Head coach Steve Sampson notched his first international win as the U.S. unveiled a potent attack in the opening game of U.S. Cup ’95.
Inferring profound meaning from one match result is a whimsical pursuit. Its unique dynamics imbue soccer with aberrant scorelines — many of which soon reveal themselves to be nothing more than meteoric streaks — never to reappear.
Yet the manner of the result can reveal a team’s direction, if not its destiny.
Bulgaria’s 2-1 upset of Germany in the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals appeared, at the time, to be a fluke. But this month, the Bulgarians rallied from a 2-0 deficit to top Germany 3-2 in a European Championship qualifier.
Not much was read into Ireland’s disappointing 0-0 tie with Liechtenstein June 1, until it lost at home to Austria 3-1 six days later — the worst home loss in the nine-year tenure of manager Jackie Charlton.
So heralding the U.S. national team’s fluid, attacking play in a 3-2 win over Nigeria June 11 as the dawning of a new age could be construed as premature.
Nigeria, adored at the World Cup for its explosive attack, arrived amidst a coaching upheaval, missing several key players and hampered by a lack of training.
The U.S. came into town in much the same fashion. The Americans had their own coaching controversy, a bit more training, more of their top players — and a different methodology.
With erstwhile lone striker Ernie Stewart deployed on the right side of midfield in the first half and Thomas Dooley thrusting forward as Marcelo Balboa swept in to support, the U.S. won a frenzied battle by twice rallying from one-goal deficits.
Midfielder John Harkes canceled out an early long-range blast from J.J. Okocha with one of his own. Marcelo Balboa celebrated his 100th cap with a headed goal to match a strike from Tasio Wasiu, and substitute Cobi Jones nailed the winner midway through the second half.
Another sub, a goateed lad who flew to the United States just two hours prior to kickoff, thrilled his legion of fans by kicking a shot clear from under his own crossbar to help preserve the victory.
American fans are accustomed to swashbuckling exploits of Alexi Lalas, and the 22,578 fans quickly warmed up to the aggressive U.S. attack as well.
“Instead of going from side to side, we’re starting to attack, and we’ve emphasized that the past few games,” said Jones in reference to the more direct style than the patient game used by Bora Milutinovic.
“Unfortunately, we’ve paid for that the past couple of games. But now, it’s starting to work out.”
Glaring disarray in both defenses yielded numerous scoring chances, but the U.S. adjusted quicker and eventually defused Nigeria’s undermanned but still potent offense.
“We wanted a change of attitude in going forward,” said head coach Steve Sampson, an assistant under Milutinovic now marking time while a replacement is sought. “But you must have an offensive mentality throughout the whole team.
“For us, that means the ability for the outside backs to support the wing-halves, the ability of Thomas Dooley or Paul Caligiuri or Alexi Lalas to slide into midfield. If you play an offensive posture, they come into midfield to create greater numbers.
“We want to play entertaining soccer for the American public, we want to play forward-minded soccer.”
Attack exploited Nigeria’s faults
Much of the U.S. success stemmed from Nigeria’s shaky defense, which stood bemused as Balboa headed in a free kick from Mike Burns late in the first half and often left gaps for Stewart, Frank Klopas and Roy Wegerle.
The trio constantly found space on the flanks behind Nigeria’s backline and fed voraciously on a steady diet of intelligent early balls.
Burns — who grew up in nearby Marlboro, Mass., but had never played near his hometown while representing the U.S. at four age levels — knocked a ball up for Stewart, who then worked his way free on the right wing and centered for Jones to shoot low past Peter Rufai and just inside the far post.
Like many of the his mates, Burns had not started so well. Nigeria’s second goal resulted from a deflected centering ball he tried to clear, but instead merely teed up for Wasiu to drill into the net from eight yards.
Okocha crashed home an incredible bomb after a deflected cross ran square across the U.S. defense before someone could step up to clear it.
“I’m glad I got the assist on it, because I gave them an assist in the first half,” Burns said of the curling free kick Balboa put away. “It took a lot of weight off my shoulders when Marcelo got his head on the end of that.”
