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Surprise success
Compiled from Times wires
Six hours later, the Americans continued their unlikely romp through the World Cup, upsetting Mexico, 2-0, their fiercest soccer rival, to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since the tournament began in 1930. "When I got to the locker room, I said, "This is really weird,' " said forward Landon Donovan, who scored a second-half goal that sealed the victory. "It's like it's not happening. It's like a dream." Much like the president, sports fans around the world are starting to take notice of these upstart Americans, who have stunned soccer's traditional world order. The Americans took their place in the quarterfinals alongside traditional greats Brazil, England and Germany. They also erased bad memories of the 1998 World Cup in France, when the United States finished last in the 32-nation field. "There is no longer an established world in soccer," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. "It is truly a global game now. At the end of the day, the Brazils and Germanys and Englands and Italys will be there, but the gap is closing." Keeping awake the soccer faithful back home for the 2:30 a.m. start, the Americans didn't disappoint, pulling off another of the upsets that have defined this World Cup. The final eight will also include newcomer Senegal and either Japan or Turkey. Another upstart, South Korea, faced Italy this morning. Led by Brian McBride and the 20-year-old Donovan, who both scored off counterattacks, the United States surprised a Mexican team that used to dominate their region. It was the first World Cup meeting between the nations, and some fans in Mexico were crying after the loss. "It hurts us here," Jose Luis Luviano, a fan in Mexico City, said as he punched his chest. Tears melted the Mexican flags painted on his cheeks. "There has to be an end to this disgrace where (Americans) treat us like rats and idiots." At the game, several thousand U.S. fans, decked out in red, white and blue, began taunting the Mexicans with chants of "Adios, amigos." "We certainly earned bragging points for a few years to come," said Kaela Porter, a fan from Boston at Jeonju Stadium. Even if they had lost Monday, the Americans would have achieved far more than anticipated. It was only the third time they had advanced past the first round. They were widely regarded as underdogs, viewed as having far surpassed the limits of their talent. And after three matches in nine days, their ranks were depleted by injury, suspension and fatigue. The air was warm and sticky when the match kicked off. The U.S. squad that trotted on the field looked radically different from what Mexico expected, with four backups among the 11 starters. The United States took the lead in the eighth minute, after Claudio Reyna charged down the right side, and cut the ball to Josh Wolff, who flicked it to a waiting McBride. After that the Americans hung back, disrupted Mexico's flow, and sealed the game with Donovan's goal on a header in the 65th minute. While the Mexicans held the ball for almost 70 percent of the game, they couldn't get it past Brad Friedel. He got some help on a non-call. Portuguese referee Vitor Melo Pereira failed to penalize U.S. midfielder John O'Brien for using his hands -- which is forbidden. The Mexicans were incensed they weren't awarded a penalty kick. "They showed the replay on the big screen and we saw it, 40,000 fans saw it," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. O'Brien called it a "freak play," saying his arm was pushed up and accidentally hit the ball. Toward the end the match turned dirty, with each team getting five yellow cards and Mexican captain Rafael Marquez being ejected for head-butting. The Mexicans walked straight off, not even staying for the traditional exchange of shirts. The U.S. players had the field to themselves to celebrate -- and contemplate how far they have come. "Someone said to me this is the World Cup for the minnows," U.S. Soccer Federation president Bob Contiguglia said. "The minnows are becoming bigger fish." The United States plays Friday against Germany (7:30 a.m. EDT), a three-time World Cup champion. The struggling Germans won their last game only 1-0 over Paraguay on a goal in the 88th minute and have been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last two World Cups by upstart teams, Bulgaria and Croatia. Monday's victory was right up there with its 1-0 upset of England in the 1950 World Cup. After that tournament, the Americans didn't return to soccer's showcase until 1990. And as big of a shock as it was to many, there were statistics that indicated it wasn't: the United States is 8-6-6 against Mexico since since 1991 and has won five of six in the rivalry. -- Information from the Washington Post and Associated Press was used in this report.
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