The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 25

2 SECTION SAT, SEPT. 25, 1976 Canadians forced to settle for tie 'SPORTS BUSINESS III II I MMHMMII I. I II II Hill I II JJ IL1 HJWJIIM" I JIMMIII1IJ I 'r MMUMMMMM v- cC whffi life f'-Acti 111 2 if 4 -x By DAN STINSON The task before Soccer Canada had clearly been laid out by coach Eckhard Krautzun weeks in advance. Their opening World Cup qualifying-round game against the United States was a "must win" situation. A tie would be demoralizing, at the very least, and defeat tragic.

It was, after all, a home game for the Canadians with the prospect of a boisterous crowd cheering them on in familiar surroundings, and the visiting Americans presumably at a distinct disadvantage. Get while the gettin's good, as it were. So Friday night's 1-1 come-from-behind draw before a surprisingly patriotic gathering of 15,453 at Empire Stadium had to rate as a disappointment. Right? Wrong, according to Krautzun, who seemed willing to accept the result. "Under the circumstances a draw is not bad," he said.

"I was not satisfied with our play for 90 minutes but I thought we showed great spirit and just plain guts in the second half. No, I can't say I'm disappointed with this result." Nor could Team America be, for that matter. No one knows their feelings on the matter because coach Walt Chyzowich and his players left for their hotel immediately after the game, refusing interviews. But if a moral victory was to be claimed for a tie, it most certainly went to the U.S. Though outplayed and forced to negative defensive tactics most of the match, the Americans nevertheless earned a single point as did Canada and can look forward to the return engagement Oct.

20 in the raucous atmosphere of Seattle's King-dome. To put things in perspective, a tie for Canada there would be as much a moral victory as last night's was for the U.S. This was hardly vintage World Cup, by anyone's standards. The first half saw some of the worst soccer played here in years as both teams appeared stage-struck by the occasion. Passes went astray, offsides were alarmingly frequent, tackles were chippy and the fans grew increasingly restless with the defensive tactics of the Americans and the hesitation on attack by Canada.

Team America drew first blood on an innocent looking play after eight minutes. Canadian goalkeeper Tony Chursky made a fine diving save on a right wing blast by Mike Flater. sending the ball to the sidelines. The ensuing throw-in produced a scramble 25 yards from Canada's net, but Boris Bandov somehow worked his way free to beat Chursky with a rising drive to the left corner. Content with the one-goal lead, the Americans devoted virtually all their efforts to defence, filling their 18-yard box with as many as 10 players on every Canadian rush and, with their superior size, easily dominating the air.

The industrious work of centre-back Bob Lenarduzzi was Canada's only offensive threat, and he shone throughout as the game's outstanding player. When they scored first it was like a stab in the back," said Krautzun. "Our game plan was to score first, and we had to change our tactics entirely." Canada got a break when referee Marcos Dorantes of Mexico ejected Steve Pecher at 73 minutes after the U.S. defender was issued his second official caution of the game. With the Americans now playing with 10 men Canada moved confidently on attack, its domination so complete that the visitors managed only four shots on goal in the final 45 minutes.

(Canada out-shot the U.S. 19-8 over-all). NASL all-star goalie Arnie Mausser was forced to make several brilliant saves, notably on shots by Lenarduzzi and Bu Parsons, but had no chance on the equalizer by Bob Bolitho at 77 minutes. Bolitho took a left wing cross from Bruce Wilson and drilled a seven-yarder into the middle of the net. "We don't fear our return game with them in Seattle," Krautzun insisted.

"They'll have to come to us, and our strength is on quick counter-attacks, catching them off balance. I'm confident we'll show well." GOAL DUST Canada played without striker Brian Budd, who picked up a muscle tear in his back during training Thursday Canada hosts Mexico in its next game Oct. 10. Tiller handed the helm of rudderless Stamps Ralph Bower Photo mate Alex Skotarek (15) look on Friday in World Cup soccer action at Empire Stadium. Mausser was brilliant in 1-1 tie.

