ANALYSIS

LATimes July 9, 1994

# Expect Favorites in Semifinals

By HENRY A. KISSINGER
and ANTHONY DAY

After encountering the brutal, stifling heat of Dallas and Orlando, Germany and Belgium opened the second round of the World Cup in Chicago in welcome weather.

It was like a typical summer's day in Northern Europe. It was chilly. It was windy. It was rainy. And both teams played well in one of the two best games of the round of 16.

Franz Beckenbauer, the great German player and coach, remarked in 1990 that the World Cup did not begin until the second round. It was true also in 1994, even though this year, due at least in part to FIFA's rules and procedure changes designed to step up the pace, the first-round games were more interesting than four years ago and the goals-per-game average was about one-third of a goal higher.

Please see ANALYSIS, C5

23,770 at Yankee Stadium just why they have the worst record in the American League.

Their entire offense for 8⅔ innings consisted of a first-inning infield single by Rex Hudler and three walks. The only saving grace was that Angel starter Brian Anderson had limited the Yankees to two runs.

Then, inexplicably, it happened. Chili Davis hit a ball off the wrist of Yankee starter Melido Perez. Greg Myers doubled to left. Tim Salmon, in his first big league pinch-hitting appearance, hit a two-run single to left, tying the score. Two batters later, Mark Dalesandro singled to center, scoring pinch-runner Reynolds for the go-ahead run.

Now, all the Angels had to do was stop the Yankees. Reliever Mark Leiter retired the only batter

Please see ANGELS, C10

Trivia answers

Quotebook: win nine consecutive games by throwing out 100BASES in Pittsburgh

SYMES I
PASS

MICHAELS

FAMOUS BRANDS
FOR MEN

SHOES

5 TO 15 N TO XW
7 DAYS

ANALYSIS

Continued from C1

"Depend upon it, sir," wrote Dr. Samuel Johnson, "when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully." And when the World Cup has moved to the single-elimination stage, the certain knowledge that minutes from now it's either you or the other guys can produce some terrific concentration and splendid games between well-matched teams.

Beckenbauer before the Germany-Belgium game, put the Johnson aphorism into soccer language: "Everything henceforth depends on speed, power and concentration."

He thought that if Germany fulfilled its potential, it would go through to the final, that of its possible rivals on the way there, Italy had the best material and that the new football powers like Saudi Arabia would fall by the wayside.

Germany and Belgium surely fulfilled that prediction. Germany was the stronger and faster, but Belgium played courageously and tenaciously. Its spectacular goalkeeper, Michel Preud'homme, saved Belgium from several German goals. Belgium could have used the obvious penalty kick the referee neglected to award, but the truth was that the Germans, for the first time in the Cup, played with tremendous power, led by forward Juergen Klinsmann and 34-year-old striker Rudi Voeller, called back from retirement, and nearly every attack threatened a goal.

A German team playing like the one that beat Belgium, 3-2, is likely to reach the final.

The other splendid game of the second round, a great game in any World Cup, was Romania's 3-2 dispatch of Argentina in a moderately hot and quite smoggy Rose Bowl. These teams are each capable of arousing extraordinary cynicism. But on this occasion, what you are bound to remember for many years was their commitment and verve: Romania's creative fast breaks, propelled by a brilliant Gheorghe Hagi, and Argentina's marvelous passing game. The rapid, end-to-end sweeps as Argentina attacked and Romania counterattacked produced a match that only a churl could have asked to be more exciting.

"Spain swamped the Swiss in a fast, rough game in which Spain ordered 18 fouls to 12 shots at the goal against a Swiss side that lacked the power to keep pace.

Sweden, playing very methodically, beat Saudi Arabia, 3-1. The Saudis were charming to watch but they still lack the experience to break into scoring at this level of competition. It was a tribute to their skill and courage that they got this far.

Ireland, losing to the Netherlands, 2-0,

played with verve and toughness. But important as defense is, no team can win consistently if it scores only two goals in four games.

The Dutch, at 3-1, are looking strong. They seemed confident and determined. They have scored six goals and given up only three, but they lack the fluidity and imagination of the great Dutch teams of the '70s. When they face Brazil in the heat in Dallas, it will be power against a machine.

The real question is whether the Brazilians are suffering from the Brazilian disease of subordinating goal scoring to technical brilliance. Their footwork is elegant but they have trouble finishing. Except for their 3-0 defeat of a squabbling Cameroon in the first round, they have scored no more than one goal from the field in any game. (Their second goal against Russia was on a penalty kick.)

It was much to the credit of the United States that it held Brazil scoreless in the first half and allowed only one goal in the second in the classic American football stadium at Stanford University under the clear blue sky and crisp air of Northern California. The United States, not having yet developed an identifiable soccer culture, confused the seasoned Brazilian team with its recklessly aggressive defense. But if Brazil does not develop a

better finishing touch it will not prevail through the final week.

Poor Mexico! After slogging it out with Bulgaria to a 1-1 tie, it lost, 3-1, after overtime on a humiliating run of failed penalty kicks. Theirs was by far the more skilled side, but the defensive tactic it adopted seemed not to fit with its national style. It seems strange to us that Mexico waited for the penalty kicks and made no serious attempt to decide the game in its favor during overtime. A measure of this resignation was that Mexico didn't make any substitutions in overtime, despite the obvious exhaustion of some of its players.

This Cup's enigma has been Italy. It is a stereotyping cliche to call its sudden resuscitation and end-of-game 2-1 victory over Nigeria operatic, but it would be an accurate description of the team.

