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Win or bust U.S. must beat Jamaica or risk elimination
Updated: Saturday October 06, 2001 9:31 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Three months ago, the United States was on the verge of advancing to the World Cup. Going into Sunday's qualifier against Jamaica, the Americans still haven't made it. Three consecutive losses put the United States in pretty close to a must-win situation going into the game at Foxboro, Mass. "I would say that we were a bit complacent over the last two or three games," U.S. head coach Bruce Arena said this week. "Many players believed what they read in the papers, that we were basically in after having 13 points in 15 games," he added. "We stepped back a little bit. I think we lost our focus and may have lost sight of our roles on the team, and the coach did a lousy job." After a 4-0-1 start in the final round, the Americans have lost three qualifiers in a row for the first time in 29 years, dropping from first to fourth in the standings of the North and Central American and Caribbean region. By beating Jamaica (2-4-2) and winning at Trinidad and Tobago (0-7-1) on Nov. 11, the United States would be assured one of the region's three berths in next year's tournament in Japan and South Korea. Without two wins, the Americans would need missteps by both Mexico (4-3-1) and Honduras (4-2-2). "I think the most important thing now is we can learn from the three games that we lost," U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said. "The main thing is to just tidy up defensively as a whole team." Reyna missed all three losses, the first because of a suspension and the others because of a groin injury that sidelined him from Aug. 22 to last Sunday. Also back from injuries are forward Ante Razov and midfielder John O'Brien. Not that the U.S. team is completely healthy. Brian McBride, Clint Mathis and Josh Wolff -- three top offensive players -- are still injured and aren't expected back this year. But Reyna appears to be the key factor, controlling the U.S. midfield and the flow of play. The Americans are 5-1-2 in qualifiers for next year's tournament when he's in the lineup, 2-3-1 when he's not. "If Claudio is playing he'll be the main focus for us," Jamaica midfielder Andy Williams said. "If Clint and Josh weren't injured, our task would be much greater." Despite all the tumult of late, the Americans remain confident they'll qualify by overtaking Mexico or Honduras, who play each other Nov. 11. If they don't, U.S soccer won't have another big game until 2004, when qualifying for the 2006 tournament begins. "To be honest with you, we haven't developed a passion for the game yet in this country," Arena said. "In order to gain a passion, an improved passion, we need to continue to qualify for the World Cup. It would not be a crisis if we did not, but if we ultimately want to be a soccer-playing country that's on par with the many other great soccer-playing countries, we need to continue to make progress."
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