clarinews@clarinet.com (JEFF SHAIN, UPI Sports Writer) (02/03/90)
MIAMI (UPI) -- The euphoria of the United States' first World Cup berth in 40 years easily was deflated Friday night by Costa Rica. Juan Cayasso and Enrique Diaz scored goals and Costa Rica controlled play in posting a 2-0 victory over the U.S. in the opening game of the Marlboro Cup. In the second game, William Castro scored one goal and set up another in the final 12 minutes to lift Uruguay to a 2-0 victory over South American rival Colombia. Costa Rica controlled possession throughout its match, keeping the ball in U.S. territory and allowing few good scoring opportunities for an overmatched U.S. team. ``It was what one can expect after not being competitive since Nov. 19,'' U.S. Coach Bob Gansler said. The U.S., which became the final qualifier for the 24-team World Cup with that Nov. 19 victory, a 1-0 triumph over Trinidad & Tobago. But they have had only three weeks of training camp since then, and the rust was evident. Turnovers were frequent, with midfielder Brian Bliss giving the ball away four times himself during one five-minute span. ``We've got to have our people play together longer,'' Gansler said. ``It lacked cohesiveness. We've got to get more time together.'' While the U.S. looked to be in its spring-training mode, the Costa Ricans showed midseason form. ``We knew we were going to play well and dominate,'' said Costa Rica forward Hernan Medford, who set up the first goal. ``We knew we were going to break up their passing. We played our normal game.'' Costa Rica took the lead on Cayasso's goal in the ninth minute and packed the goalmouth defensively in the second half. The U.S., which played an uninspired opening half that was short on creativity and long on giveaways, began pressing after halftime, but still had few good chances. Costa Rica took advantage on the counterattack, with Diaz scoring as the U.S. was slow to get back. Carlos Garro sent a long pass to the left edge of the penalty area, where Diaz beat Paul Krumpe to the ball and lifted it over the head of goalkeeper Tony Meola. The victory was a a bit of redemption for Costa Rica, which split its pair of World Cup qualifiers against the U.S. Each team won 1-0 on its home turf, but Costa Rica was 18 minutes from gaining a tie at St. Louis before a goal by Tab Ramos. Cayasso's early goal gave Costa Rica a 1-0 lead at halftime. With Costa Rica on a corner kick to the right of the goal, Medford lifted a high cross into the goalmouth, where Cayasso drove it towards the goal with his head. The ball struck the crossbar and caromed straight down, striking the ground just behind the line. It marked the first goal allowed by the U.S. in 431 minutes of play, dating back to the fourth qualifying game of the CONCACAF round against Guatamala. The U.S. seemed to lose composure following that goal. They plodded through much of the rest of the half, lacking the imagination to create good scoring opportunities. ``We broke down,'' Meola said. ``After that first goal, we lost it a little bit.'' The U.S. managed only five shots in the half, the best coming when Brent Goulet obtained possession along the left side and sent a long cross to Bruce Murray, who outjumped a Costa Rican defender for a header that went just right of the goal. Meanwhile, Costa Rica staged target practice on the U.S. net, peppering Meola with nine shots. Meola made six saves in the half. Meola also gave the U.S. a scare in the 21st minute, when he collided with Evaristo Coronado in the goalmouth and lay dazed for a few minutes. He eventually got up and stayed on the field. In the nightcap, Castro helped break a scoreless tie when his free kick set up a goal by Pedro Pedrucci in the 78th minute. Castro's free kick from outside the penalty area went into the box, where goalkeeper Rene Higuita misjudged the ball and overran it. The ball bounced to Pedrucci, a second-half substitute, who headed the ball into the open net. ``For a while it looked like it would end up 0-0,'' Uruguay Coach Oscar Washingotn Tabarez said. ``It was a bad error by Higuita, and it was fortunate for Uruguay.'' Higuita, who is known for his forays out of the goal area with the ball but was well within his domain when he misjudged the free kick, had nobody to blame but himself. ``It was an error, and I paid for the error with the goal,'' Higuita said. ``These are things we can fix at this point (before the World Cup in June).'' Castro scored himself six minutes later after a brilliant solo run. He took a pass from Johnny Miqueiro, split to Colombian defenders and launched a left-footed shot that beat Higuita. The match was a rough, hard-tackling affair that featured three yellow cards and one expulsion. Colombia's Ricardo Perez was given a red card in the 32nd minute after a vicious hit on Daniel Fonseca, leaving the Colombians to play a man short the rest of the way.