From: marco@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (Marco Petroni)
Subject: Re: US team's Italian tour results?
Organization: McGill Research Centre for Intelligent Machines, Montreal, Canada
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 92 17:54:06 GMT

In article <1992Sep5.151701.15417@wam.umd.edu> waddlech@wam.umd.edu (David Akkarach) writes:
>The US team traveled to Italy to play some exhibition matches in late
>August. I think they played Genoa, Juventus and Sampdoria. Does anyone
>have the results and mini match reports? Thanks.

I saw the game between Fiorentina and the US team on television in Italy.
This game was played on the 21st of August and was the opening
game of the "Trofeo Baretti" tournament, played in Saint Vincent. The other
teams in this tournament were Juventus and Russia. Unfortunately, I don't
have the results for the other games in this tournament or for the other
games that the US played.

In any case, here are bits and pieces of the match report from
"La Gazetta dello Sport", mixed in with my comments:


Fiorentina	4	United States	0
   Batistuta '29
   Baiano    '35
   Effenberg '42
   Laudrup   '10 (2nd)


Fiorentina: Mannini, Pioli, Carobbi (Fiondella '30 (2nd)), Di Mauro
            (Iachini '1 (2nd)), Faccenda, Verga, Effenberg, Laudrup
            (Salvatori '36 (2nd)), Batistuta, Orlando (Beltrammi '30 (2nd)),
            Baiano. Coach: Radice.

United States: Meola, Balboa, Armstrong, Clavijo, Michallik
            (Agoos '25 (2nd)), Murray, Quinn, Sorber, Lapper,
            Perez, Vermes (Jones '15 (2nd)). Coach: Milutinovic.

Attendance: 1,100.


Fiorentina was playing against an American team which was missing a few
of their more important players, which perhaps explained their poor
performance. In any case, it was Fiorentina who made the first rushes
toward the US net with a shot by Effenberg at the 10th minute, which
was stopped by a diving shot by US goalkeeper Meola. Fiorentina continued
the assault on the US net with the Americans who reduced the pressure
on a couple of occasions thanks to very fast counter attacks, which
were readily neutralized by the "viola" defenders. Laudrup played very
well, and showed his excellent ball carrying and dribbling skills. Batistuta
also had a few nice shots on the net, as did Baiano, who narrowly missed
scoring at the 19th minute of the first half.

The Americans, who often looked lost and disorganized, narrowly missed
taking the lead at the 21st minute of the first half, when on a counter
attack. Perez passed the ball to Vermes in the center who bolted for the
net and found himself alone in front of the goalkeeper Mannini. The Fiorentina
goalkeeper storms out of the net and manages to get the ball.

At the half hour came the first goal. Effenberg, in mid-field, passes on
the wing for Laudrup, who centers for a Batistuta on the run who quickly
scores. Six minutes later, Fiorentina scored their second goal. Laudrup
"slalomed" his way through the opposing team to the US penalty area and
even dribbles past Meola coming out to cut the angle before passing
to Baiano who was practically on the goal line.

The third goal came from a contrast at mid-field. The ball manages
to find its way in the US' half where Effenberg was, and who quickly
bolted for the net with the ball in his posession. Meola once again
ran out and Effenberg scored the third goal for Fiorentina on a chip
taken from outside the penalty area.

The second half was not much different, with Fiorentina always on the
attack, playing a very entertaining game, and always ready defensively,
to stop the US counter attacks, which rarely seemed threatening.
Fiorentina scored 10 minutes into the second half with a beautiful goal
by Laudrup who once again slalomed his way to the US penalty area,
deeked two other US players, and took a diagonal ground shot and scored.
Fiorentina had a couple of other scoring opportunies with Batistuta and
with the young Beltrammi, but nothing came of it.

In short, Fiorentina was quite impressive with Effenberg, Batistuta, and
especially, Laudrup. On the other hand, the US was just the opposite...

Marco...
--
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- Marco Petroni - VE2VTN - "Forza Milan! En ROUGE et BLACK." "Forza Ancona!"
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                         McGill University, Montreal, Canada.  
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