CLEANING HOUSE Team America goalkeeper Arnie Mausser keeps a tidy goalmouth as Canada's Gary Thompson and Mausser's team- Pirates' title hopes not helped by split Jim TAYLOR Tolan, who had doubled, with the run that broke a 3-3 tie. The victory was Philadelphia's 93rd of the season, a club record. In the second game, Montreal's Don Stanhouse scattered nine hits for his first victory since Aug. 9 and Earl Williams's run-scoring double in the sixth inning snapped a 2-2 deadlock. Randy Jones, the National League's winningest pitcher, gained his 22nd victo-, ry, with help from relief ace Butch Metz-ger, for San Diego.

The Padres overcame a 4-3 Atlanta lead with three runs in the eighth, two on run-scoring singles by Jerry Turner and Bill Almon and the other on an error by Atlanta shortstop Darrell Chaney. Pinch hitter Billy Baldwin's ninth-inning homer, his first of the season, carried the Mets to victory. Ed Kranepool also homered for New York and drove in two runs. Houston scored eight times in the fourth inning tying the league high for the season in sending the Giants to their fifth consecutive loss. Ron Cey's two-run single in the ninth carried the Dodgers to their fifth victory in a row, but only their fourth triumph in 16 games against Cincinnati this season.

(Linescores, pg. 28) He returned to Calgary as an offensive line coach before being elevated to assistant general manager this season. The Stampeders also made several player cuts this week, including a surprise decision to release Vernon Roberson, an all-Canadian defensive back selection in his rookie season last year. They also released quarterback Tom Sherman, leaving National Football League recruit John Hufnagel and Joe Pisarcik to call the signals, along with defensive end Mike Fanucci. "Being head coach never entered my mind until Mr.

Jennings made the suggestion today that this is the direction the football club would like to take," said Tiller in accepting the head coaching job. He is in the uneviable position of adopting a club that has forged a horrendous 0-9-1 record oven 10 games and could well make it 0-10-1 against the powerful Rough-riders Sunday in Regina. Johnny Owens replaces Fanucci at end for the Stamps, while Al Burleson assumed Roberson's left cornerback job in last Saturday's loss to Toronto Argonauts. The Roughriders are expected to start junior product Barry Aldag at centre in place of the injured Larry Bird. Other CFL action this weekend has Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Edmonton to take on the Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats tonight with Montreal Alouettes hosting Ottawa Rough Riders before an expected crowd in excess of 70,000 Sunday at the Olympic Stadium.

One person not looking forward to the move to the new Stadium Sunday, which will be one of three CFL games on national television this weekend, is Alouettes' tight end Peter Dalla Riva. "I have good memories of the Autos-tade. I feel at home. I admit if I was owner of the team I wouldn't hesitate to move, but as a player I would have preferred to stay here," he explained. matching pillow cases and bedsheets with a picture of your naked body stamped on them." BLUE LINES In games last night involving NHL teams, Boston beat Philadelphia Flyers 8-3, St.

Louis Blues beat Atlanta Flames 5-3, Cleveland Barons downed New York Rangers 4-1 and Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association dropped Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3. Elsewhere, Phoenix Roadrunners of the WHA downed IKF of Helsinki 4-1 and Houston Aeros beat Birmingham Bulls 6-4 in a game matching WHA teams The WHA Edmonton Oilers released six players yesterday: de-fencemen Ted McAneeley, Paul Hurley and Murray Kennett and forwards Bob McAneeley, Dan Spring and Don Borge-son. Guthrie looks good NEW YORK (AP) Janet Guthrie's chances of making the 1977 Indianapolis 500 are looking very good these days. Her car owner. Rolla Vollstedt, has purchased a 1976 Wildcat from George Bignotti, the style driven this season by Gordon John cock and Wally Dallenbach.

CALGARY Even Bob Baker himself knew it was only a matter of time. On Friday morning, time ran out for the Calgary Stampeders' head coach. The Canadian Football League Stampeders fired Baker and handed his duties to Joe Tiller, acting general manager, for the remainder of the season. The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise since club president Roy Jennings said earlier in the week that the board of directors planned to wait until after Sunday's game against Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina before making a coaching change. Jennings said that the directors are in no hurry to find a permanent coach, adding that "at this time the availability of coaches is not great.

There is no doubt that this next decision will have to be the right one." Tiller, 33, in his first year as assistant general manager with the Stampeders, was named acting general manager along with Jennings last week after general manager Gary Hobson died of a heart attack. Baker, who was not available for comment, became interim head coach of the Stampeders late last season after Jim Wood was fired. Baker signed his first contract with Calgary this year. A graduate of Ball State in Munice, Baker began in 1951 as a high school coach. Fifteen years later he joined University of Indiana as assistant coach, a position he held for seven years.

