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Watered-down soccer team to play final qualifier
BOSTON (AP) -- With the World Cup still seven months away, U.S. soccer coach Steve Sampson wants the team to be at full strength for the opener even if he may not be a part of it.So Sampson, whose future appears unsettled, plans to sit out some top players Sunday against El Salvador rather than take a chance that they'll get their second yellow card of the qualifying round that could force them to miss the first game in France next June.
Sampson's decision could hurt the Americans in Sunday's qualifying finale, although they've already clinched a World Cup berth. And it may not help his chances of continuing as coach.
"The big picture is the main thing, even at the expense of my own career," he said Thursday in a conference call. "I hope the officials of the (U.S. Soccer) Federation understand exactly what I'm doing."
Of the 26 players on the roster for the game, 12 have one yellow card. That group includes Roy Wegerle, who had two goals and an assist in a 3-0 win over Canada last Sunday that clinched a berth in the tournament.
"I think no matter what team we field against El Salvador, we'll be very competitive," Wegerle said. "I don't think we're going into this game unprepared. We're going in to win."
Sunday's game is more important to El Salvador, which can edge Jamaica for the third and final World Cup spot in the six-team group; El Salvador would have to beat the United States and Mexico, which also has clinched a berth, would have to beat Jamaica on Sunday.
Besides Wegerle, Americans with one yellow card are Marcelo Balboa, Mike Burns, Brad Friedel, Chris Henderson, Kasey Keller, Alexi Lalas, Roy Lassiter, Joe-Max Moore, Tony Sanneh, Martin Vasquez and Eric Wynalda.
Usually, FIFA doesn't bar players with two yellow cards in qualifying for World Cup openers. But a decision for next summer's tournament won't be made until Dec. 3.
Sampson doesn't want to take any chances. That means the capacity crowd expected at Foxboro Stadium will see lesser-known players, although Henderson, who is fighting for a berth on the team that goes to France, is likely to play with the hope of improving his chances.
"Outside of that, I do not want to take the risk of any player with a yellow card because there's so many situations where it's out of their control," Sampson said.
As the team has struggled, U.S. Soccer president Alan Rothenberg refused to speculate on Sampson's future.
"The speculation is something we need to stop talking about and let Steve get on with the job," Wegerle said. "I think Steve is the man to take us to the World Cup."
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan