Friday, November 10, 2000 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: With two training sessions scheduled, Friday will prove to be the most physically demanding day of training for the United States as it prepares for the crucial World Cup qualifying match against Barbados next Wednesday, November 15 (airing live on espn2 at 2:00 PM ET and rebroadcast at 10:00 PM the same night). With a win in Barbados, the United States will guarantee its advancement to the next round of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. The Barbados match on Nov. 15 will mark the final match for the United States in semifinal Group “E” qualifying for the 2002 World Cup. The USA can also advance if Guatemala does not defeat Costa Rica at home on the same day. The USA stands second in the four-team group with one game to play, two points behind Costa Rica and ahead of Guatemala by a single point. The top two teams from each of the three semifinal qualifying groups will advance to the next round, where CONCACAF’s three representatives for the 2002 World Cup will be determined. Below are the scenarios that will see the U.S. advance to the final World Cup qualifying stage: 1) a U.S. victory over Barbados; or 2) a Guatemala loss to Costa Rica; or 3) a Guatemala tie against Costa Rica (provided the U.S. does not lose to Barbados by five goals). Q&A with Tony Meola: Q: What are your thoughts as you put the cap on a fantastic year? MEOLA: Hopefully it ends the same way it began, with a win. It’s an exciting way for me to close out the year. It’s been 11 years since I’ve been involved in a World Cup qualifier, so this is all a little strange to me, but I’m excited to be here and I think we’ll do well on Wednesday. Q: What do you remember from your experiences on that day in Trinidad & Tobago in 1989 when the USA advanced to its first World Cup in 40 years? MEOLA: We were a young bunch of guys that were determined to do well, but we were pretty naive in terms of world soccer. But we did what most people thought we couldn’t do, and for U.S. Soccer that’s been the case for so many years now. Every time we do something big it seems like we’re the only people who notice and believed we could do it. Q: Did you realize the magnitude of the T&T game at the time? MEOLA: We had no idea how big it really was at the time. We had no idea how it would affect the world soccer scene and especially the 1994 World Cup. Had we lost that game in Trinidad, there’s a good chance the 1994 World Cup wouldn’t have had the same impact on soccer in the United States. Q: How far has the national team program come since that Trinidad game in 1989? MEOLA: The biggest change is the size of the player pool. Back then we had 22 guys, but not all of them were ready to play. Now, with MLS and guys playing in top leagues overseas, there are 40 or 50 guys who are ready to play every game. Bruce has a chance to pick from a much bigger and talented player pool.