FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template
Scotland will provide the toughest challenge yet for the United States’ 3-6-1 formation when the World Cup qualifiers meet here Saturday in a final tuneup before going to France.
The Americans, ranked 11th by FIFA, will try to hold an opponent scoreless for the fourth match in a row, which would equal the team record set in 1976. The US team beat Austria 3-0 drew 0-0 with Macedonia and beat Kuwait 2-0 in recent friendlies.
“Scotland will be a far better test for us, especially in their ability to close down defensively,” US coach Steve Sampson said Thursday. “It will be a great test for our midfield. The Scots will have to defend us.”
Using six midfielders and three defenders has enabled the Americans to shake their defensive-minded style and make aggressive attacks, a style midfielder Claudio Reyna relishes.
“We’re able to clog the middle for the opponents. There’s a lot of space to counter into,” he said. “It demands midfielders play up and get into dangerous positions. It gives me more freedom. I can take more risks getting forward.”
The Americans will challenge Scotland starting goaltender Jim Leighton. The 39-year-old veteran of three World Cups replaced Andy Goram when the 34-year-old Glasgow Ranger walked off the team Tuesday.
“We feel very confident about out chances,” Sampson said. “Even if we tie or lose but play well, I still think we can have a lot of confidence going into the World Cup.” Part of that belief has come since Sampson installed the 3-6-1. “In the last six weeks, you see a focus on these players wanting to play a faster, more technical style of soccer than they have in the past,” he said.
Reaching the US Soccer Federation’s goal of winning a World Cup by 2010 will depend more on how the Americans play in France than where they ultimately finish, Sampson said.
“If we play a more sophisticated, intelligent style of soccer, we will have grown as a soccer-playing nation,” he said. “What we can’t afford is to play miserable in this World Cup. We must prove we can hold the ball and play our style even against Germany and Yugoslavia.”
The Americans open June 15 against Germany and also face Iran and the Yugoslavs in first-round play.
David Regis, a Martinique-born Frenchman who became a US citizen last week, is likely to fill the final vacant spot on the US roster Sampson must submit to FIFA on Tuesday.
“I think it’s just a matter of time before I annouce David will be a part of this World Cup team,” Sampson said.
“His poise on the ball, his comfort technically, his speed to recover, ability to come out of the back, ability in the air, ability to create goal-scoring chances are all abilities we can use.”
Roy Wegerle is the likely forward starter but Eric Wynalda, recovering from knee surgery, will play 30 to 45 minutes Saturday and become the fourth US player with 100 caps.
The only US player missing is midfielder Frankie Hejduk, who injured a hamstring earlier this month. Sampson said Hejduk trained well Thursday. “I’m much more encouraged about his progress than I had been in the past few days,” Sampson said.
Sampson takes little encouragement from Germany’s 0-0 draw Wednesday at Finland, saying, “It’s not a true indication of what they can do.”