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The smell of success

U.S. squad cooks Chile 2-1 for second win under Arena

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Posted: Monday February 22, 1999 08:10 AM

Ben Olsen (8) and Eddie Lewis (7) had plenty to smile about after scoring one goal each for the U.S. AP

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The U.S. national team said goodbye to captain Thomas Dooley and welcomed an encouraging glimpse into the future.

Ben Olsen and Eddie Lewis, two members of a massive youth movement under new coach Bruce Arena, scored their first international goals as the United States beat Chile 2-1 Sunday.

The result kept the Americans unbeaten in four games since Arena took over the national program, including a stunning 3-0 win over Germany two weeks ago in Jacksonville.

"I will miss being around the young players on the national team," said Dooley, a veteran of two World Cups who is ending his international career after 81 appearances.

"Otherwise I feel good about leaving space for younger players. I won't be around [for the 2002 World Cup], so it makes sense to step out at a high level."

The U.S. youngsters showed a superior level of play against Chile, taking another step in helping rid memories of the team's disastrous World Cup performance last year.

"It's a great feeling to get my first goal and help the team get another win," Olsen said. "We're on a roll and we want to keep it going."

Sunday's lineup included just four players from the squad that faced Germany. Still, it was good enough for the U.S. team's second win under Arena to go with two ties.

"This was a day where we gave our young players in our program another taste of international soccer," Arena said. "I think this result speaks well for our future."

Lewis broke a 1-1 tie in the 65th minute with a shot that deflected off Chilean defender Pablo Contreras. That came less than a minute after Chile's Roberto Cartes tied the game with a left-footed blast from 32 yards.

Olsen, who played for Arena last season at D.C. United, scored the game's opening goal in the 58th minute before 14,896 fans at Lockhart Stadium.

"Both Ben and I just slid into open spaces, not sure where the ball was going, and we made the most of it," Lewis said. "Today was an opportunity to prove that the Germany game was no fluke."

Chile coach Nelson Acosta fielded a team featuring six players getting their first international starts. The best of the group was 20-year-old midfielder David Pizzaro, who nearly caught U.S. goalkeeper Zach Thornton napping in the second minute with a 40-yard blast that forced a diving save.

Acosta said he was pleased despite the result, because Chile was playing just its second game since last summer's World Cup.

"This is a young team and we only had two days training together, so overall I'm happy," Acosta said.

The first half was remarkable only for the five yellow cards handed out by Mexican referee Pascal Rebolledo. By game's end, the teams had combined for 60 fouls and six cautions.

Lineups: