US beat St Kitts & Nevis 6-0 in Olympic soccer qualifier

Monday, November 17, 2003

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: The two-game, second round CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying series opened with a dominating 6-0 win for the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team over St. Kitts & Nevis in front of over 7,000 boisterous fans who packed Warner Park in Basseterre for what was billed as the biggest sporting event that the island has ever hosted.

According to a report by US Soccer, the U.S. pushed forward and applied pressure from the opening whistle, earning the first of eight corner kicks just 40 seconds into the match. In the 4th minute, the U.S. had its first good opportunity when Johnson was freed on the left flank and was left with only goalkeeper Kayian Benjamin to beat, but he put his shot high over the crossbar. 

The U.S. broke through in the 12th minute on a play that would prove deadly all night, with Convey serving a perfect through ball that beat the offside trap and found a streaking Johnson, who made no mistake this time, beating the 'keeper to his left.

The USA doubled its lead in the 27th minute after a long series of possession that ended with Convey dribbling at two St. Kitts/Nevis defenders. The D.C. United midfielder was dispossessed, but then applied pressure to steal the ball back and turned to surprise the Benjamin with a low shot that skipped off his left hand and inside the right post to make it 2-0. 

St. Kitts formed a dangerous multi-player attack with a push in the 38th minute to try and draw a goal back, but left back Chris Wingert stuffed speedy forward Jevon Francis in a one-on-one isolation in the penalty area. St. Kitts/Nevis had an even better chance in the first minute of the second half, as defender Oguchi Onyewu got beat on the dribble by Dachan Jarvis, who played a square ball to midfielder Alister Warner all alone at the penalty spot, but the SKN playmaker muffed his shot high into the air and it was headed out of danger. 

From then on, it was all U.S., as Johnson again chased down a through ball by Beckerman in stride and roofed a shot over the 5'9" Benjamin in the 50th minute. 

Buddle turned it on in the last 35 minutes of the game as the defense wore down, almost getting his first goal of the night after collecting a through ball and drawing out the 'keeper, but his shot rolled a foot wide and was a step ahead of forward David Testo crashing at the far post. 

Eskandarian had the first two of his three breakaways stuffed by the diminutive, but athletic St. Kitts/Nevis shot-stopper, as he raced off his line and blocked both efforts in the 60th and 64th minutes. 

It was St. Kitts turn to fail to convert a breakaway in the 64th minute, as Francis was freed up the middle and sailed his chip of U.S. goalkeeper D.J. Countess a few feet wide right. 

Buddle made his second and third chances count, scoring off a 2-on-1 feed from Eskandarian in the 78th minute and then tapping home a Nat Borchers header off a Brian Carroll corner kick in the 81st minute. 

Eskandarian proved that the third time is the charm by deservedly scoring the sixth and final goal in the 87th minute, pouncing on yet another through ball and chipping the 'keeper with confidence before he could try to get in front of the shot. 

Countess preserved the shutout by coming out to win a 50-50 ball with Jarvis and then smothering a well-taken, low free kick from 25 yards out in the 89th minute. 

The US team will use tomorrow on the island as a rejuvenation day before travelling most of Monday to the D.C. area, where they will prepare to host the second leg of the home- and- home series on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md., a suburb west of Washington, D.C. 

St. Kitts & Nevis enters the match needing to win by seven goals to advance on aggregate goals, with away goals being the first tiebreaker. 

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