Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 45

Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, June 24, 1998 Section 4 SOCCER Goal does little to ease McBride's World Cup comedown teams could go through to the seel someone who worries about now and thinks about the future. I'm sure there'll be a lot of changes between now and then." At the moment McBride doesn't even know if he will be in the lineup against Yugoslavia, although Sunday's events would seem to have earned him a slot He came achingly close to scoring with a shot that caromed off the crossbar in the third minute, although he slipped on a developing give-and-go play later in the half. McBride played well in the air and saw another shot hit the post just after an offside call The only sure starter named by U.S. head coach Steve Sampson is perennial backup goalkeeper Brad FriedeL McBride said assistant coach Clive Charles made a special point of telling him to look around and soak in his surroundings when he walked out before the Iran game. "He looked like he had a purpose," said McBride's mother, Mad-die, who was watching from the stands.

"He looked emotional, like he realized what an unbelievable thing this was, but he was controlling it like he does. "Not to have any hope, that's the worst," she said after getting off the phone with Brian following the game. Thursday's game is not meaningless from a competitive standpoint Germany and Yugoslavia are tied with one win and one draw (4 points) apiece. Iran, which plays Germany Thursday, trails with 3 points. Any two of those three will take far longer than a few training sessions to forget The townspeople have been laboring over the grass for two months so that the surface would be as smooth as the felt on a pool table.

Like the U.S. players, they must feel as if a lot of effort has gone for naught McBride, at least can cross his fingers and hope for another shot With Roy Wegerle retiring soon and Eric Wynalda, because of age and an increasingly fragile body, presumably more of a question mark, McBride could be the No. 1 U.S. striker heading into preparations for the next World Cup. He will be 30 by the time 2002 rolls around.

"That's so far away," he said, shaking his head. Tve always been By Bonnie DeSimone Tribune Staff Writer PORNIC, France He didn't even get to celebrate. There were no dance steps, no ebullient belly-flops, just a quick acknowledgement skyward. The high point of Brian McBride's soccer career had an anti attached to the climax. "We needed to get the hell back to the midfield line and try to score again," McBride said of the moments after he scored late in the U.S.

national team's fatal 2-1 loss to Iran Sunday. "There was a defensive scramble and some confusion afterwards, and I was like, 'Come on, Now, the chaos has lifted and a few things have become more reaL The score, of course, McBride's ITALY 2, AUSTRIA 1 Star strikers won't be Baggio, Vieri score for Italians I I "4 4 71 Italian keeper Gianluca Pagliuca stops a shot by Arnold Wetl (left) while ond round. The match also will have soma extra meaning to U.S. goalkeepeij coach Milutin Soskic, who was1 Yugoslavia's keeper in the 1962 World Cup and later fled the couni try with his family, and to mid-J fielder Preki Radosavjjpvic, a natu-i ralized U.S. citizen who grew up ire Belgrade.

The U.S. team is already begln-j ning to break up. Assistant coach' Thomas Rongen is returning to his club team, the New England Reyo-', lution, this week. "The joke around camp is we! don't have to worry about security, any more, except for Sam's McBride said, referring to the. red-' clad U.S.

fans who followed, the' team to the World Cup. 2 CHILE 1, CAMEROON 1 Draw lifts! i Chile past Cameroon By Ronald Blum Associated Press NANTES, France-Chile was' screaming for joy. Cameroon was just screaming. Chile, withstanding a furious second-half challenge, qualified for the World Cup's second round for the first time in 38 years by tying Cameroon 1-1 Tuesday. But the only reason the Chileans, who had three straight ties, advanced to a second-round matchup with Brazil was a questionable call by the referee, who disallowed a Cameroon goal because of a foul that didn't appear to happen.

"I can accept a lot of things, but I can't accept that one," Cameroon coach Claude Le Roy said. "I'm sorry we were eliminated, especially on a decision that was an incompetent one." The tie, coupled with Italy's 21 victory over Austria, left Italy atop Group and Chile in second. "We can't really accept this unfair decision," Salomon Ole-mbe said. "The referee will not be welcome in Cameroon if he wanted to spend a holiday there." Francois Omam Biyick appeared to give Cameroon the lead in the 58th minute after Patrick Mboma beat Ronaldo Fuentes on a header and flicked the ball ahead. But Biyick's apparent goal was disallowed when Hungarian referee Laszlo Vagner blew the whistle and said Mboma pushed Fuentes on the header.

Replays showed contact but no clear foul. "They said I committed the foul, but I didn't commit a foul," Mboma said. "I can't believe it. It was an unjust decision." 28, Lead To CD sixth in 22 appearances with the U.S. team; "It's an amazing thing," he said, "but it would have been a lot nicer if the goal meant a victory." And the fact that another goal would remain unrealized, since the defeat knocked the team out of the World Cup before the end of the first round.

"If we lose to Yugoslavia, it'll definitely be a Cup that didn't have a lot of meaning for us," the Arlington Heights native said of Thursday's U.S. finale. "We have to play for pride." He was standing on an impeccably manicured practice field in this tiny seaside community in southern Brittany. Behind him, other players went through the motions of unwinding after a defeat that denie game production in the 1994 World Cup, when it lost in, the final to Brazil. Vieri alone has scored twice as many goals as Italy did in the first round of the previous World Cup.

"I don't know if I have surprised anyone," said Vieri, who cost Atletico Madrid $20 million in transfer fees from Juventus before the 1997-98 season. "I'm a forward, and I try to score goals. I am very happy with the four I have scored." For the last week, all the talk has been of pairing Del Piero, who was injured when the World Cup began, with Baggio, the former captain who had seemed likely to be left off the Italian team until barely a month ago. Vieri, a man of so few words he is called the Silent One, has sidestepped both the spotlight and opposing defenses to share the World Cup scoring lead with Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina. Vieri's header off a direct kick from Del Piero, making his first World Cup start after struggling with a thigh injury, broke a scoreless tie in the 49th minute.

Bag-gio's goal came on a counterattack one minute from the end of regulation time, when the Austrians (0-1-2) finally began to move everyone forward in a game where only a victory would allow them to advance. Two minutes later, Baggio produced the sort of breathtaking run that has made him the favorite of Italy's fans. Between feints and bursts of speed, he shook four Austrian defenders before crossing the ball to Inzaghi, who could not slip the pass into an open corner of the net Vieri, less flashy than either Del Kansas City Wizards at Fire RADIO 7:30 p.m. at Soldier Field; WTAQ-AM 1300 (Spanish), WNVR-AM 1030 (Polish) PLAYER TO WATCH Zach Thornton. The leading keeper in MLS is going to make things very interesting for coach Bob Bradley once Jorge Campos returns from the World Cup.

It would be hard for Thornton to play any better than he has, and he will be looking for his sixth shutout QUICK LOOK 1 The Fire will be looking for its ninth straight victory and an opportunity to put more distance between itself and the rest of the West. The last time the Fire lost was May 2 against D.C. United. After Wednesday's match and next Wednesday's contest against Dallas, the Fire will be on the road for five straight in July. The 1-0 loss came on a goal by Pete Marino in the 76th minute.

It was also the first goal allowed by Thornton after starting the season with 257 straight shutout minutes. That was the first of five straight losses for the Fire. But while the Fire has turned its season around, the Wizards have struggled. The Wizards trail the second-place Fire by 14 points. Kansas City had a chance to close the gap Saturday, but its game at home against D.C.

United was scoreless when postponed with 37 minutes left because of inclement weather. Reuters photo Francesco Moriero (17) defends. Cups, may see a lot more action in this one. Nesta, 22, one of the world's best young defenders, "will probably not play in the rest of the World Cup," coach Maldini said. "There aren't words to describe a player like him." Italian defender Alessandro Costacurta said of Bergomi.

"He is incredible." Austria's captain, Toni Polster, also saw his World Cup end early for a surprising reason. Polster, the leading scorer in his national team's history, left not only the playing field but the bench area when he was replaced with 30 minutes to play. "I think I played well," Polster said. "I'm disappointed because the coach took me out." His replacement wasn't a Baggio. JUNE 26, 27, June Sprints9 Sanctioned by SCCA Presented by the i 1 Li COHLiER.

Piero or Baggio, spent much of his childhood in Australia. His father, Bob, moved there to play and then coach Marconi, a team of Italian immigrants in Sydney. After one vacation with his grandfather, Enzo, in Italy, where he was noticed by a local team, the 14-year-old Christian successfully begged his parents to let him stay with the grandfather to play a better level of soccer. Enzo Vieri joked before the World Cup that he would "tear the kid's head off if he scores fewer than six or seven goals." His grandson already has reduced the risk of that. Until the end, Italy played the sort of low-risk, well-organized game that seems to defy their spontaneous national character but has become a trademark of their soccer.

WORLD CUP ROUNDUP By Philip Hersh Tribune Staff Writer SAINT-DENIS, France-What luxury Italian coach Cesare Maldini has. He can replace a striker whose touch on a soccer ball has been compared to a great Renaissance painter's brush strokes with a striker who has been called divine. And neither of them is Italy's leading scorer in this World Cup. And Maldini can replace the leading scorer with a man who led the Italian league in scoring two years ago. Alessandro Del Piero, known as the Pinturicchio of the pitch, and Robert Baggio, known as the "Divine Ponytail" when his hairstyle was different, each figured prominently Tuesday in the two goals that put the three-time world champions into the second round with a 2-1 victory over Austria.

Christian Vieri scored Italy's first goal. His replacement, Filippo Inzaghi, worked a magnificent give-and-go-and-give-and-go with Baggio, who tapped the ball in for what turned out to be the winning goal. As the tournament moves from round robin to single elimination, Group winner Italy gets a relatively easy second-round match against Group A runner-up Norway. The Italians, who could have been eliminated had they lost Tuesday, are heading toward a quarterfinal showdown with France. "We must improve if we are going to make the semis," said Italian captain Paolo Maldini, the coach's son.

Italy (2-0-1) advances with an that produced seven goals in the first round. That is only one fewer goal than its seven- Wizards may need a little magic vs. Fire By Bob FoKman Tribune Staff Writer Kansas City Wizards coach Ron Newman probably wishes his Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player from last season, Preki, could leave France now and get to Chicago in time for Wednesday's match against the Fire. Newman and the Wizards to say nothing of the U.S. national team could use some of Preki's offensive magic.

The Wizards are 11th in the 12-team league with just 16 goals scored. Last season, while winning the Western Conference, the Wizards scored the second-most goals in the league. While Preki led the league with 12 goals, 17 assists and 41 points last season, the Wizards don't have a player among the top 25 in scoring this year. As a result, the Wizards find themselves with a 6-8 record and 14 points, tied for last in the West. They trail San Jose by one point for the last playoff spot.

Waiting for the Wizards Wednesday is the MLS Player of the Week, Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Thornton notched his league leading fifth shutout of the season last Wednesday as the Fire won its eighth straight game with 1-0 victory over Dallas. Thornton leads the league with a 1.07 goals-against average and is tied for the lead in wins with 10. The Fire has allowed a league-low 16 goals. Kansas City is second with 19 goals allowed.

The Wizards handed the Fire its first loss of the season in ApriL Late Norway heroics dash Moroccan dreams "It's not a disaster if we don't qualify for the second round," Austrian coach Hubert Prozhaska said before the match. "It is for Italy." Disaster befell Italy early, when defender Alessandro Nesta's knee ligaments were twisted on a yellow card foul by Wolfgang Feiers-inger in the fourth minute. Nesta was replaced by a man who had not played for Italy's national team in seven years. Giuseppe Bergomi, known as "Uncle Joey," helped frustrate the Austrians until they scored on Andreas penalty kick in the 92d minute. The timing of that score meant the Austrians got all three of their goals in this tournament during injury time at the end of the game.

Bergomi, 34, who also played in the 1982, 1986 and 1990 World contratulate their teammates when they clinched a spot vs. Italy on Saturday in Marseille. Morocco 3, Scotland (h Morocco's players wept on the field after their World Cup victory over Scotland Tuesday. They had plenty more to cry about when they discovered it wasnt enough to get them into the second round. Coach Henri Michel hugged each of his players as the news reached the Geoffrey Guichard Stadium that Norway had beaten defending champion Brazil to hold onto the second qualifying spot in Group A.

The result also left the Scots out in the first round for the eighth time in a row. "All of us are extremely disappointed," Michel said. "I want to pay tribute to an excellent and an outstanding team and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Morocco has shown the world that we were playing an excellent World Cup and deserved to be here." Scottish coach Craig Brown said he was upset with the goals his defense allowed. "You can't give goals away at this level as we did and hope to survive.

We gave away two terrible goals," he said. The noisy band of Moroccan fans cheered as each goal went in and the expectancy of a second-round place rose. At the end, they were as despondent as the huge "Tartan Army" of Scots who made Saint-Etienne seem like Glasgow. Summaries in Scoreboard r- Reuters MARSEILLE, France Norway, on the verge of World Cup elimination, scored twice in the final seven minutes, including a controversial penalty kick to stun Brazil 2-1 Tuesday and move into the second round. Kjetil Rekdal converted the 89th-minute penalty kick only six minutes after Tore Andre Flo got the tying goal.

American referee Esse Baharmast awarded the penalty kick, although replays showed little contact on the play. "It was one of the best, definitely," Flo said. "We made history in Norway today." Trailing 1-0 and looking like it was headed out after the first round, Flo gave Norway hope with a remarkable individual effort in the 83rd minute. Flo ran onto a long pass, one-touched it to the middle of the penalty area and beat goalkeeper Taffarel with a strike from 12 yards. Then came the penalty, called on Junior Baiano for knocking down Flo as the two battled for position on a high ball Replays indicated little contact on the play.

Rekdal firmly struck his penalty kick into the lower left side of the net. Norway reached the second round of the World Cup for the first time in three tries. Norway will face Italy Saturday. "We came in overconfident against a rival we didn't know how would play against us," Brazilian coach Mario Zagallo said. "But we developed our soccer." The Norwegian reserves sprinted onto the field to hug and More Than 500 Cars In 8 Big Races! from fire-breathing Vettes, Porsches and Z's.

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