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One step closer Albright boots pair of goals in U.S. win
Posted: Monday April 24, 2000 12:37 PM
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) -- Chris Albright scored two of his team's three goals as the United States defeated Honduras 3-0 in the final round of Olympic soccer qualifying from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The United States, losers of its last two matches against Honduras, avenged those earlier defeats. The last time the two teams met, Honduras defeated an inexperienced U.S. team in the opening rounds of the 1999 Pan-American Games, and fell to Honduras in the 1995 Pan-American Games. Albright, a forward for the defending Major League Soccer champion D.C. United, put the United States ahead at 36:23 into the game, when midfielder Ben Olsen gathered up a loose ball and sprinted up the right sideline, passing the ball ahead to Albright, who was racing alongside Olsen. Olsen blasted a shot past Honduran goalkeeper Belarmino Rivera and into the right side of the net. "I was going to go for the ball first, but Benny is better at handling and passing the ball, so I figured I would try to get on the end of it," Albright said. "I just made a run near post, and he played a beautiful ball and I just got my foot on it." U.S. goalkeeper Adin Brown was spectacular in the opening minutes of the second half, stopping shots from Honduran forwards Orvin Cabrera and Luis Ramirez from directly in front in succession. Brown credited his defense for stopping the Honduran attack. "They played real well," Brown said of his defenders. "I only had to deal with three or four shots from about 30 or 40 yards out, and you're going to deal with them all the time. They're pretty regular shots." Brown had two saves in the game. Albright recorded his second goal at the 76:40 mark, pouncing on John Thorrington's shot, which deflected off Rivera and directly to Albright, who placed it in the left side of the goal. Thorrington added the final U.S. goal when Olsen delivered him a pass for his second assist of the game from ten yards in front of the Honduran goal. Honduras plays Canada in a second round matchup on Sunday, while the United States will take on Canada on Tuesday at 8 p.m. With a win over Canada, the United States can reach the semifinals of the qualifying tournament on April 28. A win in the semifinals will ensure the team a trip to Sydney. "Well, it was good to get that one under our belts, wasn't it?," said U.S. coach Clive Charles. "I thought the boys played well tonight. Adin was absolutely outstanding in goal and our substitutions worked out well for us." Venue: Hersheypark Stadium - Hershey, Pa.
Scoring Summary:
USA - Chris Albright (Ben Olsen) 37th minute.
Lineups: USA - 1-Adin Brown; 12-Ramiro Corrales, 2-Brian Dunseth (capt.), 3-Chad McCarty, 21-Steve Cherundolo; 13-DaMarcus Beasley (8-John Thorrington, 67), 10-Peter Vagenas (15-Brian Winters, 73), 16-John O'Brien, 14-Ben Olsen; 22-Conor Casey (16-Josh Wolff, 80), 9-Chris Albright. HON - 22-Noel Valladares; 8-Jamie Rosales, 4-Junior Izaguirre, 5-Elmer Montoya (11-Orvin Cabrera, 46), 19-Danilo Turcios; 2-Ivan Guerrero, 7-Maynor Suazo, 17-Mario Chirinos (13-Carlos Oliva, 69), 3- Hector Gutierrez (16-Hesler Phillips, 46); 18-Francisco Pavon, 14-Luis Ramirez.
Statistical Summary:
USA HON
Shots 17 7
Saves 5 7
Corner Kicks 8 4
Fouls 20 9
Offside 2 2
Misconduct Summary: HON - Mario Chirinos (caution) 34th minute.
Referee: Peter Pendergast
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