USA Futsal team downs
Costa Rica but misses
semifinal
To advance to the medal
round, the U.S. futsal
team needed a win and a
three-goal margin of
victory entering its
final Pan American Games
pool match against Costa
Rica. The team met just
one of those goals.
In the official FIFA
version of indoor
soccer, the USA (1-1-1)
scored two goals in the
last minute and survived
a penalty kick as time
expired to defeat Costa
Rica, 6-5. The win was
not enough to boost the
U.S. team into the
tournament semifinals
however, as Costa Rica
(1-1-1) advanced to
semis by virtue of a
better goal differential
(1 to -2).
The USA will now meet
Guatemala (0-3-0) in a
5th-8th placement match
at 14:30 Friday. Costa
Rica and Argentina
(2-0-1) will advance to
the semifinals from
Group B where Costa Rica
will meet tournament
favorite Brazil and
Argentina will face
Paraguay.
The USA took a 1-0 lead
on a Pat Morris goal
early in the game for
the first half’s only
score. But in the second
half, a small but
enthusiastic crowd was
treated to 20 minutes of
momentum swings and lead
changes.
After Costa Rica tied
the game at 1-1 two
minutes into the second
half, Matthew Stewart
(El Paso, Texas/Chicago
Storm) sparked a USA
rally of three goals in
three minutes when he
netted a breakaway pass
from midfielder Jamar
Beasley (Fort Wayne,
Ind./Detroit Ignition)
for a 2-1 U.S. lead.
“It was a game of
counter attacks,” said
Stewart. “We got two on
them and they got a
couple on us. After we
got up 4-1, we might
have slowed things down
a little, but in the
momentum of the game,
you can’t help but try
to get some more goals.”
Goals by Joe Hammes
(Cedarburg,
Wis./Milwaukee Wave) and
Denison Cabral
(Baltimore Blast) gave
the USA its 4-1 lead and
the goal differential it
needed to advance.
“We had a 4-1 lead and
we needed those three
goals,” said U.S. coach
Keith Tozer. “When they
pulled to within 4-2, we
got a little antsy.”
Costa Rica cut into the
U.S. margin on a double
penalty kick goal by
Jefryd Ruiz and then
inflicted further damage
to the U.S. semifinal
hopes on a pair of goals
by Adonay Vindas and
another score by
Alejandro Paniagua to
take a 5-4 lead.
Tozer pulled goalkeeper
Brett Phillips
(Syracuse,
N.Y./Milwaukee Wave) in
favor of a fifth
attacker with 3:30 left
in the game and his team
was rewarded with a pair
of last minute goals
Stewart and Cabral to
regain the lead at 6-5.
With Phillips back in
the game, the USA still
had to survive a
controversial penalty
kick at the end of
regulation time, but
Ruiz’ kick sailed wide
left and the USA claimed
the bittersweet victory.
“I’ve got to give these
guys a lot of credit,”
said Tozer. “For a lot
of these guys, this may
be their fifth or sixth
futsal game. I thought
they battled through a
very important match and
played much better than
we had in the two
previous matches.” |
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