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By Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Taylor Twellman is making the most of his chance to prove that he deserves a spot on the United States' World Cup roster. Twellman followed up his three-goal game against Norway with another strong performance, setting up two goals and scoring a third to lead the U.S. national team to a 3-2 victory over Japan on Friday night.
"He's had two very good games," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. "He's certainly putting himself in a good position. It's going to be competitive right down the stretch for everybody. But Taylor certainly hasn't hurt his cause." He had plenty of help against a rusty Japanese team. Eddie Pope scored for the second straight game for the first time in his career and Clint Dempsey also scored in the first half. Landon Donovan assisted on Twellman's second-half goal, tying Cobi Jones' U.S. record with his 22nd career assist, as the U.S. broke out to a 3-0 lead and held on for the win. "He should go to Vegas. He's been unbelievable," Donovan said about Twellman. "He's working hard. He's doing the right things and he's getting better every game. It's a lot different playing here, and I think he's starting to realize that and he's doing the right things and being rewarded." Both teams were without their European-based stars for the game but did have a handful of players who are expected to play prominent roles in Germany in June. The U.S. had chances early, including a header by Pope that just went wide, before breaking through against Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi in the 24th minute. Todd Dunivant, making his second career start, made a long pass from midfield into the penalty box that Twellman redirected with his head. The ball dropped right to Pope who beat Kawaguchi for his eighth career goal in 76 appearances with the national team. The U.S. team added to its lead late in the half when Josh Wolff fed Twellman at the top of the box. Twellman got the ball to Dempsey, his teammate on the New England Revolution, and Dempsey beat Kawaguchi with a low shot to the right corner. Dempsey stood in front of the goal, swaying hips in a dance, and then pounded his chest with his fists. Dempsey, who is also fighting for a roster spot in Germany, had his second straight strong game after creating many chances against Norway on Jan. 29. "We have a number of players who are forcing my hand and remaining in the picture," Arena said. "It is pleasing that we will have a number of choices. We need to watch over the next couple of months. It's still early. But I think a number of players tonight made a statement." Twellman also excelled in the 5-0 win against the Norwegians, recording the ninth three-goal game in U.S. history. He spent much of this game setting up his teammates but got his chances in the second half. He just missed high on a header in the 48th minute and then found the net in the 50th minute when Donovan set him up with a perfect corner kick into the middle of the box. Twellman ran in unmarked for the diving header. After going scoreless in his first 12 international appearances, the player Eric Wynalda once predicted would break the all-time U.S. scoring record now has five in his last four games. Twellman is using these games when many top players are still in Europe to state his case to make the World Cup roster. "I just want to be a good target forward and help my teammates out on defense and get in front of the goal," Twellman said. The U.S. team plays Guatemala in Frisco, Texas, on Feb. 19, then travels to Germany twice in March, to play Poland in Kaiserslautern on March 1 and Germany in Dortmund on March 22, when it will be joined by some of its European stars. "Despite the final score line, I think it was a dominating performance by our team tonight," Arena said. "I think in the second half the number of substitutions affected the flow of the game." Japan, playing its first game since November, had only one shot in the first half despite the return to the lineup of injured players Tatsuhiko Kubo and Shinji Ono. Kubo, the lone striker in the starting lineup, played with the national team for the first time since September 2004, and Ono hadn't played internationally since May 2005. Japan scored two goals late against Kevin Hartman, who won his second straight start. Seiichiro Maki scored on a header in the 68th minute and Yuji Nakazawa added a goal in extra time. "The biggest problem is we can't form our best team," Japan coach Zico said through a translator. "Most of our players in Europe are not here right now. It's almost like having two separate teams." This was the first soccer game played at SBC Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants. The attendance was 37,365, with many of the Bay Area's Japanese fans turning out to support their team. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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