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Last minute Olsen's late goal gives U.S. 1-1 tie with Tunisia
Posted: Monday March 13, 2000 12:17 AM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- John O'Brien's memory of the play was fuzzy. He does remember the ball dribbling off his right foot, and the expression on U.S. teammate Ben Olsen's face. "I saw that the ball was rolling straight toward Ben, and I saw a big smile coming up on his face," O'Brien said. "So I knew that ball was going in the net." Olsen drilled the shot two minutes into stoppage time to give the U.S. a 1-1 tie with Tunisia on Sunday. The tying goal came off a corner kick. Olsen kicked it toward the left goalpost, beating goalie Chokri El Ouaer. The referee ended the game seconds later. The tie in the exhibition game left the United States with a 3-1-2 record for 1999. The Americans next play Russia on April 26 at Moscow. This was the first time Tunisia's national team had played in the United States. The Americans start World Cup qualifying in September, while the Tunisians open next month against Mauritania. Maher Kanzari had given Tunisia a 1-0 lead in the 78th minute off a pass from Ali Zitouni. The United States outshot Tunisia 16-4.
Olsen had played 233 minutes in the United States' last five games, but hadn't managed a point. The United States was coming off a 2-1 loss to Colombia in a penalty-kick shootout. "Colombia was a big disaster for me," Olsen said. "This was an important goal for me. It was important for me to show well today and to show Bruce that I am still in it and can compete for a spot on the team." DaMarcus Beasley, the 17-year-old star from Fort Wayne, Ind., did not play. He was honored as Parade magazine's co-High School Player of the Year earlier in the day. "We had planned to use DaMarcus in the match, and if the game had been tied at the end he would have played," Arena said. "With us down 1-0, that is not the kind of situation to put a young player into." U.S. midfielder Cobi Jones was held without a point for the first time in six games. He had been the first American since Willie Roy in 1972 to score goals in three consecutive games. The first shot on goal came in the 43rd minute of the first half on a long shot by Eddie Lewis. The Americans had another scoring chance moments later. Chad Deering sent a chip shot just in front of the goal, but Lewis was called offsides. In the 54th minute, Ouaer beat Jones to a loose ball but his pass was intercepted by Jason Kreis. That gave Kreis a 1-on-1 shot at the goal, but the ball went straight into Ouaer's hands. The United States also had scoring chances in the 66th and 67th minutes. Brian McBride passed to Olsen, who kicked it back to McBride. McBride shot it toward the left corner of the goal. But Oauer knocked it out of bounds and stopped another Lewis shot after that. "We played much better in the second half than we did in the first," O'Brien said. "We moved the ball around much better and our players moved around much better. We deserved the result."
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