No one could have expected the start to the USA-Portugal game. Ahead by three goals after 36 minutes, the Americans held on for a shock win.
BEST PLAYER. Of several deserving candidates Brian McBride earns the honor of man of the match for besting tough-guy Fernando Couto, the Portugal captain.
McBride was usually the target for balls driven up the field by keeper Brad Friedel and the U.S. defenders. He regularly beat Fernando Couto to the ball and found teammates with his flicks and touches.
McBride adjusted well to Tony Sanneh's superb cross from deep in the corner to score the third goal. McBride was near the penalty spot as Sanneh struck the ball but quickly darted to the back post to meet the ball with a glorious flying header.
REVELATION. That one day DaMarcus Beasley's speed and skill would bring him success wasn't doubted by most observers.
But to turn the Portuguese defense inside out in a World Cup match just two weeks after his 20th birthday did raise some eyebrows, not to mention the transfer price MLS might demand.
The pre-Cup camp in North Carolina and three warmup matches in May elevated Beasley from a left-sided option to invaluable starter.
''We caught them by surprise in the first half scoring three goals,'' said Beasley. ''I don't think anybody in the world expected that. First World Cup, 20 years old, I feel great. Unbelievable.''
TURNING POINT. Rarely does a pivotal moment occur so early in the match, but the first U.S. goal not only rocked the Portuguese back on their heels and boosted the Americans, it confirmed the themes that would dictate the result.
McBride evaded Jorge Costa to drill a powerful header that keeper Victor Baia, hindered by teammate Petit on the goal line, could only parry. John O'Brien lashed the loose ball into the net at the far post, which Petit had left unattended.
McBride's aerial dominance was a factor throughout the game, as were Vitor Baia's shaky handling, Petit's ineffectiveness and O'Brien's influence at both ends of the field.
TACTICS. The U.S. had no intention of sitting back and defending for most of the match. It pressed forward after scoring its first and second goals to keep the momentum.
Luis Figo and Sergio Conceicao wanted no part of Beasley, who nipped at their heels to steal the ball and zoomed away from them when he got it.
Portugal could have gone after Pablo Mastroeni to test his inexperience, but playmaker Rui Costa took the ball wide when he did push forward.
Already wary of Figo and Sergio Conceicao on the flanks, the U.S. got numbers around the ball to shut down the Portuguese dribbling runs and break up passing combinations.
Tony Sanneh and Frankie Hejduk were rarely beaten one-on-one on the flanks, and thus Pedro Pauleta was seldom able to play one-twos within shooting range.
Joao Pinto, whom Arena named as Portugal's best player on the day, got through a few times on the dribble, yet the Portuguese attackers were usually a step out of sync. The Americans were generally able to scrape the ball out of danger.
The U.S. coaches had cited slowness in the back as a Portuguese weak point. An injury to right back Abel Xavier may have helped the U.S. cause. Although Abel Xavier is not a great defender, his athleticism could have been valuable against Beasley and Landon Donovan.
Beto, Abel Xavier's replacement at right back, scored on the rebound of his own header, but his failure to win balls opened up space and put more pressure on the central defenders, neither of which were nimble enough to deal with Donovan, Beasley or Earnie Stewart.
O QUE ACONTECEU? What happened to Portugal? Not until they were well behind did the Portuguese show any punch up front. Their defense scrambled to match the pace of Beasley and Donovan and the strength of McBride.
U.S. players believed they took Portugal by surprise. That theory seemed to be confirmed five days later when a much more focused Portuguese team destroyed Poland, 4-0.
Portugal coach Antonio Oliviera complained most of his players were exhausted after grueling European club campaigns and he had just two weeks to prepare them while the U.S. had six months.
A pre-World Cup camp on the island resort of Macau may have backfired. Many players treated it as a holiday and needed that first game against the U.S. to regain their competitive edge.
ERRORS. The USA-Portugal game was filled with tension, in part because of all the errors that meant anything was possible.
Many of the Portuguese mistakes were typical of players jaded, rusty or overconfident.
Just minutes after the first U.S. goal, Vitor Baia presented the Americans with a gift by punching a catchable free kick from Stewart into Donovan's legs. Pope pounced but shot the loose ball into the side netting.
Jorge Costa, under pressure from Donovan, played a terrible ball from his own byline that Sanneh intercepted on the edge of the penalty area.
Petit's tackle knocked the ball back to Donovan, who was beyond the last defender but not offside because the ball was played to him by an opponent instead of a teammate.
A couple of Portuguese players hesitated and raised their arms in the classic offside gesture. Donovan launched a cross that hit Jorge Costa and sneaked between Vitor Baia and the near post.
O'Brien inadvertently presented Beto with his goal by blocking with his right foot a header Friedel probably would have saved easily. Jeff Agoos gave Portugal its second goal by ''clearing'' a cross past Friedel with his right shin.
HISTORY. The stunning victory was compared with the 1950 World Cup win over England (1-0) and the 1994 triumph against Colombia (2-1), yet in neither match did the Americans control the ball with such stylish play for long periods.
Only twice before had an American team beaten a European foe in the World Cup: Belgium (3-0) in 1930 and England.
The Portuguese were hoping for history to repeat itself. They trailed North Korea, 3-0, after 25 minutes in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup before Eusebio responded with four goals in 32 minutes en route to a 5-3 victory. This time, their comeback bid fell short.
TRIVIA. Own goals for each team marked the first time more than one such goal been officially credited in the same World Cup game. FIFA last revised its own-goal criteria in 1997.
AIR(LESS) BALL. The Ferranova ball had come under criticism for its lightness, dull color and aerodynamic idiosyncrasies, but several of the balls used in the Portugal game had more basic problem: not enough air.
Several players complained, and referee Byron Moreno made a pumping motion at one point in the game to indicate what the problem was.
DELAY OF GAME. The second-half kickoff was delayed a minute – just long enough for broadcasters around the world to complain.
The Americans were quick to return to the field. The Portuguese players, in twos and threes, slowly made their way out. The delay was attributed to Figo, who just sat in the Portugal locker room.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney