European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday june 23,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 23 kicking up questions for . Soccer Tea world cup �?T90 by Randy Harvey los Angeles times Florence Italy a most of the 22 players who resented the United states in its first world cup soccer appearance in 40 years returned Home wednesday they left with a wealth of experience and experiences but also with three losses in three games. The postmortem question was the teams performance better or worse than expected answer both. Although the United states did not play As Well As it expected it was better than the rest of the world thought when the tournament began. Despite the Odds established by London bookmakers the United states was not the worst of the 24 teams. That distinction belonged to the United Arab emirates. The United states also scored two goals which is two More than most people predicted. Q was Bob Gansler the right Man to coach the team a if the United states actually expected to realize its goal of advancing to the second round the answer is no. Having never attended a world cup game not even As a Spectator Gansler did not have his team psychologically prepared for the opening game against Czechoslovakia. He watched the czechs play numerous games on film and once in person. He was unimpressed believing his team could finish that game with a tie or maybe even a Victory. But he was surprised the czechs were Able to raise their intensity level to such a High degree for the world cup. As a result so were his overconfident players. They were overwhelmed in a 5-1 loss. Q should Gansler be retained As coach for the 1994 world cup in the United states a definitely. Now that he has a world cup behind him the United states should not waste his experience. He is a thoughtful intelligent coach who learns from his mistakes. He proved to the world that he can coach in the second game when his strategy and his players ability to implement it held Italy to a 1-0 Victory. Q who were the most impressive players a midfielder Tab Ramos of Hillside n.j., and defender John Doyle of Fremont Calif. The teams most skilled player Ramos might emerge with a contract in the dutch first division. At Only 5-feet-7 and 140 pounds he can be knocked off the Ball too easily to continue in his role As a Slaymaker but he might be effective As an Active Forward. On the other end of the scale at 6-3 and 185, Doyle proved he can hold his own with the strongest forwards. Italy a Andrea came Vale and Austria a Tom Polster were benched during their games against the United states because they were ineffective against Doyle. 0 could Hugo Perez have improved the teams performance a if healthy and Happy yes. He is the playmakercommentary1 the United states did not have perhaps the Only player in the country capable of handling that position in the world cup. But Gansler was concerned that Perez was not fully recovered after by Ealing a Bone in his leg in March. Perez has a potentially disruptive personality in the Best of times because he always says exactly what he thinks. Q will the team still be together for the 1994 world cup a if you Are a . Soccer fan you can Only Hope the answer is no. As the youngest team in the tournament with an average age of 24, the United states has some players who will just be reaching their prime in four years. But the United states must have players who Are better athletically and technically if it intends to Advance beyond the first round. That was the most important lesson Learned from this world cup. Q How can it find those players a it has some on this team who might be Able to raise their games to the necessary level. Three reserves a midfielders Chris Henderson and Neil Covone and goalkeeper Kasey Keller a Are Young enough to play on the under-23 team which will begin its attempt later this year to qualify for the 1992 olympics. That will give them additional International experience. Other players such As Ramos Doyle midfielders Paul Ca Giuri and John Harkes and forwards Peter Vermes and Chris Sullivan might have opportunities to play in european professional leagues. Unfortunately players who do not have such opportunities have Little Chance to improve. For College players who Are not members of National teams their seasons Are too Short. For older players there is no professional outdoor soccer league in the United states that enables them to make a living. The american professional soccer league has a salary Cap of $75,000 a team which Means no player earns More than about $ 10,000. A the machinery we have in place has carried us As far As it can a Gansler says. A a we be squeezed the optimum out of  one solution would be a legitimate professional league but the . Soccer federation still does not have a plan two years after it announced that it would develop one. At least through the end of this year the federation plans to maintain a National team that will play an extensive schedule beginning july 28 in Milwaukee against East Germany. But Gansler Calls that concept Over a four year period a a travelling Gypsy band that will drive the players and me  the federation must reach out to More players. Most of its