Greg Howes and Don D'Ambra scored goals from set pieces, and Scott Hileman made 10 saves and posted a shutout as the U.S. national futsal team claimed the CONCACAF championship with a 2-0 victory Saturday in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Howes rifled home a free kick in the 20th minute, the final minute of the first half, and D'Ambra rebounded his own shot in the 26th after a Danny Kelly free kick as the Americans captured their second CONCACAF futsal title with their third shutout of the competition.

''It seems like the same old story: They executed the game plan,'' U.S. coach Keith Tozer said. ''I thought our defense was stellar, and that's how we were going to win this tournament. To have a shutout against Costa Rica in the semifinals and then against Cuba in the final is just a remarkable story. Now we move on to the World Cup.''

The Americans and Cubans qualified for the Nov. 21-Dec. 5 FIFA Futsal World Championship in Chinese Taipei with semifinal victories Friday.

Goalkeeper Brett Phillips, who recorded shutouts against Guyana in group play and Costa Rica on Friday, was named the tournament's top goalkeeper. He did not play in the final.

The Americans, who also won the Fair Play award, surrendered only three goals in five games while posting a 3-0-2 record.

Howes' goal was his team-leading fourth of the tournament.

The United States won the first CONCACAF title in 1996, beating Cuba, 7-3, in the final, and finished third in 2000. It finished third at the 1989 world championship, second in 1992 and 10th in 1996 but failed to qualify in 2000, when Costa Rica and Cuba joined host Guatemala as CONCACAF representatives.

Brazil won the first three world titles and lost to Spain in the 2000 title game.

Futsal is a cousin of North American indoor soccer, featuring five-player teams on a basketball-like court with no walls and a low-bouncing ball. Indoor soccer features six-player teams and side- and backwalls on a hockey rink-sized field.

CONCACAF QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
July 23-31 at Heredia, Costa Rica

U.S. Schedule
July 24: United States 2 Panama 2
July 26: United States 6 Guyana 0
July 28: United States 1 Cuba 1
July 30: Semifinals — United States 4 Costa Rica 0
Aug. 1: Final — United States 2 Cuba 0

Group A
W L T GF GA Pts
x-Costa Rica 3 0 0 23 2 9
x-Mexico 2 1 0 12 13 6
Trinidad & Tobago 1 2 0 12 16 3
Suriname 0 3 0 10 26 0

x – qualified for semifinals

Friday, July 23
Mexico 6 Trinidad & Tobago 4
Costa Rica 13 Suriname 1

Sunday, July 25
Mexico 6 Suriname 5
Costa Rica 6 Trinidad & Tobago 1

Tuesday, July 27
Costa Rica 4 Mexico 0
Trinidad & Tobago 7 Suriname 4

Group B
W L T GF GA Pts
x-Cuba 2 0 1 13 4 7
x-United States 1 0 2 9 3 5
Panama 1 1 1 10 7 4
Guyana 0 3 0 6 24 0

x – qualified for semifinals

Saturday, July 24
United States 2 Panama 2
Cuba 10 Guyana 3

Monday, July 26
United States 6 Guyana 0
Cuba 2 Panama 0

Wednesday, July 28
United States 1 Cuba 1
Panama 8 Guyana 3

Semifinals
Friday, July 30
Costa Rica 0 United States 4
Cuba 5 Mexico 4

Third Place
Saturday, July 31
Costa Rica 12 Mexico 5

Championship
Saturday, July 31
United States 2 Cuba 0

Note: Semifinal winners advance to Nov. 21-Dec. 5 FIFA Futsal World Championship in Chinese Taipei

Awards
Most Valuable Player: Juan Carlos Portal (Cuba)
Top Scorer: Jefrid Ruiz (Costa Rica), 8 goals
Best Goalkeeper: Brett Phillips (United States)
Fair Play: United States