USMNT WC'02 highlights [R]

[mickhayafe]

I've made a Highlight DVD of WC'02, and it's awesome, during some downtime on BS, I'ld like to get your takes on the goals and plays of the US games during the WC, so I'm going to do a sort of a mini PbP, just of the plays that were important.

Hopefully it will be a little educational for those who either didn't see the games, forgot the details and would like to remember, or those of us who would like to relive the goals :)

Your comments and analisys would be appreciated, as always.

[mickhayafe]

USA - PORTUGAL

Formations:

USA 4-4-2

-----------McBride--------Donovan-------------
-----------------------------------------------
Beasley-----JOB-------Mastroeni----Stewart----
-----------------------------------------------
Hejduk-----Agoos------Pope---------Sanneh----
-----------------------------------------------
------------------Friedel-----------------------

Portugal 4-4-2

----------Pauleta----------Pinto----------------
-------------------Rui Costa--------------------
Figo---------------------------------Conceicao-
-------------------Petit------------------------
------------------------------------------------
Jorge-----Couto---------Jorge Costa----Beto----
------------------------------------------------
---------------------Baia-----------------------

[mickhayafe]

Friedel launches the ball downfield at the start of the 3rd minute, McBride goes up for to head the ball, gets fouled by Couto, about 38 yards from the goal.

Stewart takes the free kick, drives it hard into the box, it gets deflected by a Portugal defender out for a corner kick.

Stewart takes the corner kick, he drives the ball to the center of the box, McBride heads the ball towards goal, Baia makes the save, but bats the ball away to his right right to the feet of JOB, who kicks it up into the net from point blank range.

USA leads 1-0

[mickhayafe]

29th minute:

McBride draws another foul about 45 yards from goal, on the left wing. Agoos launches the ball into the box, the ball bounces thru, and the Portugal defense picks it up. Donovan gives some pressure on the ball and the defense gives it up on the top right corner of the box to Sanneh. the Defense clears the ball right to Donovan who is on the right wing and he crosses the ball into the box, it deflects off of the head of the Portugal defender who is in front of him. Baia is cheating off his line and the deflection goes in.

the US leads 2-0

[mickhayafe]

36th minute:

Donovan makes a nice pass to Sanneh who is running up the right wing, he crosses the ball into the box, beautifully, there are two Portugal defenders in the box with McBride in the middle of them, the cross is perfect to McBride and he heads it into the net.

USA lead is now 3-0

[Justin Z]

I remember after the game that McBride said he and Sanneh used to run that little play back in their USL days, I think. He fakes like he's going to the near post and then cuts to the far post. So awesome to think a trick that worked "a hundred times" in minor league soccer worked on the sport's biggest stage.

~Justin

[mickhayafe]

this was one of the teams that was supposed to go "All the way" along with Argentina. Lets hope that the USA doesn't get picked to go all the way in WC '06 ;)

[mickhayafe]

39th minute:

Figo takes a corner kick, Agoos is defending against Beto, he goes over Agoos to head the ball down towards goal, it comes to JOB's foot, he clears the ball right back to Beto's foot, he in turn kicks it into the goal.

USA leads 3-1

[obewan]

You'll probably need to put something about obewan jumping up and down in his living room while trying not to scream and wake his 2 year-old son! :eek:

Someone provide some play-by-play on Mathis' goal against S. Korea...where he stopped it on a dime then buried it without hesitation.

[seahawkdad]

...or Seahawkdad sitting in his hotel room bed with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks.

I'll never forget that game.

[mickhayafe]

71st minute:

Portugal set up around the box, Pauletta gets the ball on the right, he crosses the ball towards Joao Pinto, Agoos is in front of Pinto, he goes to strike the cross out of danger, but puts it in the net, an own goal

USA leads 3-2

[mickhayafe]

2 minutes and 25 seconds past the 90 minute mark, the ref blows the whistle, game over

USA 3 - 2 Portugal

[mickhayafe]

USA - S.Korea

Formations:

USA 4-4-2

----------McBride-----Mathis--------------
-------------------------------------------
Beasley----JOB--------Reyna-----Donovan-
------------------------------------------
Hejduk----Agoos------Pope-------Sanneh--
------------------------------------------
---------------Friedel----------------------


S. Korea 3-4-3

---------Seol---------------Hwang--------
-----------------Park----------------------
Eul Y Lee---Yoo------Nam Il Kim ----Song--
------------------------------------------
---Tae Y Kim-----Hong-------Jin C Choi----
------------------------------------------
-----------------Woon J Lee--------------

[mickhayafe]

24th minute:

JOB dribbles the ball upfield after getting away from a defender, he sees Mathis breaking through at the top of the box, he makes a perfect lob over the defense , Clint settles the ball with one his right foot, then shoots with his left, Goal

USA 1 - 0 S. Korea

[HartwickFan]

I remember after the game that McBride said he and Sanneh used to run that little play back in their USL days, I think. He fakes like he's going to the near post and then cuts to the far post. So awesome to think a trick that worked "a hundred times" in minor league soccer worked on the sport's biggest stage.

~Justin

Yes, I remember reading the same thing and thinking how cool that was. I think McBride and Sanneh played together on the Milwaukee team. It was such a beautiful goal -- Sanneh served in a splendid cross, and McBride finishing with the spectacular diving header. It still blows my mind when I think about what an incredible WC Sanneh had.

[mickhayafe]

39th minute:

S. Korea has a free kick from an Agoos foul 30 yards from goal, right up the middle, Yoo takes the free kicks, the ball gets passed to Eul Y Lee, he lobs it into the middle of the box to a S. Korean player who is open 10 yards out because of a screen by Agoos and the player he is marking. He shoots 1 v Friedel, and Friedel makes the save. Agoos was called for a foul in the middle of the box,though. the Defender he was marking fell down, with Agoos close behind, the ref gives him a yellow card, questionable call at best. Eul Y Lee takes the Penalty Kick, shoots left, FRIEDEL SAVES THE P.K. Awesome. Pope comes in to clear the rebound successfully

still USA 1-0

[mickhayafe]

77th minute:

Donovan gets called for a foul, free kick for S. Korea from 43 yards out. E Y Lee serves it into the middle of the box, Ahn, who came in as a sub goes up to head the ball over Agoos and into the net.

In celebrating, the S. Koreans make as if they are speed skating, still bitter from the Winter Olympics

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

The [R] in this thread is amusing!:)

[FirstStar]

Mmmmm. . . many good memories, although I'm going to skip the next bit about the Poland game (and that horrible, horrible call on LanDo that negated a goal).

A few things about Portugal - Baia makes an amazing save against McBride off of Stewert's corner, but the cost is that he tangles with Jao Pinto and both of them tumble to the ground . . . wide open net for JOB who leaves no doubt, hitting the ball high into the goal directly over the prostrate Pinto.

On LanDo's goal (I still think it's only an own-goal because of the way he acted after it went in, clearly he meant to bank it off Costa's head) . . . Baia gets a finger on the ball, probably the final touch necessary to ensure that the ball goes in the net. Maybe the greatest fluke goal in WCF history.

I can (and have) watched those 37 minutes of soccer over, and over, and over. It never gets old.

[mickhayafe]

Mmmmm. . . many good memories, although I'm going to skip the next bit about the Poland game (and that horrible, horrible call on LanDo that negated a goal).

How do you think I feel, I have to watch it over and over and do the PbP :)