U.S.-Japan Tie Is Zero-Based
As season openers go, Sunday’s friendly between the United States women’s national soccer team and Japan had all the markings of a school-yard exercise that needed to be completed.
The U.S. is regrouping after two months off. Japan is much improved.
And if there was anything remarkable that came out of the scoreless draw in front of the 5,099 spectators at the University of San Diego, it was that the gap in the quality of play worldwide in women’s soccer has narrowed again.
That’s a good thing, according to U.S. defender Brandi Chastain, who, like others on the U.S. team, warned not to take Sunday’s result as a precursor for the 2003 World Cup in China from Sept. 23 to Oct. 11.
“Any day around the world, there are a dozen teams that can win a game anytime,” she said. “Before, when there were only three or four teams that could win, it wasn’t that fun.”
U.S. Coach April Heinrichs used all 18 players on the roster, including North Carolina freshman Lindsay Tarpley, who got her first cap at forward. Afterward, Heinrichs said the U.S. is far ahead of where it was last year at this time.
“A tie is disappointing, because of the [U.S.] mentality,” Heinrichs said. “But I’m not down on anybody. This is the start of a wonderful year.”
The teams tied, 1-1, in December 2000. But that was when a tired U.S. team was playing its last game in a long season. The U.S. went into Sunday’s game as a heavy favorite.
Indeed, the U.S. had more offensive chances than the Japanese, who, after a couple of solid attacks in the first 18 minutes, were content to sit back, control the ball and counterattack. As the game slipped into injury time, U.S. goalkeeper Lakeysia Beene and her counterpart, Nozomi Yamago, made crowd-pleasing saves.
“We are getting closer to the United States,” said midfielder Homare Sawa, who plays for the WUSA franchise in Atlanta. “But I was disappointed that we didn’t get a goal against them.”
Violence Erupts
Italian and Greek soccer, plagued by fan violence this season, suffered again when 13 police officers were injured, one seriously, in a clash with Atalanta fans outside a stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and three fans were stabbed in Athens.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, Atalanta fans threw bottles and other debris at police, with one officer being badly hurt after he fell and was kicked in the face by fans.
Atalanta tied Como, 1-1, in a game halted briefly after a lineman was struck on the head by an ice ball thrown by a fan.
In Athens, clashes between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos fans before Panathinaikos’ 3-2 victory led to the stabbings.
Israel’s Choice
Israel, banned from playing international games at home for security reasons, will play its next two qualifying games for the 2004 European Championship at Florence, Italy.
The city will play host to the Israel-France match April 2 and the Israel-Cyprus match April 30, Eugenio Giani, head of sports for the Florence City Council, told ANSA.
Mexico’s Stance
Mexico, which will play Argentina at the Coliseum on Feb. 4, will not hesitate to include foreign-born but naturalized Mexican players, Coach Ricardo Lavolpe said in Mexico City.
“If it’s necessary, I’ll do it, especially in strategic positions,” Lavolpe said.
Critics in Mexico blasted Lavolpe’s predecessor, Javier Aguirre, for including Argentine-born midfielder Gabriel Caballero on the Mexican team for the 2002 World Cup, but Lavolpe, an Argentine, said the practice will continue and asked for time to build a team.
“The coach cannot be judged on this [Feb. 4] match,” he said. “The coach has to be judged after five or six months, which gives him time to work, build a team and show his ideas.”
England Says No
England, which will play South Africa in an international friendly May 22 at Durban, South Africa, has turned down an invitation to train in Zimbabwe and play that country’s national team before going to South Africa.
The invitation was immediately declined as inappropriate, said David Davies, acting chief executive of the English Football Assn., because of Zimbabwe’s political situation under President Robert Mugabe.
Japan’s Success
The achievement by the Japanese women’s national team against the defending world champion U.S. on Sunday should give the squad confidence heading into the Asian Women’s Championship from April 19 to May 2 at Thailand.
The draw for that tournament, which will serve as regional qualifying for the World Cup in China, will be held Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand, with the 14 teams being drawn into two groups of five and one group of four.
In addition to Japan, the countries taking part are host Thailand, defending champion North Korea, Uzbekistan, China, Taiwan, Guam, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Since the Chinese qualify automatically as hosts, the top two finishers other than China will advance to the World Cup, with the next-best team playing Mexico, CONCACAF’s third-place finisher, in a home-and-home playoff for a berth.
Quick Passes
Burkina Faso, Egypt, the Ivory Coast and Mali qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates from March 25 to April 16 by reaching the semifinals of the African Youth Championship at Burkina Faso.... The Japanese newspaper Nikkan Sports reported that South Korean World Cup striker Ahn Jung-Hwan is expected to leave his J-League club, the Shimizu S-Pulse, and join Atletico Madrid of the Spanish league in a $3.1-million deal that might be completed this week. The S-Pulse denied the report.... Wales extended the contract of Coach Mark Hughes, keeping the former Manchester United player in charge of the national team until 2006.... Goals by Frana, Bernd Schneider and Daniel Bierofka earned Bayer Leverkusen of Germany a 3-0 victory over Honduras in front of more than 31,000 on Saturday night at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
