Virginia freshman Brian West, who just two days earlier was laying in a Malaysian hospital suffering from an intestinal disorder, was an unlikely hero on the first full day of action at the World Youth Championship in Malaysia. West came off the bench with eight minutes remaining and scored the only goal of the game in stoppage time to give the United States a 1-0 win and three points in a Group C game played in Alor Setar. The United States is tied with Ghana, which beat Ireland 2-1 in the first game of the doubleheader. West, who spent 36 hours in the Alor Setar Hospital, admitted afterwards that the eight minutes he played were all he could give. ¦I was spent,¦ he said. Virginia teammate Ben Olsen set up the only goal of the game when he made a 30-yard run down the right wing and crossed the ball to the far post. UCLA freshman Sasha Victorine laid the ball off for West to knock past Chinese goalie Li Leilei. The win was the second 1-0 victory over the Chinese this year. The two teams had met earlier this spring in California before the U-20 World Cup draw was held. The Chinese team had spent three years training in Brazil as part of an experiment to jump-start the Chinese national team program. After a slow start, China took control in the first half. The United States came on in the second half, creating a number of chances. ¦The heat and humidity affected us,¦ said U.S. coach Jay Hoffman, ¦but the boys stepped it up a notch. The two subs [Victorine and West] were good. Brian West cannot be used full time because he is still recovering. He is not fit 100 percent.¦ The U.S. team arrived in Alor Setar, located on the Thai border, six days before the opener. The players had two-a-day sessions for the first three days to adjust to the tropical conditions. Hoffman¦s training program was light compared to that employed by Irish coach Brian Kerr. He prepared his team for the 90-degree heat by having his players practice with plastic jackets over thick woolen garments. It didn¦t do them any good, however. Ghana, the youngest team in the tournament, got goals from Bashir Gambo and Mohamed Mochtar to win 2-1. African champion Morocco served notice that is a title contender when it beat host Malaysia 3-1. Uruguay beat Belgium 3-0 in the other Group A game. In a battle of pre-tournament favorites, Brazil crushed European champion France 3-0. The other Group B game between South Korea and South Africa ended in a 0-0 tie.