University of North Carolina Athletics
From Fetzer To Finley
June 17, 2002 | Men's Soccer
June 17, 2002
By Dave Lohse
Associate Athletic Communications Director
It wasn't long ago that Gregg Berhalter and Eddie Pope started together in the back for Coach Elmar Bolowich's Tar Heel men's soccer team. Berhalter and Pope starred on some very good UNC teams in the early 1990s, leading Carolina to NCAA Tournament bids in 1991, 1993 and 1994.
In the wee hours of Monday morning the two started together again in a unique defensive setup and they helped lift the United States to a stunning upset of Mexico in the second round of the World Cup in South Korea. The 2-0 American win is surely a shocker and it puts the U.S. into the quarterfinals of the tournament for a match up later this week against Germany, the native country of their former college coach. The U.S. will face the Germans, who most recently won the World Cup in 1990, in a round of eight match on Friday.
Monday's win against the Mexicans was the first ever for the United States in an elimination game in World Cup play. The last time the Americans made it to the round of eight was 1930 but at that time there were only 13 teams in the World Cup and the tournament was structured far differently than it is today with group play and 32 teams qualifying for the tournament.
What may be even more amazing is that it was only the third win by the Americans in World Cup play since 1950. One of those victories came in 1994 on U.S. soil when the Americans upset Columbia aided in its effort by an own goal. In this World Cup, the U.S. has upset Portugal, the world's fifth-ranked side going into tourney play, and now Mexico, which had played as well as any nation in the World Cup going into Monday's match. Mexico had even won its group over Italy, certainly one of the teams seriously expected to win the World Cup when play started last month. In fact, Sports Illustrated even picked the Italians to win the whole thing in the pre-tournament preview issue.
With one less day of rest than Mexico heading into Monday's match, the U.S. knew that it had to play a unique style to control the explosive power of the red-hot Mexicans and their relentless attacking style. U.S. coach Bruce Arena chose to start Berhalter in the back along with regular starter Pope as the Americans played three central defenders while two wing midfielders, including team captain Claudio Reyna, dropped back on a regular basis to give the U.S. an effective wall of five men in front of goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who was brilliant in the goal.
The Americans scored a beautiful goal in the eighth minute as Brian McBride rocketed a shot through several Mexican bodies that finished a picture perfect soccer play initiated by Reyna and another new starter, Josh Wolff. Mexico dominated possession the rest of the first half but could not get the equalizing goal. That first goal loomed large for the Americans as it allowed the U.S. defense to get into a comfort zone and play its game despite the large edge in possession by Mexico.
The U.S. caught a break in the early moments of the second half when an obvious handball on the Americans was not called in the penalty area. That miscue almost certainly would have resulted in the tying goal but the foul went undetected and the Americans retained their 1-0 lead.
Later in the second half, with the Mexicans' time of possession at 70 percent of the match, the U.S. pounced on a counter attack to score the game-clinching goal off the head of 20-year-old superstar in the making Landon Donovan.
From then on the match became a foul-marred mess but it was nothing short of a thing of beauty to the eyes of Americans despite the 10 yellow cards and one ejection.
In the end, at 4:22 a.m. Eastern Time, the U.S. finished the 2-0 win to post its first shutout in World Cup play since 1950. And it was the first win in an elimination game for the U.S. ever. In the U.S.'s only previous chances to advance beyond the second round, Argentina beat the Americans 6-1 in 1930 and Brazil won a nailbiter 1-0 in 1994 on the Fourth of July in the Rose Bowl.
When all was said and done Monday it was a proud day for the U.S.A. It was also a very proud day to be a Tar Heel. Two of our own, Gregg Berhalter and Eddie Pope, started on the back line and played all 90 minutes in the 2-0 shutout win. On Friday the opponent will be international soccer giant Germany. The task for the Americans will not be easy. It will be nothing short of daunting.
I suggest staying up late, tuning in and rooting our American boys on. You'll get the chance to see Berhalter and Pope combine to put up that stout line of defense again. Just as they did together not too many years ago at Fetzer Field.
