U.S. Goal in Game Against Paraguay Is Simply to Score
Where are the goals going to come from?
It’s a question Steve Sampson is being asked more frequently these days.
It’s a question he has even begun to ask himself.
Going into today’s match at noon against Paraguay at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, the World Cup-bound U.S team has been held scoreless for 295 minutes.
No goals against Mexico, the Netherlands or Belgium. No goals since Preki’s at the Los Angeles Coliseum against Brazil in the Gold Cup on Feb. 10.
Putting the ball in the net has caused the American team difficulty for years.
At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the United States managed to do so only twice--one goal by Paul Caligiuri against Czechoslovakia and another by Bruce Murray against Austria.
At the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., where Sampson was an assistant coach under Bora Milutinovic, the Americans again scored only twice--one goal by Eric Wynalda against Switzerland and one by Ernie Stewart against Colombia.
The Colombians even put one in their own net just to help out their goal-poor opponent.
Now, World Cup ’98 looms--the U.S. opener against Germany is three months from Sunday--and the U.S. still has not found the secret to unlocking opposing defenses. Or at least it has not found the players who can do it.
Wynalda is really the only U.S. forward who can truly be called a striker. With 32 goals in 97 games for the national team, the former San Diego State forward is far ahead of his nearest teammates.
But Wynalda has not scored in his last five games, his most recent goal coming against Cuba on Feb. 1.
That he and Sampson once again are not seeing eye to eye is not helping matters.
Wynalda sees his primary function as scoring goals. Sampson would like to see some defense out of him too. An experiment this spring playing Wynalda in midfield backfired and quickly was shelved.
But the goals still are not coming.
And comments made by Sampson about why forward Roy Wegerle’s goal production also has suddenly dried up did not go over well with Wynalda.
“I think that what I need to do is to assess why Roy Wegerle has not been as much of an impact player as he was in earlier games,” Sampson said before the loss to the Netherlands in Miami last month.
“And part of [it] is that he is spending so much time defensively in support of Eric that he’s been less productive game after game.
“So I have to do one of two things: Find someone else who will work with Eric or insist that Eric share more of the defensive burden so that Roy can play a higher position and be more goal-dangerous.”
Sampson paused, then voiced the third option.
“Or replace Eric in that position.”
The third option is not even worth talking about. As virtually the only U.S. player--other than Preki--who seems to know where the net is, Wynalda’s name is in ink on the starting lineup for France. As Preki’s should be.
What Sampson needs to do--and quickly--is find out how to best support and complement him.
Today’s game, live on Channel 7, will not help much in that regard.
With the European-based starters absent and the Washington D.C. United foursome of Wegerle, John Harkes, Eddie Pope and Jeff Agoos on MLS duty, the U.S. lineup is experimental.
Sampson has said he already knows 14 of his players for France, and that games such as this are to determine Nos. 15 through 22 on the U.S. roster.
The Galaxy’s Gregg Vanney is one of those who could make a late bid to be included in Sampson’s plans. He might play today at Agoos’ left back position.
But it’s not the defense that is the focus now. It’s the offense.
The last time the U.S. played Paraguay, in St. Louis on June 4, the game ended 0-0.
Is another scoreless game likely?
If not, where are the goals going to come from?