He also spent one year as assistant coach at the University of Illinois before coming to Calgary. He served two years as offensive coach with the Stampeders before being named head coach. Tiller, a native of Ohio, first came to Calgary on trial as a player 12 years ago, but was released. He returned to Montana State University where he ended up coaching the university's football team when only 21 years old. time for Canada in the recent Canada Cup series.

Sittler, a six-year veteran, already has the Leaf record for points in a season, with 41 goals and 100 points last season. He is in the fourth year of a five-year contract worth $150,000 a year. One thing Sittler doesn't want is an overblown reputation. He remembers Paul Henderson, who played for the Leafs in 1972 when Henderson scored three winning goals for Team Canada in the Russian series. Henderson came back from the series forced to live up to a reputation he couldn't keep.

The superstar status he gained from that series has plagued him since. "The fans, the media, the press they have a way of making you out to be a better hockey player than are," Sittler said Friday as he prepared for tonight's exhibition game against Chicago Black Hawks Sittler's first appearance in a Leaf uniform this season. The fan letters Sittler receive usually ask for autographs, pictures or even locks of hair. But one person wrote asking for more. "Dear Darryl: the letter opened "Could you please send me a set ol It was, the program said, "prob-' ably the most important sports clash between the two countries since international competition across the border was first dreamed up." No, the Canadiens weren't playing the Flyers in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final.

It wasn't even the Canucks vs. the Colorado Rockies. Soccer Canada was taking on Team America in their first game of a World Cup competition from which they are both shortly due to retire. ''Tonight's result wil be flashed around the world and will be noted thoughtfully trom Afghanistan to Zambia," the program reminded. Can't you just see it? Millions of people rushing to their sports pages today, tearing through them for the vital news, and muttering in 100 hushed tongues: "Jeez! Team America and Soccer Canada played to a 1-1 draw! Drew 15,453 people!" Oh, they'll be shivering tonight in Germany, tossing and turning in Brazil.

The North Americans are coming! The North Americans are coming! Soccer people keep insisting that theirs is the coming North American game, that success is inevitable, that the National Football League and pro baseball had best begin looking over their shoulders, because soccer is closing in. Well, maybe. But for now there is only evidence that this most important clash ever between the two countries, played under ideal conditions on a perfect night, drew 15,453 fans and it was legitimately hailed as a good crowd. In some of those places from Afghanistan to Zambia, that's not a good crowd of ushers. Therefore let us pause and view it as another soccer match played before a not-so-happy home crowd that had been geared, even encouraged, to expect a better result, For was it not Eckhard Krautzun who told them "We have better players, more experience and play better as a team.

And we have a better For 60 minutes it had all the subtlty of a mugging. If Team America trained anywhere it must have been in Detroit. Get 'em into the alley, boys, and we maybe break a few arms for openers. It made for a frustrating half plus. One team; packing everybody in front of its goal and waiting for a miracle, the other fighting its own jitters and losing.The Americans suprised everyone, most of all themselves, by venturing over centre into virtually unexplored territory and scoring at 8:18, and from then until the last 15 minutes throwing up a wall of shoulders, "I'd have to say the odds are long," said Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh, referring to the Pirates' chances of winning baseball's National League East pennant.

The Pirates' odds of overtaking first-place Philadelphia grew longer Friday night when both teams split doublehead-ers, leaving the Phillies six games ahead of Pittsburgh. But Philadelphia now has nine games remaining and Pittsburgh has just seven left. Three more Philadelphia victories or Pittsburgh losses will give the Phillies their third pennant and earn them the right to meet West Division-champion Cincinnati for the NL championship. Philadelphia's first pennant was in 1915 and the last in 1950. "It took a miracle for us to get this close," added Murtaugh, still trying to sound optimistic and remembering that the Pirates had trailed by 15'2 games exactly a month ago.

