Tougher tests ahead

U.S. eases into 2003 with 4-0 thrashing of Canada

Pablo Mastroeni (25), challenging Atiba Hutchinson, later left with a calf injury. AP

ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- The next match figures to provide a bigger challenge for the United States men's national soccer team.

The United States extended its unbeaten streak to nine matches by overwhelming Canada 4-0 in a friendly international on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On Feb. 8, the Americans will get a truer test of their progress down the road in Miami against South American power Argentina.

After earning its best World Cup performance in 72 years in 2002, Bruce Arena is preparing his team for two big tournaments this summer -- the Confederations Cup in France and the Gold Cup regional championship in the U.S.

Then in 2004 comes the chance to achieve what Arena called his only goal when he recently signed a new contract -- the start of CONCACAF's qualifying tournament for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

On Saturday, the Americans picked a relatively untested team -- and the Canadians ever more so -- for a game that attracted a crowd of 6,549 to Lockhart Stadium.

Stats Summary    USA  CAN  Shots  11  9  Saves  4  3  Corner Kicks  5  6   Fouls  15  20   Offside  2  7

Defender Carlos Bocanegra headed in a Bobby Convey corner in the seventh minute to claim his first international goal.

Clint Mathis doubled the U.S. lead in the 30th minute before debutant Chris Klein added the third goal two minutes later.

Second-half substitute Steve Ralston completed the scoring for the Americans after 61 minutes, volleying in a pass from Landon Donovan to grab his first international goal.

Canada did little in attack and went closest to scoring in the 65th minute when substitute Rob Friend's shot was deflected wide by Nick Rimando.

The Americans had not scored as many as four goals against Canada since 1926. And Bocanegra, Klein and Ralston got on the board for the first time.

"Obviously, we don't think just because we beat Canada 4-0 that we'll beat Argentina 4-0 in our next match," said man of the match Landon Donovan. "We're not fit and we have work to do."

The match was the first of the year for the U.S., which is rebuilding after an unlikely trip to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Arena, who called in an exclusively MLS-based squad for the contest, started several players with only a handful of caps in an effort to test his young talent.

Canada's lineup, thinned by the absence of Tomas Radzinski and an injury to Dwayne Derosario, featured seven members of the under-23 team, four of whom started.

But where the American youngsters had a great deal of top-level professional experience, the Canadians did not. And that lack of experience showed as the U.S. methodically picked them apart up top with an attack spearheaded by Donovan.

Bobby Convey, the newly crowned young male athlete of the year for U.S. Soccer, made his mark on the national team in the seventh minute when he served a corner into Bocanegra, who headed it smartly home for a 1-0 lead. The corner was set up when Lars Hirschfeld denied Donovan's point-blank shot with a nice diving save that showed some of the form learned at Premiership club Tottenham.

Mathis padded the lead when Donovan fed him a great ball from the right flank in the 31st minute, which the captain finished from 10 yards with clinical precision.

"I saw the play early and ran onto it," Donovan said. "Clint yelled to me and I played the ball to him, and I know when you get the ball to Clint in that position that he will score more often than not."

Along with his eight career assists, the 26-year-old Mathis now has amassed an impressive 30 points in just 27 appearances and moved into the top 10 all-time U.S. scoring list.

On the ensuing restart, Canada had the ball stolen at midfield, giving Klein a clear run at goal. He buried the shot past Hirschfeld to put the United States on top 3-0. Klein almost added one two minutes later on another broken play when he snarled a ball away from Hirschfeld and fed DaMarcus Beasley. But the young midfielder skied it over the net.

Ralston, who entered for Klein at halftime, got his first international goal in the 61st minute, again with a little help from Donovan. Ralston only had to run onto the goal to get Donovan's impeccable service and finish the scoring.

For Canada, it was a long night, with only Rob Friend providing fireworks. Taken by Chicago in the third round of Friday's MLS draft, Friend launched a rocket from 35 yards in the 62nd minute that forced 'keeper Nick Rimando to make the only challenging save of the game.

"We took them out of the game early, and that is what you want to do," said Donovan after the match. "We have a lot of good young players on this team and they did well. Ben Olsen is back and playing very well, so that helps us, and Bobby [Convey] did a great job doing what he had to to be on the field and contribute."

Convey lined up as left back for the U.S. alongside Dan Califf, Carlos Bocanegra and Sasha Victorine, marking the first time that he had ever started a professional or international game on defense.

The victory for the U.S. improved their lifetime record against Canada to 10-8-8 dating all the way back to 1925. The U.S. is 6-0-4 in their last 10 games against its northern neighbors, recording eight shutouts in the last nine meetings. The four-goal outburst marked the first time the U.S. had scored as many as four goals against Canada since back-to-back 6-1 victories in 1925 and 1926.

The U.S. resumes training camp on Jan. 26 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in preparation for a pair of upcoming friendlies. The U.S. will host two-time World Cup champion Argentina on Feb. 8 at the Orange Bowl at noon ET live on ESPN2 before travelling south to face Jamaica just four days later at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Summary

Scoring: USA - Carlos Bocanegra (Bobby Convey) 7th minute. USA - Clint Mathis (Landon Donovan) 31. USA - Chris Klein (Jeff Cunningham) 32. USA - Steve Ralston (Landon Donovan) 61.

Lineups:

USA - 18-Tim Howard (24-Nick Rimando, 46); 15-Bobby Convey (16-Pete Vagenas, 68), 4-Carlos Bocanegra, 2-Dan Califf, 12-Sasha Victorine (3-Nick Garcia, 77); 25-Pablo Mastroeni (8-Richard Mulrooney, 36), 7-DaMarcus Beasley, 17-Chris Klein (13-Steve Ralston, 46), 21-Landon Donovan; 9-Clint Mathis (Capt.; 11-Taylor Twellman, 68), 20-Jeff Cunningham (14-Ben Olsen, 46).
Subs not used: none.

CAN - 1-Lars Hirschfeld; 3-Carl Fletcher, 4-Tony Menezes (Capt.), 5-Richard Hastings; 6-Chris Pozniak, 7-Atiba Hutchinson, 8-Daniel Imhof, 2-Tam Nsawila, 10-David Xausa (16-Rob Friend, 62); 9-Sita-Taty Matondo (15-Chris Williams, 68), 11-Maycoll Canizalez.
Subs not used: 22-Pat Onstad, 12-Kevin Harmse, 13-Marco Reda, 14-Winston Marshall.

CNNSI.com wire services contributed to this report.

 

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