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| Sunday, March 10, 2002 20:55 EST |
U.S. gets 6th shutout in 8 games
[Associated Press]
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The United States-Ecuador soccer match
was called a "friendly," but it had the intensity and physical
play of a game that actually counted.
Eddie Lewis scored midway through the first half and the U.S.
men's team held on for a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in an exhibition
match Sunday.
"It had the look and smell of a World Cup qualifier," U.S.
coach Bruce Arena said. "It was a real challenge for our players.
"I think our team showed a lot of maturity. You have to play
games like this, and when things don't go right for you, you have
to find a way to win."
The U.S. team, comprised mostly of MLS-based players vying to
make the 23-man World Cup roster, recorded its sixth shutout in
eight games to beat Ecuador for the first time in nine meetings.
The Americans, who mostly controlled the action, had four losses
and four ties against the Ecuadoreans. They were shut out in seven
of those meetings.
The teams combined for 36 fouls and six yellow cards, and U.S.
star Clint Mathis was ejected after drawing a red card.
"Sometimes we needed to keep our head better and sometimes they
did, too," Brian McBride said. "Obviously, that's a great way to
prepare for what's ahead of us.
"It was a very tough match, a very physical match and a very
good match."
The U.S. team broke the deadlock in the 21st minute, when Lewis
drilled the ball into the right corner of the goal off a pass from
Mathis. Goalkeeper Tim Howard made it stand.
"There was quite a bit of space inside and the guy with me
basically tried to cheat on the play," Lewis said. "Clint did a
good job setting me up off my left foot."
The Americans' best chance of the second half came in the 86th
minute, when McBride collided with goalkeeper Jose Francisco
Cevallos trying to head the ball toward the goal off a long pass.
Cevallos then knocked McBride to the ground as the American tried
to chase down the ball.
The 23-year-old Howard, making his first appearance with the
national team, had a few close calls in the 32nd and 33rd minutes.
First, he made a nice kick save against Carlos Tenorio. Then,
Tenorio's header off a corner kick went wide right.
The Americans played the final 32 minutes a man down after
Mathis received his second yellow card after fouling Tenorio.
Mathis was coming off a two-goal performance against Honduras.
An expulsion from an international friendly match does not carry
a suspension.
The Ecuadoreans weren't able to effectively press their
advantage.
"When you're down a goal and up a man, I thought they would
decide to commit more numbers, and they really didn't do that,"
Lewis said. "As a result, we were able to compact the field pretty
well and not worry about being outnumbered."
The crowd of 24,133 included several hundred yellow-clad Ecuador
fans.
The U.S. team, which raised its record to 7-1 and has
outscored opponents 14-2, plays March 27 at Germany, then returns
home to face Mexico on April 3 in Denver and play at Ireland on
April 17.
Final preparations include games against Uruguay on May 12 at
Washington; Jamaica on May 16 at East Rutherford, N.J.; and the
Netherlands on May 19 at Foxboro, Mass.
At the World Cup, the U.S. team plays Portugal (June 5), South
Korea (June 10) and Poland (June 14), all in South Korea.
Ecuador, making its first appearance in the World Cup finals,
will face Italy (June 3), Mexico (June 9) and Croatia (June 13) in
the first round in Japan.
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