BY RIDGE MAHONEY
in Kingston, Jamaica
It was not business as usual at ''The Office'' Wednesday when the U.S. and Jamaica met for the fourth time in the National Stadium for a World Cup qualifier. This time, there were goals in addition to the frenzied play and an electrifying atmosphere.
After scoreless draws in 1988, 1997 and 2001, the match that opened the semifinal round of CONCACAF play ended, 1-1. In a game rife with opportunities yet few good shots, either team could have won.
The strife and animosity that often taint qualifiers in this region of the world were scarcely evident amid wind-wafted clouds of ganja smoke, gyrating cheerleaders fronting a blaring backdrop, about 27,000 fans swathed in yellow and green and two determined teams bonded by familiarity and respect.
Cobi Jones, showered and dressed just minutes after the final whistle, rushed out of the U.S. locker room to greet fellow Galaxian Tyrone Marshall. Fire teammates Damani Ralph and Chris Armas talked and embraced before boarding their team buses.
Jamaica had the flashier, more flamboyant moments, but much of its swashbuckling swagger went nowhere. The U.S. was crisper as a unit and sharper going forward yet woefully wasteful with the final touch until the final minutes.
Ian Goodison's bouncing header justified Jamaica's mTtier of raking dead balls targeted for soaring attackers, and Brian Ching's emphatic finish of a Landon Donovan layoff yielded a late, deserved equalizer with his first international goal in just his third U.S. match.
Keepers Kasey Keller and Donovan Ricketts seldom handled the ball, but they were kept busy screaming instructions and scuttling in all directions as crosses and through balls and runners penetrated their penalty areas.
The central defensive pair of Eddie Pope and Carlos Bocanegra were, in Coach Bruce Arena's words, ''rock-solid.'' Pope dominated in the air and several times rescued his mates with rapier-like tackles. Bocanegra ran several Jamaican dribblers into roadblocks, used the ball well and, by conceding jinks and touches to Ralph and Marlon King, usually chose the right moment to intervene.
Right back Frankie Hejduk hit his usual quota of wayward crosses and several times conceded his corner to Ricardo Gardner or Ralph, yet his tackles were tigerish and his pursuit relentless. On the other side, Greg Vanney also vanished at times, but avoided the catastrophic error that has marred otherwise solid showings in vital matches. Several of his left-footed serves deserved better fates.
Claudio Reyna, tidy and composed on the ball, rarely pushed far into the attack, which at times deprived Donovan and Brian McBride of options when pressure closed them down. Reyna and Armas busily intercepted passes and blocked dribbles, only to misfire on opportunities to prompt buildups and starve Jamaica of possession. A lack of sync restricted their chances to shore up the flanks, where Jamaica at times held sway.
Earnie Stewart's defensive work disrupted Jamaica, but several simple giveaways in his own half forced scrambled clearances by his teammates. When Jones replaced him in the second half, the U.S. regained the upper hand it had established during the latter portion of the first half.
Jamaica dictated play for about the first 20 minutes yet seldom stretched or cracked the U.S. back line. Crosses driven into the goalmouth by Gardner or Williams were repelled by Pope, and by collapsing in the middle the U.S. scraped balls off the feet of Williams and King before they could shoot. When they did launch shots at goal, Keller usually watched them zoom far over his head.
DaMarcus Beasley looked threatening nearly every time he received the ball in Jamaica's half of the field, but those occasions were rare before halftime. After Goodison scored in the 48th minute, Beasley broadened his efforts, and on his best surge veered inside and sliced through the middle on a 30-yard rush only to shoot a grounder right to Ricketts.
Right through the center is where Eddie Lewis chased a flick from Ching that Ricketts got a glove on as he and Lewis collided. Ching had replaced McBride on the hour mark, and a few minutes later a Vanney cross found him starkly unmarked, but he bounced his header wide of the post. Ching sank to his knees while covering his face in despair.
McBride had much the same reaction after Goodison had tucked just inside him to drive Williams' corner on the bounce and into the top corner, but in fairness the swerving serve was so sharp only a reading of Williams' mind or a pulling of Goodison's jersey could have prevented a goal.
Quakes teammates Ching and Donovan supplied a synergy lacking when McBride was on the field. Donovan isn't slighting the other Brian when he calls Ching a ''perfect'' partner; both are strong, mobile target forwards, but one plays for a club 6,000 miles from San Jose.
Strangely, a pattern of early misses followed by dramatic goals is becoming vintage Ching. He's done just that in several Quakes games this season; in July he admitted he's still regaining full fitness a year after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon that cut his 2003 season in half.
Jones, pesky and persistent, launched the cross that pinged off two defenders to Donovan. Not for the first time in this match did Donovan pass up a prime chance to shoot, but again Ching had yards of room, and he calmly settled Donovan's short ball with his left foot before roofing it with his right.
Williams said the tie felt like a loss; a few of the Americans beamed as if the point had been three. The U.S. did enough to win in a venue where Jamaica has seldom been beaten in the past decade.