Talent Pool consists of White Middle class Steve Trittschuh right and . Lost 5-1 to czechs. A suburban products of the american youth soccer organization. It will not succeed until the Michael Jordans and to Jacksons Are playing soccer. A somewhere out there is a vietnamese Community a Black Community a latino Community where there is soccer Talent a Gansler says. A for whatever reasons sometimes they re  q is there any reason for encouragement a Gansler acknowledges that there is a wide Gap Between the United states and the Italy West Ger Many and even Czechoslovakia. A but we re going to close it a he says. His optimism is justified not so much by his own teams performance As by those of other teams. The United states might not be quite on a Plain with Colombia and Costa Rica but the difference is minimal. Both have qualified for the second round. Q what can the . Public do a Send Money. Of the federations three major sponsors two might pull out by the end of the year. The federations treasurer Paul Stiehl blames the president Werner Flicker and is running against him in an August election. The Campaign has been bitter splitting a federation that has been besieged by financial and Public relations problems. Considering the federations condition it is nothing Short of a Miracle that the . Team even qualified for the world  opens 2nd round is. Colombia by Michael Janofsky new York times Florence Italy a the first round of the world cup finals ended thursday night with yellow balls red balls and giant Brandy shifters setting matchup Tor the 16 teams that will begin an elimination tournament saturday leading to the final july 8 in Rome. The advancing teams represent the top two trom each of six groups plus the four a in Ace teams with the Best records. The real world cup starts now a said a Eigio Vicini the coach of Italy the Only team not scored upon in the first round and Winner of group a. A i think inequality of play so far has been Good. But it will be even better  until thursday All but one of the a setups in the round of 16 had been in list u thursday s results completed the the establishing England and Spain As Arunn is of their groups and ending a thai y Austria and Scotland third place ams wanting to know if their records were Good enough for them to continue they weren to. Instead the four third place teams to continue became Argentina Uruguay Colombia and the Netherlands. The Netherlands which tied Ireland thursday night 1-1, while England was defeating Egypt 1-0, became the third place team in the group by a Blind draw in Rome that affected six of the eight matchup. The tie left the Netherlands and Ireland with identical records 0-0-3, which was Good enough for both to Advance. But to determine which of them would be the second place team officials placed the teams names in separate yellow balls and the numbers �?o2�?� and 3 in separate red balls then put the balls in separate shifters to set the order. The Only Way Austria or Scotland could have advanced was if thursday nights Ireland Netherlands tie had produced a Winner. The austrians and the scots can thank Niall Quinn of Ireland for taking them out of the running. His goal in the 71st minute evened the score after Rudd Gullet of the Netherlands provided a 1 -0 Lead. Earlier in the evening Spain Defeated Belgium 2-1 in Verona to win group e. Here is a closer look of each of the matches in the round of 16, in chronological order of play saturday Cameroon the Surprise Winner of group b with victories Over Argentina and Romania before a loss to the soviet Union plays Colombia the third place team from group a in Naples. In Bari Czechoslovakia runner up to Italy plays Costa Rica which Defeated Sweden in its final game to finish second to Brazil in group c. Sunday in Turin Brazil a three time world Champion plays the defending Champion Argentina which finished As Only the third place team in group b. Brazil won group c with three victories. West Germany the highest scoring team in the round with 10 goals plays the Netherlands in Milan. Monday by defeating Czechoslovakia tuesday Italy became the Only team to be unsfored upon and won the right to play in Rome against Uruguay which beat South Korea 1-0 thursday night. Tuesday had Vincenzo Scifo converted his penalty kick thursday night against spam Belgium would have won group e and played Yugoslavia the runner up to West Germany in group d. Instead Belgium finished second and will play England in Bologna. Spain which tied Uruguay and beat South Korea before thursday nights game will play Yugoslavia in Verona. The subsequent rounds of the tournament differ from the first round in that no game can end in a tie. If the teams Are tied after regulation they will continue through two 15-minute overtime periods. If the score remains tied the teams will begin penalty kicks first five by each team and then if a tie remains one by one but with both teams getting the same number of attempts. The first round of 36 games began june 8 and continued Over two weeks eliminating eight teams the United states the United Arab emirates South Korea Sweden the soviet Union Austria Scotland and Egypt. The United states Sweden South Korea and the emirates won no games