SOCCER: U.S. should get passports ready after latest win

Coach Bruce Arena wouldn’t say it afterwards, but that’s because he’s the coach. It can be said here – the United States men’s national soccer team is going to the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup.

Yeah, it isn’t official yet. Neither is the elimination of the Los Angeles Dodgers from the National League West race. But it’s done. Over. "Finito."

Let’s put is this way; should the U.S., somehow, not make the World Cup at the end of its 10-game qualifying schedule, it would be one of the most outstanding collapses in international soccer.

The American’s 1-0 win over Costa Rica in Kansas City wasn’t pretty; it wasn’t a work of art. But it was a World Cup qualifier, as has been said many times before. And in a qualifier, the mission is to get points. Not style points, either. Points, from the match.

The U.S. has nine from three matches. It has a five-point lead on every other country in the CONCACAF standings. And with its next two games against Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobagos, two teams that have been struggling to start off the qualifying, it’s not inconceivable — given the U.S.’ 3-0 mark so far — that the Americans could win those next two games and clinch qualification halfway through.

Wishful thinking? Of course. But who would have projected a win at Honduras? Or that Josh Wolff would be the team’s leading scorer in the qualifiers so far, along with Earnie Stewart? Or that Clint Mathis would be regarded as even more of a difference maker, offensively, than Claudio Reyna at this point of qualifying?

Arena deserves a part of the credit for his team’s start. He placed faith in Steve Cherundolo at the right back position for the last two games and has seen the youngster struggle at times, but still show the promise of better things to come. His work in balancing the goalkeeping situation for the U.S. also should get plaudits.

Brad Friedel was playing well for his club team in England, Blackburn Rovers, so Arena played him in the first two qualifiers while Kasey Keller sat on the bench and was not recalled. But with Friedel and Rovers in a race for promotion to the English Premiership, Arena called in Keller not to sit the bench, but to play.

And Keller did, making a number of key saves that only the best keepers make look routine. As pointed out by many afterwards, Keller’s positioning on every Costa Rica was textbook. Several times after Wolff’s goal, when the visitors were attacking and putting headers on goal, Keller made his catches almost routine. His clearances at the end of the game were spectacular, punts reaching nearly 85 yards, time-wasting at its frustrating, beautiful best.

Three qualifying games. One goal allowed. Friedel and Keller deserve, obviously, a lot of the credit for the saves that they have made in games. But the U.S. defense game plans wonderfully, using its strengths and negating its weaknesses, despite whatever an opponent tries to do otherwise.

The U.S., in the middle, has rocks in the form of Jeff Agoos and Carlos Llamosa. They are outstanding in the air and wonderful man markers. If there is one thing that they could possible be attacked on, it is their speed.

But the Americans do a terrific job of making teams move their attack out to the wings, where the best way to get on goal is to flight passes in. Well, with Agoos and Llamosa, even somebody like Tony Sanneh or Eddie Pope or whoever is in at the moment, the U.S. is rarely beat in the air in its defensive end. Forcing the attack out wide is the U.S. defensive game plan and lately, it has been a plan well executed.

The grand experiment, or what most American fans have been waiting to see, finally came up on Wednesday when Reyna and Mathis both played on the same field. They were solid, if not spectacular. Arena played Mathis as more of a forward position instead of dropping back as an offensive midfielder, allowing Reyna to be the creator. But in the next qualifier, will both of them play in the midfield instead of pushing Mathis into forward, if only in name only?

Why not? The Americans have nine points. There is now the littlest part of a comfort zone for the U.S. Going down to Kingston in June, why now go all-out attack and see what happens?

Of course, there is still the one question remaining — did Mathis commit a handball right before Wolff scored the game-winner?

The only certifiable answer is just as simple: turnabout is fair play. Last year, Costa Rica got a win over the U.S. at its home ground on a phantom handball call at the end of the game. This year, the result was different. The result has been different a lot for the U.S. this year. Things seem to be on the way up.