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 Friday, June 8, 2001
Kirovski and O'Brien make positive impact on U.S.
By Marc Connolly
ABC Sports Online
Even those National Team diehards, who have spent $29.99 on pay-per-view matches or have weathered Spanish commentators and a grainy feed to see their boys play from an exotic locale, had to be confused a bit on Thursday when the U.S. played Ecuador in a full international.
|  | | Ecuador's Geovanny Espinosa, in yellow, blocks Jovan Kirovski's path to the ball. |
At one time in the second half, No. 8 played a nice ball up the right flank to No. 13, but it wasn't Earnie Stewart feeding the ball to his longtime teammate Cobi Jones. Instead, it was Joe Enochs (VfL Osnabruck in Germany) linking up with John Thorrington (Huddersfield Town in England) -- two of four newcomers who found their way onto the pitch at Columbus Crew Stadium in the 0-0 tie.
The three-man backline in the second half featured the other two players getting their first cap in wing defenders Mike Petke (NY/NJ MetroStars) and Pablo Mastroeni (Miami Fusion), both of whom were steady against an overactive Ecuador offensive attack that enjoyed a definitive size advantage.
"It was good to see some of the new young faces and to get a cap for guys like Petke and Mastroeni, who I thought played well. Thorrington and Enochs made it four newcomers out there, so that was good to see," said U.S. head coach Bruce Arena.
But that wasn't all Arena had his eye on. European-based players such as John O'Brien, Jovan Kirovski, Eddie Lewis and Joe-Max Moore, along with Colorado Rapids defender Robin Fraser, were all out to prove they belonged either in the U.S. mix throughout qualifying or on the starting 11 next Saturday against Jamaica (ABC, 2 p.m. ET). It may have created a disjointed unit at times and caused for bunching in the middle of the field, but the point of the match was to concentrate on individual play rather than the team's overall performance since the result meant nothing.
Here is a look at how each of the newcomers and players with something to prove fared:
Jovan Kirovski: We saw a different Kirovski on Thursday night than the player who has been popping up on National Team rosters for seven years now. His inconsistency was nonexistent. Instead, he displayed those flashes of brilliance he is infamous for (his goal against Germany in '99 was one of the best in U.S. history) in 90 productive minutes of play.
Even though his first-team minutes with Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) have come as often as his National Team minutes the past 10 months, it is obvious that training with this squad has developed his skills greatly, especially as a front-runner as opposed to his normal offensive midfielder role. His runs were perfectly timed, first touches superb, chest traps on the money and he excelled with his footwork in tight spaces. Using mostly one- and two-touch soccer to set up his shots, the 25-year-old had five legitimate goal-scoring opportunities. Just as important, he provided a tall (6-foot-1) target man for the U.S. midfield to look for and for Moore to play off of.
"He knows I'm a good player, and I just wanted to remind him," said Kirovski. "I think I can still help the team."
As Arena mentioned, Kirovski will be in the mix against Jamaica, and will certainly be on upcoming rosters if his strong play continues.
Joe-Max Moore: He's on this list because he hadn't played for the U.S. since January due to various injuries. His usual all-out aggressiveness was there and he played some great balls to Kirovski, but this was not his best performance. If Josh Wolff weren't out for the next six weeks (stress fracture in his left foot), his chances of starting up front would be minimal.
Eddie Lewis: Gave end-to-end work up the left flank, which is a thankless effort in a 3-5-2 formation. Unfortunately, he didn't provide enough balls to the 18 or link with the front-runners to help his chances in beating out players such as Jones or Tony Sanneh at left mid.
John O'Brien: Once he got into the flow of play, the Ajax performer showed the type of field-switching abilities and run-making from the back that would perfectly complement the workhorse defensive talents of Chris Armas should the U.S. employ two defensive midfielders at one time again. His inclusion on future U.S. pools shouldn't be in question if he is healthy due to his versatility. He's also an option for Arena at outside midfielder, where he shined last year in the U.S. Cup.
Robin Fraser: He'll be 35 by the time the World Cup starts, but his speed seems to be the same as ever. The Rapids centerback did an admirable job on Big Mama-sized Augustin Delgado. Unfortunately for Fraser, he's trying to break into a position that has been spectacular in 2001 with Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos and Carlos Llamosa all playing the best soccer of their lives. A bench role seems likely, at best, for the rest of qualifying.
Mike Petke: A solid, steady performance that was reminiscent to most of his matches for the Metros. He didn't make many mistakes, but he also didn't give the squad an element it doesn't get from either David Regis, Sanneh or Steve Cherundolo. He deserves another chance in the future, though.
Pablo Mastroeni: His first game with the National Team since becoming a U.S. citizen on May 12, the Fusion back played well on the right side, particularly in getting the ball up the right flank in tight spaces and when surrounded by multiple opponents. His future play with the team will ultimately hinge on his MLS performances and the health of the backline stalwarts.
Joe Enochs: He was advertised as a "Chris Armas" type, and looked the part for a good portion of his 30 minutes of play in the defensive midfield. Enochs lost two 50-50 balls in the center of the field, though, which is something that never happens to Armas. If the U.S. qualifies for Japan/South Korea early, Enochs will surely get another look in a late-round qualifier.
John Thorrington: Played 20 minutes of uneventful soccer on the right flank. Just 21, his future with the squad will probably come after next summer's World Cup.
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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