USA-EL SALVADOR
Saturday, Sept. 4 in at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
TV: Fox Sports World, Telemundo, live, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT.
BY RIDGE MAHONEY, Senior Editor
By snagging a 1-1 tie against Jamaica two weeks ago in Kingston with a goal in the final minutes, the U.S. garnered a valuable point in the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, and it emphasized two vital characteristics imbued during the past few years: depth and determination.
Brian Ching, earning only his third cap as a 60th-minute substitute, scored the equalizer, marking the fourth time this year the U.S. has scored either a winning or tying goal late in the match. Ching played at Gonzaga University and in the PDL and A-League before moving to the San Jose Earthquakes last season.
''Brian Ching is a perfect example of what is happening in American soccer with MLS and the minor leagues,'' says U.S. keeper Kasey Keller, who played against Jamaica and is expected to start on Saturday when the U.S. plays El Salvador at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. as the semifinal round resumes.
''He comes off the bench and gets the goal that gets us a good point. That wouldn't have happened 10 years ago. Ten years ago, he wouldn't have had the opportunity. He would have playing in an indoor league. Or he tells himself, 'I'm tired and the last three teams I played for no longer exist.' And he did it through the lower divisions of American soccer.''
LATE GOALS. The U.S. beat Mexico, 1-0, in a friendly with an Eddie Pope goal well into stoppage time and Danny Califf scored in the 94th minute to salvage a 1-1 tie with Haiti. A header by Carlos Bocanegra in the 89th minute gave the U.S. a 1-1 tie with Poland in July.
''The game is 90 minutes-plus,'' says DaMarcus Beasley, who has scored four of the 16 U.S. goals this year, including three in the two-game series against Grenada in the opening phase of qualifying. ''We have that type of mentality that we don't give up until the whistle blows.''
Beasley, who left MLS for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in late July, is one of 14 European-based players called into camp by Coach Bruce Arena for the El Salvador game and another match Wednesday against Panama in Panama City.
Jamaica and the U.S. are the clear favorites to advance and play in the six-team Hexagonal next year, but El Salvador is currently atop the group by virtue of its 2-1 win over Panama last month in San Salvador. Victor Velasquez and Jorge Rodriguez, formerly of the MLS Dallas Burn, scored against Panama for El Salvador, which also features ex-MLS striker Ronald Cerritos. He left D.C. United early in the season by mutual agreement.
El Salvador held out for the victory despite losing Jose Orlando Martinez to a red card in the 42nd minute. Thousands of Salvadoran fans, many of them from New York City, are expected to swath Gillette Stadium in blue and white.
Arena named to his squad nine of the players that started in the tie with Jamaica. Midfielder Chris Armas had knee surgery yesterday and is out for at least a month; midfielder Earnie Stewart played poorly in Kingston and wasn't picked to the squad.
To replace Armas as Claudio Reyna's partner in midfield, Arena could use Kerry Zavagnin of Kansas City or Bobby Convey, who joined English club Reading five weeks ago.
He could also move Landon Donovan, who played against Jamaica at forward, to midfield as a replacement for Stewart on the right side. Cobi Jones, who replaced Stewart against Jamaica and delivered the cross that yielded Ching's goal on a feed from Donovan, is another option.
In a 4-0 win over Honduras in June, Arena used McBride and Conor Casey as his forwards and put Donovan in midfield. McBride scored twice.
''If we come out and play we can score goals,'' says Beasley. ''We have a lot of speed and a lot of skill. Our attitude is, 'Yeah we can put the hurt on people but we have to be smart about it.'''