The renowned Roberto Baggio, who had done little for three games and most of the fourth, sprang to life in the 89th minute to tie Nigeria with a clever shot, then set the stage for a penalty kick in the 102nd minute by lobbing the ball over the head of a defender who committed a foul in a desperate effort to recover. Nigeria at its best played beautiful, muscular soccer. But in the game against Italy, it let itself be drawn into a European-style tactical game, for which it lacks the experience and perhaps the conviction.

Italy played much of the game with one man out. So did Brazil. If that is the way to win, perhaps FIFA, instead of awarding a penalty kick to a team, should reward it by taking a man off the field.

In the quarterfinals, Brazil will have trouble against the Dutch today in Dallas unless it can develop more power in its attacks.

Italy's problem is psychological. No team has technically more accomplished players. It is not clear whether its coach can make them play together. If Italy—and Baggio—can mesh their great abilities today, it should take Spain in a close game.

As for the other quarterfinals, in the Romania-Sweden game Sunday, everything depends on which Romanian team shows up. If it plays as brilliantly and purposefully as it did against Argentina, Romania is likely to beat Sweden. But if it performs as poorly as it did in the first round against Switzerland, it will return to Romania.

Bulgaria has some first-class players. But Germany seems too strong. Our prediction for the semifinals is Germany-Italy and Brazil-Romania. But we could easily be surprised.

Henry Kissinger is the unpaid honorary chairman of World Cup USA '94. Anthony Day is Los Angeles Times senior correspondent.

a World Cup producing a scoring rate superior to that in Italy four years ago will also throw up the most prolific scorer of modern times."

—Evening Standard in London

## OUT OF THE WAY

Commercials during World Cup games have been dropped after state-run Cyprus Television received hundreds of calls complaining that they were too distracting.

Commercials will now be run only before the start, at halftime and after the finish of games.

—WILLIAM TUOHY

Times London Bureau

## NOW, IF IT WERE FOOTBALL

Dallas City Council members **Glenn Box** and **Domingo Garcia** have caught soccer fever—and flack. Instead of attending a budget meeting, they went to the Cotton Bowl to watch a World Cup game in June. The meeting was canceled, and council members will have to grapple with a $38-million deficit later. The absences probably will be noted by opponents during the next council campaigns.

—ELLIOTT ALMOND

produced the highest television ratings in the nation's sports history, RTE, the Irish television network, reported.

According to one telephone poll, 93% of all viewers watched Ireland's opening game against Italy. The percentage was even higher when Ireland played Holland in the second round, with the Irish Times reporting that the game was seen by "virtually the whole population."

—GRAHAME L. JONES

## A TOUGH ADMISSION

A difficult lesson in England:

"Let's bring the free spirit of America's dazzling World Cup to these shores.

"The vital lessons of this World Cup must be learned in full by everyone connected with football in the land of its birth. We must not be too proud or too foolish to admit that we can learn from a tournament in which we were not good enough to participate.

"Our players and managers must open their minds—and referees should be tough, even if it means a proliferation of red and yellow cards. It would mean a happy, glorious new year for British football."

—Daily Express in London

## GETTING READY

Michel Platini, French star of the 1986 World Cup and now chairman of the 1998 World Cup organizing committee in France, found a soccer field near the Cotton Bowl on Thursday and organized a pick-up game.

—ELLIOTT ALMOND

## A REAL FOOTBALLER

In the "It's never too late to learn something new" category: **Zacchary Bryan**, 12, of Glendale gave the Raiders' **Nolan Harrison** a lesson in juggling a soccer ball at a preview day of SoccerFest on Thursday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

In a ring in the center of the 500,000 square-foot soccer festival, Bryan showed that he was clearly more adept at juggling—keeping a soccer ball in the air by kicking it—than Harrison.

"As a football player, I thought I was quick-footed," Harrison said. "But I'm not as quick as these guys."

Final score: Bryan 15, Harrison 3.

SoccerFest continues through July 17.

—WENDY WITHERSPOON

Havelange said FIFA made its sentiments known by asking for two minutes of silence before the two games on the day of the murder. Escobar was shot for accidentally kicking in an own goal during a game against the United States.

"You cannot expect FIFA to be in every country and legislate what is occurring," Havelange said. "You cannot expect FIFA to send troops to try to bring about a type of calm to this disorder."

Sepp Blatter, FIFA general secretary, said it would be impossible for FIFA to take any action to quell the emotions of soccer fans.

"If the United Nations are not able to stop any assassinations, how can FIFA, with only its spoken power, stop such cases?" he asked.

—ELLIOTT ALMOND

## ON THE TABLE

On Brazil's coach, **Carlos Alberto Parreira**:

"Foosball [table soccer]. That's the best way to define the style of soccer played by Parreira's team, where 11 players are imprisoned on four lines.

"It's worth remembering that the goal against the U.S. team was scored only after Parreira's plan fell apart. . . . The duel against Holland in the quarterfinals is a good chance—maybe the last—for the coach of the national team to produce creativity in the midfield."

—MELCHIADES FILHO

Folha de São Paulo

## JOB SECURITY

The German press has suggested that **Coach Berti Vogts** is intimidated by the presence in the United States of **Franz Beckenbauer**, who coached the 1990 team to the World Cup title.

Beckenbauer, here to watch, does not apologize. "I can't evaporate in smoke," he says.

Meanwhile, Brazil Coach Parreira practically insisted that former coach **Mario Jorge Lobo Zagalo** be his assistant. Zagalo coached the team that is considered perhaps the greatest World Cup champion, Brazil of 1970. Parreira was a member of his staff that year.

"I'm secure enough that I'm not afraid to have someone around who knows more than I do," Parreira says. "To have Zagalo available and to not use him would be criminal."

—RANDY HARVEY

## RUMOR OF THE DAY

Brazil's Romario will leave his club, FC Barcelona, to play for Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro, the top Brazilian team.

—ELLIOTT ALMOND