Adu’s former coach and the family’s advisor.
Manchester United is sponsored by Nike, which earlier this year signed Adu to a $1-million contract.
America Falls
Club America, its confidence possibly undermined by a 3-1 loss to Manchester United during a Champions World Series match in Los Angeles, lost its second Mexican league game in five days Sunday, 3-2, to Veracruz.
Coach Leo Beenhakker’s team had been beaten, 4-3, by the Pumas on UNAM in Mexico City on Wednesday night and the club’s defense was again a shambles Sunday. America still is seeking its first victory three games into the new season.
Quick Passes
AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini, 35, will miss the European champion’s European Super Cup match against FC Porto on Aug. 29 as well as the Italian season opener Aug. 31 after injuring his ankle during training.... UEFA Cup holder and Portuguese champion Porto opened the Portuguese season with a 2-0 victory over Braga.... Midfielder Michael Ballack will miss Germany’s friendly against Italy on Wednesday because of a calf injury.... Germany Coach Rudi Voeller responded to complaints from Bundesliga coaches about his selection of players by saying: “Who I call up when is my business alone.” ... David Beckham was booed in Valencia during his debut on Spanish soil when Real and Valencia settled for a dull, 0-0 tie before the latter team won the preseason friendly, 6-5, on penalty kicks.... The start of the Israeli season was postponed for three weeks after the Israeli Football Assn. failed to reach agreement over the sale of television rights.
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Times wire services contributed to this report.
