Sinister
Mar 21st, 2008, 07:19 AM
Adu leads U.S. men to Olympic berth in 3-0 win
By Tom Weir, USA TODAY
NASHVILLE — Freddy Adu booted a pair of goals on free kicks to lead the United States to an Olympic berth-clinching victory against Canada on Thursday night.
The 3-0 win in the CONCACAF semifinals advances Team USA to Sunday's final against Honduras, a winner and Olympic qualifier vs. Guatemala in the other semifinal.
The outcome of the USA-Honduras final will have no consequences for the Olympic tournament's 16-team field.
Adu's first goal came on an over-arcing free kick in the 27th minute. It had near-perfect placement, and Canadian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic managed only to get fingertips on it as he dived left.
A minute later, Begovic's frustration showed when he got in a brief shoving match with Josmer Altidore on a near score by the United States.
It gave the 18-year-old the tournament lead for goals with four.
Sacha Kljestan added the final U.S. score in the 78th minute on a short-range kick. Chris Seitz was in goal for the U.S. shutout and faced little pressure.
Thursday's victory was easily Team USA's highest-scoring in four tournament games. Coming in, the Americans had managed 1-0 victories against Panama and Honduras and a 1-1 tie with Cuba. Goals hadn't come for the USA despite taking nearly twice as many shots as its opponents in the first three games, 39-20.
For America's under-23 team, anything less than a victory would have been an embarrassment, with the entire qualifying tournament taking place on U.S. soil.
Four years ago, the United States failed to qualify for the Athens Olympics but had the alibi that a decisive 4-0 beating by Mexico in the qualifying tournament took place in Mexico.
This year's under-23 team is comprised entirely of players who compete professionally.
For Thursday's game, the Americans were bolstered by the addition of defender Jonathan Spector, a competitor in the English Premier League. Spector flew to the United States on Sunday, after missing the group-phase games.
Announced attendance for the game at LP Field — home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans — was 13,201. The stadium holds nearly 69,000, and seating was limited to the lower bowl.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-03-20-usa-concacaf_N.htm
By Tom Weir, USA TODAY
NASHVILLE — Freddy Adu booted a pair of goals on free kicks to lead the United States to an Olympic berth-clinching victory against Canada on Thursday night.
The 3-0 win in the CONCACAF semifinals advances Team USA to Sunday's final against Honduras, a winner and Olympic qualifier vs. Guatemala in the other semifinal.
The outcome of the USA-Honduras final will have no consequences for the Olympic tournament's 16-team field.
Adu's first goal came on an over-arcing free kick in the 27th minute. It had near-perfect placement, and Canadian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic managed only to get fingertips on it as he dived left.
A minute later, Begovic's frustration showed when he got in a brief shoving match with Josmer Altidore on a near score by the United States.
It gave the 18-year-old the tournament lead for goals with four.
Sacha Kljestan added the final U.S. score in the 78th minute on a short-range kick. Chris Seitz was in goal for the U.S. shutout and faced little pressure.
Thursday's victory was easily Team USA's highest-scoring in four tournament games. Coming in, the Americans had managed 1-0 victories against Panama and Honduras and a 1-1 tie with Cuba. Goals hadn't come for the USA despite taking nearly twice as many shots as its opponents in the first three games, 39-20.
For America's under-23 team, anything less than a victory would have been an embarrassment, with the entire qualifying tournament taking place on U.S. soil.
Four years ago, the United States failed to qualify for the Athens Olympics but had the alibi that a decisive 4-0 beating by Mexico in the qualifying tournament took place in Mexico.
This year's under-23 team is comprised entirely of players who compete professionally.
For Thursday's game, the Americans were bolstered by the addition of defender Jonathan Spector, a competitor in the English Premier League. Spector flew to the United States on Sunday, after missing the group-phase games.
Announced attendance for the game at LP Field — home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans — was 13,201. The stadium holds nearly 69,000, and seating was limited to the lower bowl.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-03-20-usa-concacaf_N.htm