FRANCE 98 – Match preview n°44

Yugoslavia have done all the hard work, but they still need a point from their final Group F match against the United States on Thursday to be certain of a place in the second round of the World Cup. The Yugoslavs, playing in the World Cup for the ninth time and are two-time semi-finalists, beat Iran 1-0 in their tournament opener and then drew 2-2 with European champions Germany after squandering a two-goal lead.

The United States, already eliminated after a pair of dismal losses, should, on paper, pose no threat to the impressive Yugoslavs, but coach Slobodan Santrac is taking nothing for granted. ” If we want to be a good team we have to be more consistent, and that is what I am trying to tell my players, “ said Santrac. The Yugoslavs have three injury worries as a hangover from their draw with the Germans. Striker Darko Kovacevic has a thigh injury, midfielder Zelkjo Petrovic has a corked leg muscle and defender Miroslav Djukic has an injured right calf.

The Yugoslav players are not expecting a walkover against the Americans, who have a point to prove after suffering ridicule at home following their 2-1 loss to Iran. ” The match will be a difficult one,” said goalkeeper Ivica Kralj. “Any team that qualifies for the World Cup finals deserves respect and we were surprised they lost to Iran. We were expecting a draw or an American victory.”

Striker Predrag Mijatovic said the Yugoslavs were keeping their minds on the job in hand and not looking towards a possible second-round meeting with Holland. “We are staying cool-headed,” said the Real Madrid star. “Our aim is to reach the second round and it will be a match like any other when we play the United States. There’s no special emotion. We just want to play well.”

The Yugoslav players have played down talk of the political implications of the match. The United States is a fierce critic of Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, accusing the Yugoslavs of human rights abuses against ethnic Albanians in the Serbian province of Kosovo. “Don’t ask me if the match against the USA is of political interest,” said midfielder Petrovic. “The World Cup is about football, not politics. It’s all about sport to us.”

The Americans are making their third successive appearance in the finals but have failed to match their performance in reaching the second round four years ago, when they hosted the tournament. Coach Steve Sampson’s tactics have been naive and the Americans must be rueing his decision to omit experienced midfielder John Harkes, the former skipper and a midfield inspiration, from his 22-man squad.

The American squad is a combination of players from the domestic MLS competition and of players from around the world, some with tenuous American links. Defender David Regis, a Frenchman, plays in Germany and was only granted American citizenship last month as Sampson became aware of the flaws in his squad. Regis barely speaks English, while several other American players speak with accents, including South African-born midfielder Roy Wegerle and German-born defender Thomas Dooley. No fewer than seven of the American players were born overseas. Football is very much a secondary sport in the United States and the level of play of this side has demonstrated why. Americans love winners and particularly hate losing to foreigners. Thus, the performances of Team USA here could cause major harm to the image of the game back home.

Sampson, who is expected to be sacked when the squad returns to the US after Thursday’s game, has nonetheless mounted a fierce defence of his players. “We are out of the tournament but we have shown we know how to play football,” he said. “We’ve been unlucky, but we’ve also missed a lot of chances in front of goal. Our aim against Yugoslavia is to show we can compete against one of the best teams in Europe.”