U.S. in Must-Win Situation After Tying Costa Rica, 0-0

The United States moved one tiny step closer to qualifying for soccer’s 2002 World Cup Wednesday night when it held Costa Rica to a 0-0 tie in a regional qualifying match in Columbus, Ohio.

But the scoreless encounter in front of a sellout crowd of 24,430 at Columbus Crew Stadium also left the U.S. a little closer to potential elimination from the Japan/South Korea tournament.

By failing to beat Costa Rica, the Americans left themselves with a must-win situation in their final qualifying match, away to Barbados on Nov. 15, in order to advance to the next round.

The Costa Ricans, who were more tidy in their play Wednesday and whose passing combinations, ball control and possession were clearly superior, lead the four-nation group with 10 points.

The U.S. is in second place with eight points, Guatemala is third with seven points and Barbados is fourth with three points. Only two games remain in group play and only the top two teams advance. Guatemala is at home to Costa Rica in its final match, also Nov. 15.

If Guatemala wins and the U.S. loses or ties in Barbados, Guatemala will go through to the final six-nation qualifying round (in 2001), from which three teams will advance to the 2002 World Cup. The U.S. would be eliminated.

The Americans fielded a makeshift starting lineup against Costa Rica because three starters--Claudio Reyna, Earnie Stewart and Eddie Lewis--were suspended and two others--Eddie Pope and Brian McBride--were injured.

Coach Bruce Arena was serving the first game of a three-game suspension and watched the match from a glass-enclosed booth high in the stands. He appeared to have contact with his bench via walkie-talkie, however.

Both teams created several scoring opportunities in what turned out to be a tense, albeit disjointed game. The U.S. turned up the pressure in the final 20 minutes when Dave Sarachan, the acting coach, sent U.S. Olympic team players Josh Wolff, Chris Albright and Ben Olsen into the game in place of Cobi Jones, Jovan Kirovski and Tony Sanneh, respectively.

Costa Rica relied on the counterattack, but the combination of good defensive play, especially by Carlos Llamosa, and timely saves by goalkeeper Kasey Keller kept Paulo Wanchope, Hernan Medford and the rest of the Costa Rican attack at bay.

At the other end, powerful shots by Joe-Max Moore and Chris Armas were well saved by Costa Rican goalkeeper Alvaro Messen.

The missed opportunities make the U.S. team’s Nov. 15 match vital if it wants to take part in its fourth consecutive World Cup.

The U.S. overwhelmed Barbados, 7-0, Aug. 16 at Foxboro, Mass., but Barbados is a stronger team at home, as evidenced by its 2-1 upset of Costa Rica early in qualifying play.

*

In a qualifier at Helsinki, England, playing its first game since Kevin Keegan resigned as manager last week, looked just as disorganized in a 0-0 tie with Finland as it did in its 1-0 loss to Germany.

Germany tops Group 9 with six points. Finland has four and England one.

In another qualifier, Portugal beat host Netherlands, 2-0, at Rotterdam, with Pauleta scoring one goal and setting up another.

Portugal leads Group 2 with seven points. The Netherlands has four.