"We're going to play out the string as long as possible." The Pirates string shortened Friday night after they lost to St. Louis 10-6, then beat the Cardinals 11-1, while the Phillies trounced Montreal 9-3 before losing 3-2. In other National League games, San Diego Padres downed Atlanta Braves 6-4, New York Mets edged Chicago Cubs 4-3, Houston Astros battered San Francisco Giants 14-5, and Los Angeles Dodgers overcame Cincinnati Reds 7-6. Dave Parker and Bob Robertson each drove in three Pittsburgh runs in support of Jim Rooker's six-hit pitching in the second-game rout over St. Louis.

Rooker also helped his cause by hitting two leadoff singles, triggering a pair of rallies. Greg Luzinski, Dave Cash and Mike Schmidt each drove in two runs for the Phillies in their first-game victory. Luzinski also had four hits, including a single in the fifth inning that knocked in Bobby Teaching pro wins benefit Jason Paukkunen, a teaching pro at Mission, scored a two-under par 70 to win the Evergreen Sports Fund Pro-Am Invitational golf tournament Friday at CapUano. Al Kennedy of Quilchena and Dave Barr of Kelowna finished in a tie for second at 71. Host pro Jock McKinnon, a four-hand-icapper, took low net honors with a 69 while Squamish pro Gord McKay and amateurs Mel Hughes, Chuck Gage and Brian Stephen won the team competition with a best ball 56.

Proceeds of the tournament are used to aid amateur sport. knees and elbows and playing like leaving their box was a mortal sin. "That first goal was upsetting to us because it spoiled our game plan, which was to score first," Krautzun said. As it was, they had to scramble to score second, and got help from one Steve Pecher, who was yellow-carded once, then swore at referee Marco Dorantes, and was sent off to wash out his mouth, leaving Team America one card short "We showed some nerves," Krautzun said later. "For.

some it was their first international match, and it was our first team match after a long spell. I had to shake them up at the half." Krautzun said the physical play of thp Americans didn't suprise him, nor did he feel it intimidated some of his players, although it looked that way in the early going. "Everyone plays a physical game now," he said. But Bob Lenarduzzi, Canada's best player on the night, saw it a little differently. "They took no prisoners," he said.

"But I think it will be different when we play them in Seattle. They'll be at home and it will be up to them to show some attack. Tonight that didn't seem to concern them at all." Most likely they didn't have time. Sticking jock-close to the Canadians, clogging up the middle and thus shutting off any sort of pattern play, they seemed perfectly content to settle for a two-way shutout. Once the goal was scored, it made the strategy that much more sound, and Krautzun's troops had no one around to play it on U.S.

terms. He is often booed and even laughed at, but a healthy Brian Budd playing in his usual damn-the-torpe-does fashion might have forced them out of that style early, and when they did have to open up a little there was no doubt which was the better soccer side. The draw hurts. It makes the return match in Seattle that much more important. Why, gosh, it could be the most important sports clash between the two countries since international competition across the border was first dreamed up.

But first, there is the Oct. 10 meeting here with Mexico, for which Soccer Canada prepared last night with a memo reminding fans to "Cheer on the best Canadian soccer team ever to wear the Canadian colors. Show the Canadian spirit-Wear something red and white. Wave the flag. Sing the anthem.

Your support is worth at least one goal. Let the players know you are behind them." And then, the clincher: "Everybody who comes to the game has a chance to receive a $1 off any pizza from the Organ Be warned, Afghanistan to Zambia. Our team is at the ready. Also our pizza. ft NHL dominates all-stars As if Darryl Sittler wasn't getting enough attention.

Now, they go and name him to the Canada Cup all-star team. Sittler, along with fellow National Hockey Leaguers Rogatien Vachon (goal) and Bobby Orr and Borje Salming (defence), were selected by five international sports reporters including two from Canada and one each from Sweden, Czechoslovakia end the Soviet Union. Joining Sittler on the forward line were right winger Aleksandr Maltsev of the Soviet Union and centre Milan Novy of the Czechs, who were beaten two straight by Team Canada in the best-of-three Canada Cup final. For Sittler, it's one of many milestones of late and he's starting to worry that many Toronto Maple Leaf fans will soon expect the impossible of him. More than 3,500 pieces of mail were directed at him after the 26-year-old Kitchener, native scored six goals arid four assists in an NHL game against Boston Bruins in February.

Another surge came after he fired five goals in a playoff game against Philadelphia Flyers. And the fan mail continues following Sittler's winning goal in over-.