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| Saturday, January 19, 2002 22:47 EST |
Donovan, Beasley score for U.S.
[Associated Press]
PASADENA, Calif. -- A pair of teen-agers did the scoring for the U.S. National Team as it began play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Landon Donovan leaps into Ante Razov's arms after putting the United States on the board.(Reuters) |
DaMarcus Beasley's first international goal with just seconds remaining Saturday gave the United States a 2-1 victory over South Korea, and Landon Donovan scored the first U.S. goal.
Both players are 19.
Beasley, who entered the match in the 79th minute as a
replacement for Eddie Lewis, took a pass from Jeff Cunningham,
another reserve, and left-footed the ball past South Korean
goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae from about 10 yards away.
"Bruce told me to be aggressive and if I got a chance to try and put it away," Beasley said, referring to U.S. coach Bruce Arena. "I saw the opening at the near post and I went for it."
The teams were in stoppage time when Beasley connected, and the
final whistle blew before South Korea, which dictated the action
most of the way and outshot the Americans 15-9, had a chance to
respond.
Beasley, a member of the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, was playing in just his fourth international game.
The last-second win before an announced crowd of 42,117 at the Rose Bowl gave the United States an 11-0 record in all-time Gold Cup group play, and a 17-3-2 overall mark in the competition which was first staged in 1991.
"We were lucky to get a goal at the end of the game," Arena
said. "It wasn't a pretty game, for sure. Maybe a point would have
been a fairer result.
"Landon Donovan I thought had a very good game. He was part of
a bunch of big plays."
Donovan, who plays for San Jose in the MLS, scored in the 35th minute to give the Americans a 1-0 lead. He was alone when he took a long pass from Ante Razov just above the penalty area. Donovan then volleyed the ball over the onrushing Lee into an open net for his second international goal.
The South Koreans tied it three minutes later when Song
Chong-Gug connected from about 35 yards away into the right corner
of the net for his second international goal.
South Korea is a co-host for the World Cup this summer and faces
the United States in a first-round match June 10. Those countries
are two of the five in the 12-team Gold Cup who will play in the World Cup.
The South Koreans defeated the Americans 1-0 in Seogwipo, South
Korea, on Dec. 9 -- just days after the teams were drawn into the
same World Cup group with Portugal and Poland.
The United States was missing many of its top players in that match, and in this one as well. South Korea had most of its regular national team players in both matches.
"I think they were rather surprised that we took the
initiative," South Korea's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink said. "They were
panicking more than one might expect. We had superiority in the
midfield, and we were organized defensively."
Mexico beat El Salvador 1-0 in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader at the Rose Bowl in the first Group A match of the competition on Jair Garcia's first international goal in the 31st minute.
The sixth Gold Cup continues Sunday in Miami with Costa Rica (1-0) facing Trinidad & Tobago (0-0) in a Group C match and Ecuador (0-1) meeting Haiti (0-0) in Group D.
The U.S. plays Cuba in its second and final group match Monday
at the Rose Bowl after Mexico takes on Guatemala in Group A.
South Korea missed a scoring chance in the eighth minute when
U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller blocked Yoo Sang-Chul's penalty kick
after Dan Califf pulled Choi Yong-Soo down in the penalty area.
South Korea had a chance to take the lead in the 51st minute,
but Keller dove to his right to deflect a shot by Choi. And a shot
by Park Ji-Sung three minutes later was knocked away by U.S.
midfielder Manny Lagos at the goal line.
Jeff Agoos was wide to the left on a 28-yard free kick in the
57th minute after Choi Jin-Cheul was given a red card for pulling
Donovan down about 30 yards from the goal.
Thus, South Korea played the final 33 minutes plus stoppage time
one player short.
"The red card was decisive, although we could have managed to
keep the game tied," Hiddink said.
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