On This Day in 2003, the US Scored Their Lone Goal at the Confederations Cup, Claiming Just One Point in Group Play
The summer of 2003 found American soccer in a familiar situation. Less than a year removed from their stunning quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, the United States Men's National Team carried both the weight of expectation and the burden of proving their breakthrough wasn't merely a fluke. As they prepared to depart for France and the FIFA Confederations Cup, coach Bruce Arena faced a familiar challenge: convincing the soccer world that American players belonged among the elite.
"We always have to prove something. People always think Americans can't play soccer," said Landon Donovan on the eve of the tournament. "That's always motivation for us."
The timing couldn't have been worse. Coming just one year after the World Cup, the Confederations Cup caught many teams at their most vulnerable. Arena acknowledged the difficulty, noting that "having the Confederations Cup following the World Cup the next year is difficult. Many players have had a long year." Several key European-based players—goalkeeper Kasey Keller, midfielder John O'Brien, and defender Tony Sanneh among them—were unavailable, forcing Arena to rely heavily on Major League Soccer players who were relatively fresh but largely untested at this level.
The eight-nation tournament would pit the Americans against formidable opposition: World Cup semifinalist Turkey, defending champion Brazil, and African Cup of Nations champion Cameroon. For Arena, who had guided the team to their historic World Cup quarterfinal, it represented both an opportunity and a risk. "We believe when we step on the field we're capable of beating any team in the world," he declared, though privately he understood the stakes.
On the evening of June 19 in Saint-Etienne, the Americans opened their Confederations Cup campaign against Turkey, a team that had finished third at the previous year's World Cup. Both nations were seeking to prove their World Cup success wasn't accidental, setting up what promised to be a fascinating tactical battle. The Americans started brightly, showcasing the kind of pace and directness that had troubled opponents in Korea and Japan. In the 36th minute, they seized the initiative through a moment of pure American athleticism. Tim Howard's goal kick found Donovan streaking down the left flank, where he ran uncontested before delivering a perfectly weighted cross into the penalty area. DaMarcus Beasley, timing his run to perfection, outjumped defender Ibrahim Uzulmez and planted a firm header past goalkeeper Omer Catkic for a 1-0 lead.
For those brief moments, the Americans might validate their newfound status. But Turkey's response was swift and clinical, exposing the defensive vulnerabilities that would plague the U.S. throughout the tournament. Just three minutes after falling behind, the Turks earned a penalty when Danny Califf and captain Frankie Hejduk converged on Tuncay Sanli in the penalty area, bringing him down in a moment of miscommunication that would prove costly. Okan Yılmaz stepped up to take the penalty, facing Tim Howard, a 24-year-old goalkeeper making his international tournament debut. Howard guessed correctly, diving to his right, but Yılmaz's placement was perfect. The stadium erupted as Turkey leveled the score.
The Americans had weathered Turkey's immediate response, but their defensive frailties would be exposed again in the 70th minute. A penetrating pass from Volkan Arslan found Sanli in the center of the penalty area, and Howard, playing just his seventh international match, made a fateful decision to rush off his line. Unable to reach the ball in time, Howard stumbled as Sanli calmly went wide and rolled the ball into the open net. The 2-1 defeat left Arena frustrated with his team's collective performance. "I thought over 90 minutes, Turkey was the better team today," he admitted. "We had a bunch of players with subpar performances, and you can't get away with that. You like to see in these type of games, on a given day two or three players aren't playing their best, but today it was five or six players, and that impacted us."
The loss extended a troubling trend for American soccer in Europe. The defeat marked the team's eighth consecutive loss on European soil since beating Austria in April 1996, a stark reminder of the challenges American players faced when crossing the Atlantic. But against Brazil on June 21, individual mistakes were magnified exponentially. In the 22nd minute, what should have been a routine defensive clearance became the game's decisive moment. Defender Gregg Berhalter, with ample time and space in the center of defense, inexplicably failed to clear the ball cleanly. Brazilian forward Adriano pounced on the error, stripping Berhalter of possession and firing a point-blank shot that Howard managed to deflect. However, the rebound fell kindly for Adriano, who buried the second chance from 14 yards.
"It was a real amateur error," Berhalter admitted afterward, his frustration evident. "When you do that against a team like Brazil or Germany, you are going to pay. And that's what happened."
Despite the early setback, the Americans showed greater heart and organization than they had against Turkey. Howard was outstanding in goal, making a series of spectacular saves to keep his team in the contest. Late in the first half, Clint Mathis nearly equalized with a 25-yard free kick that hooked just wide of the post. In the 61st minute, Steve Cherundolo's superb through ball put Donovan in on goal, but Brazilian goalkeeper Dida managed to hold onto the shot.
The 1-0 defeat, while disappointing, represented progress in Arena's eyes. "This was a much-improved effort from our team compared to the Turkey game," he said. "We're disappointed with the result, but very happy with the improvements in our team."
However, the mathematics was cruel. Coupled with Cameroon's victory over Turkey, the loss eliminated the Americans from the tournament with one match remaining—a bitter pill to swallow on the fifth anniversary of their elimination from the 1998 World Cup. With nothing left to play for but pride, the Americans faced Cameroon in their final group match on June 23. The African champions had already secured their place in the semifinals, but Arena saw an opportunity to blood more young players and salvage something from the tournament.
The performance was spirited and attack-minded, showcasing the potential that Arena believed existed within his expanded player pool. Kyle Martino, making his first international start, was the catalyst for much of the American creativity. In the 36th minute, his perfectly weighted pass put Bobby Convey through on goal, forcing Cameroon goalkeeper Eric Kwekeu into a fine save. Martino continued to impress, nearly scoring a spectacular opener in the 51st minute when his 25-yard effort required Kwekeu's save of the tournament to keep it out. Two minutes later, however, Martino's tournament ended prematurely when a reckless challenge from Thimothee Atouba left him with a severely sprained ankle. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, giving the Americans their first point of the tournament.
"I thought overall we played very well," Arena reflected. "We have seen in the previous two games: our young players started very nervous, but Martino started strong and his passing was very good."
The final tally—zero wins, one draw, two losses—told only part of the story. The Americans had been eliminated without advancing from the group stage, but Arena viewed the tournament through a different lens entirely. For him, the Confederations Cup had served its primary purpose: evaluating talent and providing crucial international experience to a new generation of players. Arena, who had looked at more than 70 players before the 2002 World Cup, now had even more options and depth than any previous American coach.
The 2003 Confederations Cup had ended in disappointment, but it marked another step in American soccer's ongoing evolution. With World Cup qualifying on the horizon and the Gold Cup just weeks away, Arena had learned valuable lessons about his expanding talent pool. The Americans had once again faced the challenge of proving themselves on European soil. While they fell short of their goals, they had gained something more valuable: experience and perspective that would serve them well in the crucial matches ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment