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DAEGU, South Korea (Ticker) -- In a battle of surprise Group D leaders, the United States and South Korea clash Monday knowing victory means a place in the second round. In the biggest upset of the World Cup so far, John O'Brien and Brian McBride helped the Americans jump out to a three-goal lead after just 36 minutes on Wednesday and then they held on to stun Group D favorite Portugal, 3-2. The U.S. won its first World Cup match in eight years. By contrast, the Koreans cruised to a 2-0 triumph over a surprisingly mediocre Poland side on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Hwang Sun Hong and Yoo Sang Chul. South Korea finally recorded its first World Cup victory in 15 attempts (1-10-4). However, both goal-scorers are trying to shake off injuries picked up in the Poland match. Hwang is bothered by a hip injury and Yoo suffered a knee injury. Unusually for teams in the same first-round group, the U.S. and South Korea will be meeting for the third time in seven months. On December 9 at Seogwipo, Yoo netted the lone goal in Koreans' 1-0 win over the Americans. Their second encounter came on January 19 in Pasadena, California in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup (South Korea was one of two guest nations invited to compete from outside of the region). Landon Donovan netted the opener in the 35th minute and DaMarcus Beasley scored his first international goal two minutes into injury time as the U.S. posted a 2-1 victory en route to winning the championship of North and Central America, and the Caribbean. However, the Americans are just 1-3-1 all-time against the Koreans. The U.S. beat Portugal, a semifinalist at Euro 2000, despite not fielding a pair of key offensive weapons. Claudio Reyna, the American captain and a midfielder with Sunderland of the English Premier League, was hobbled by a strained right quadriceps muscle. He is expected to be available on Monday. Meanwhile, Clint Mathis, the United States' most consistent offensive producer, was benched due to a lack of match fitness. U.S. coach Bruce Arena has been openly critical of the striker's dedication to re-gaining his fitness since recovering from a torn ACL. However, Mathis may be put back in the starting lineup due to injury. Earnie Stewart, the Americans' top scorer in qualification and the man who wore the captain's armband against Portugal, likely will not be available against South Korea due to a strained left groin. In the absence of Reyna and Mathis, a quartet of young players proved their quality on the world's biggest stage. Beasley and Donovan, a pair of 20-year-olds, 25-year-old defensive midfielder Pablo Mastroeni and 24-year-old midfielder John O'Brien had strong outings in the opening match. But one item the young Americans did not have to contend with against Portugal was a hometown crowd. Nicknamed the "Red Devils," South Korea's fans were remarkably loud throughout the 90 minutes against Poland, helping to boost their team. |
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