It also helped spark the U.S. team that had already tied the game in the 11th minute when Harkes hit a wicked, bending 30-yard shot that tore past Rufai on one bounce. That goal wasn’t quite as spectacular as the incredible missile he drove home in the English League Cup five years ago, but it might be No. 2.
Dooley joins the U.S. attack
As the defense settled, Dooley began storming forward in a manner not often seen since the ’92 and ’93 versions of this competition. Less vulnerable to midfield marking when he plays central defender, Dooley reads situations more rapidly from the back and picks his opportunities to come forward.
He ran to meet one ball that a Nigerian defender headed away at the last second, and had a shot blocked by Chidi Nwanu after Rufai had saved from Harkes.
When Burns floated over his free kick — set up when Stewart was fouled — with just seconds to go in the first half, Dooley’s near-post run drew two defenders and Balboa shot into the gap to head home.
“If we go in at halftime down 2-1, they have the psychological advantage,” said Harkes. “But Marcelo capitalized on a great ball put in by Mike Burns.”
Harkes lasted the whole 90 minutes despite training for just four days following the removal of a vein in his left leg. Stewart came up hobbled after Rufai saved bravely at his feet, but he still set up the winning goal. And Lalas, the transatlantic troubadour, put in a solid 45 minutes after going 120 minutes for Padova, several thousand air miles on two planes, and “150 miles an hour” courtesy of some “crazy state troopers.”
Amid Dooley’s blitzkrieg runs, the dramatic arrival of Lalas, and the five fine goals, U.S. midfielder Mike Sorber quietly, neatly and efficiently tended to his duties.
“We wanted him to move forward, Sampson said, “not to fall back and clog the middle.
“That’s why we played with two central defenders and a sweeper, so Sorber could support the outside midfielders and our outside backs, and so Dooley or Balboa could get into the attack.”
Ostensibly a 5-3-2 formation, the U.S. more closely resembled a 4-4-2 or at times a 4-3-3 while attacking.
“If you play three in midfield,” said Dooley, “and only one is in the middle, Nigeria can come with two or three players.”
Stewart lines in midfield
Stewart played the first 45 minutes on the right side of midfield, the same slot he plays in the Netherlands for Willem II. Once he moved deep into his own half, where he won a tussle for the ball, started upfield, then knocked a pass up the flank for Wegerle. It ran out of bounds, yet most of the time that type of pass turned into an attack.
“I’ve always thought that’s the way we should play more often,” said Wegerle, who forced a rift between him and Milutinovic with such talk. “We’re more suited to that style, that’s the way most of us play in Europe.”
Wegerle came off at halftime because his foot had been stomped on, so Stewart moved up front and Jones took over at right half. Lalas replaced Brian Bliss and teamed up with Dooley in the middle, shifting Caligiuri to left back.
Klopas sent Stewart through to challenge Rufai, who charged out to block the shot with his chest and collide with Stewart as the ball bounded away. Stewart returned to action in obvious pain, yet when Burns fed him up the wing a few minutes later, he turned Ben Iroha into a knot before serving a low ball Dooley let run for Jones.
Nigeria pushed forward again after Jones scored, and nearly equalized in the most spectacular sequence of a match that had plenty of action.
Chukwu Ndukwe snuck a low shot past Brad Friedel that Lalas stopped, but Lalas then lunged to block Taiwo Enegwa’s attempt to jam it into the net. The clearance was fed to Okocha, who danced inside two defenders and blasted a rising shot Friedel parried brilliantly.
“I don’t think we played great, but we played well enough to win,” said Harkes. “We played three in midfield and it was a lot of work for us, a lot of tired legs. The best thing we could do was capitalize on counterattacks.”
It remains to be seen whether the new U.S. approach can work against the more organized defenses of Mexico and Colombia, not to mention those to be seen in the Copa America. Further up the road is next January’s Gold Cup, and then CONCACAF qualifying.
Results will take preference. But for entertainment value, this one got full marks.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney