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Throw-Ins U.S. gets hosed in San Jose, losing to Costa Rica
Unless defender Gregg Berhalter grew a third arm on his face, there is no question the United States got hosed in Costa Rica on Sunday. If that was a handball, then I am the president of CONCACAF or FIFA. Then I would do whatever it was in my power to ensure that referee Peter Prendergast of Jamaica would never officiate another important international match after that flubbed and embarrassing call. Mr. Prendergast, who obviously is overdue for his annual eye examination, missed Frankie Hejduk's ill-advised tackle on Austin Perry in the penalty area minutes earlier -- that was a legitimate penalty kick -- and obviously had to save face with a rather dubious decision on a make-up call in stoppage time of what turned into a tainted 2-1 Costa Rican victory. The U.S. has less than a month to seethe and more importantly, plan and lick its wounds for its Aug. 16 encounter against Barbados in Foxboro. The pressure will be on the Americans to win their next three home games to get back into the picture. It's too early to panic, because it can be done. After all, the U.S. hasn't lost at home since May 1985.
But now there is little room for error the rest of the way. A tie in any of those three matches could be devastating for the United States' chances. A loss? That would be unthinkable. But as we have discovered in World Cup qualifying, many strange things can happen in the world of CONCACAF -- or the Football Confederation, or whatever it's called. If the U.S. somehow fails to get out of this semifinal round, it will be quite an embarrassment for all of American soccer and a low point in modern times, even if you count Sunday's proceedings. The best remedy to avoid these disappointing and controversial finishes with questionable referees would be to build a big enough lead to eliminate any funny stuff near the end of the match. That means scoring a few goals, an obvious weak point for the U.S. So, coach Bruce Arena has to pray to the soccer gods that a pair of key attacking players who have been sidelined with injuries -- Brian McBride and Joe-Max Moore -- heal quickly and stay healthy. If the U.S. can field its optimum lineup, it should be more than competitive. It's the depth, or the lack of it, that hurts, especially when you lose veteran defenders such as Eddie Pope and Robin Fraser to injuries. You need calm minds back there when your goal is under siege or when the enemy hits you with a counterattack or two. The U.S. gave away two points in the final minutes in Guatemala last week, but the Americans deserved a point in this match. No one ever said the road to South Korea and Japan was going to be easy, although I don't think anyone would have predicted two consecutive road matches decided on calls or non-calls by the game officials in the waning minutes. Sunday's call left me incredulous. A couple of other quick thoughts about the match: Friday, July 21Divided loyalties for U.S.-Costa RicaAhead of Sunday's game, veteran college coach Arnie Ramirez, a Costa Rican by birth and a naturalized U.S. citizen, hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of what transpired at Saprissa Stadium during qualifying for the 1998 World Cup.U.S. players were pelted by batteries, mace and even bags of urine in their first encounter. After the U.S. complained about it, Costa Rica cleaned up its act in the second meeting between the teams. But sometimes memories are fleeting. "I just hope that there will be more security," said Ramirez, the longtime men's coach at Long Island University who is now the women's coach at Ramapo College. "It will be embarrassing for the nation if bags of urine and bottles are thrown. Because of the past incidents, security will be tighter." Ramirez was speaking from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where he is an instructor at the world-famous Tahuichi Soccer Academy, a youth soccer school that produced D.C. United's Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno, among others. Earlier this week, World Cup fever was at a high point before Bolivia took on Chile. "Government offices [were] closed for the game," Ramirez said. "There is such passion for soccer in Latin countries. They [Americans] don't understand. American people just go to the games and watch." Ramirez said the United States' path to South Korea and Japan could be a difficult one. "Teams are more balanced than ever in CONCACAF," he said. "Mexico can have a hard time. Guatemala is supposed to be not so strong this year. They lost in the Gold Cup, but they tied the U.S. Honduras has players who can play anywhere. "The motivation of beating the United States is there. The know now they have good players." When asked who was going to win on Sunday, Ramirez tried to be as diplomatic as possible. "Even though I'm from Costa Rica, I hope the U.S. qualifies," he said. "After the United States, I hope Costa Rica makes it." Chip shots
MLS, by the way, dodged a rather embarrassing bullet when fans did not vote players such as MetroStars defender Ramiro Corrales, who was among the leaders early in the voting, onto the team. Corrales doesn't even play regularly with the MetroStars any more.
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. His third book, Soccer For Dummies, was published this spring.
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