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| Wednesday, February 13, 2002 20:46 EST |
U.S. catches Italy by surprise in first half
[Reuters]
CATANIA, Sicily, Italy -- The United States
has taken comfort from its 1-0 loss to Italy in a friendly
match on Wednesday.
While Juventus' Alessandro Del Piero's 62nd minute strike
gave the Azzurri the victory, the three-time world champions
were pressured by the U.S. in the first half.
"We were much sharper in the first half and we had a lot of
opportunities, but I learned a lot from this game," U.S. coach
Bruce Arena said.
"We are a good team. No team would be able to maintain that
pace (due to unlimited substitutions) in a real game like that."
Arena said the Italians had stolen the game when they made
four halftime substitutions.
"The four changes they made at halftime made the
difference," said Arena. "That allowed them to press and apply a
lot of pressure on us."
The U.S. failed to capitalize on its advantage in the
first half when it had numerous scoring opportunities,
including one to 19-year-old Landon Donovan in the fifth minute
when Italian defender Marco Materazzi slipped, allowing Donovan
to race into the penalty area uncontested.
However, his shot from 15 meters smashed off the left
upright.
"I didn't think I was going to be in that (scoring)
position," said Donovan. "I know if I knew I was going to be
alone like that I would have (shot) better."
The 19-year-old Donovan, making only his 15th appearance for
the U.S., then began to play more of a part in the American
attack.
His one-two with Earnie Stewart resulted in a shot over the
bar in the 35th minute before his pass sprung John O'Brien free
on the left side five minutes as he broke through a flat Italian
defense, but O'Brien's shot from an awkward angle ran just wide
of the right post.
However, Italian coach Giovanni Trappatoni then made his
substitutions at halftime which did not surprise Sunderland
midfielder Claudio Reyna, who was making his first appearance
for the U.S. since last October.
"You don't come to Italy and control the first half like the way
we did without something happening," Reyna said. "You know those
changes at halftime for them turned the game around and I bet
Trapattoni had some strong words for them at halftime.
"I think we caught them a little by surprise, so we can
feel good about that."
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