U.S. won't hold back in El Salvador

WASHINGTON -- The win-at-home, tie-on-the-road formula has worked perfectly for the U.S. National Team through the first three games of the semifinal round qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Bruce Arena's side has gone 1-0-2, which has the Americans sitting atop the Group 1 standings with five points.

However, this isn't a group that'll simply be satisfied by holding serve with a tie on the road against El Salvador on Saturday night.

Instead, the U.S. is viewing this match as a chance to earn the full three points with a win and set up a situation where it could clinch a berth into the final round of qualifying with a result against Panama when the two teams meet at RFK Stadium on Oct. 13.

"We're going into this game with the idea of winning the game," said striker Brian McBride after a spirited training session at American University on Thursday morning. "We probably will push forward a little more. Having said that, they're going to have to push forward a little more. They need a win."

Indeed.

El Salvador lies at the bottom of the four-team group with three points (1-2-0). To try and jump-start its qualifying campaign, Juan Paredes was ousted, and Armando Contreras was brought in to manage the Azules. His hiring has resulted in several new players being called up for Saturday's match, which makes it all the more difficult to forecast.

Yet, the situation remains the same: El Salvador needs to post more than the one shot -- and none on goal -- that it took in the 2-0 loss to the Americans back on Sept. 4 because a loss could essentially eliminate the team from qualifying with two games to play.

"They have the home field and they'll probably need, at the very least, to leave with a point if they have any hopes of moving on," said Arena. "So I think they will be, regardless of the (new) players, a little bit more aggressive going forward than they were in the last game."

Arena praised El Salvador's defense, as it got strong play from centerback Victor Velasquez, but he felt that it was more about his own team's inability to finish than anything the defense was doing during the last match.

Even though the U.S. dominated the play during a rather chippy affair and had a man advantage over the El Salvadorans after midfielder Denis Alas received a second yellow card in the 26th minute, it wasn't until a beautiful strike by Landon Donovan in the 69th minute that a two-goal cushion was achieved.

"What we didn't do well in that game," said Arena, whose team fired 19 shots in that game, "was killing off the game."

On the other end of the spectrum, Arena has been concerned with the play in the back recently. Or more specifically, the lack of quickness the back four has been able to move the ball forward.

All week long, the U.S. has worked on dealing with high-pressure and relieving it by getting more off-the-ball-movement from the midfielders and strikers so that balls can be played more easily out of the back.

At times during training, Arena has stopped the play when he saw the ball slow down in the defending team's own end and pointed out as an example how it was that lack of quickness and somewhat carelessness, at times, that put his side in a position where it trailed 1-0 to Panama before Cobi Jones bailed them out with a stoppage-time goal.

That's also one of the reasons that Gregg Berhalter was summoned back to the squad, and will likely get the start next to Eddie Pope as the two U.S. centerbacks against El Salvador.

"What Gregg brings to the table is what we're a bit lacking and that is not only experience, but good skills in organizing the players around him," said Arena of the 31-year-old defender who plays for Energie Cottbus in the German First Division. "Basically, he talks, and he's also a good passer. And those have been two issues that we've addressed that we think has to get better - not only in the back, but all over the field. We haven't been doing a good job with the passing; doing a better job communicating and getting ourselves organized on both sides of the ball."

Adds McBride: "We're definitely going to concentrate on our shape. Going forward is going to be an important part of it."

That type of game-plan makes it likely that Bobby Convey will start at left back as Greg Vanney was left off the roster after starting against Panama.

Arena is concerned that Carlos Bocanegra (hamstring strain) has, for the most part, been out of action at Fulham over the past three weeks, and indicated that he may be more likely to play against Panama next week rather than this weekend.

If Berhalter and Pope man the middle of the defense, the options at right back are Frankie Hejduk and Tony Sanneh. While Arena said that Sanneh is "in the mix" for the weekend, his training was limited during the early part of the week due to a slight hamstring pull.

In the midfield, the U.S. will be without captain Claudio Reyna (strained quadriceps muscle) and Chris Armas (knee). Coupled with a bruised right hip that held Pablo Mastroeni out of the end of training on Thursday morning, the match against El Salvador could mark Kerry Zavagnin's first start in a road qualifier for the U.S.

With Zavagnin as the holding midfielder, Arena's options in front of him as an attacker include Clint Mathis and Landon Donovan. Against Panama, Mathis played in that playmaker role before eventually giving way to Donovan in the second half. No matter where these two are situated, it's a given that DaMarcus Beasley will be in the mix on the left side.

Up front, there's a good chance that McBride gets paired with Josh Wolff for the first time in qualifying since the second leg of the home-and-home series with Grenada in June. In that match, Wolff scored the second goal in the team's 3-2 series-clinching victory over the Spice Boyz back on June 20.

McBride, who has scored six of his 25 goals against El Salvador, said that he and the Kansas City Wizards striker complement one another nicely. After all, it was Wolff's quick pass back across the box that set up McBride for the game-winning goal against Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup.

"Josh is a great player," said McBride, who arrived in camp on Tuesday night after playing 62 minutes for Fulham in a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Monday. "I don't think he gets enough recognition for his brain. Everyone talks about how quick he is and his agility, but he's smart. He makes great runs. I have a good understanding, and vice-versa, of where he's going to be. If we make eye contact, we understand what each other is going to do. When you're making runs off the ball it's very advantageous for us (as a team), and for him and me in particular."

Should this twosome play together, they'll need that unspoken understanding since it will surely be a raucous environment at the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador.

The only time the U.S. has played in a qualifying match at this venue came on June 29, 1997 when Roy Lassiter came off the bench to help the Americans get a 1-1 draw.

They'll be looking to keep their current 10-game unbeaten streak alive, as well as an impressive 26-game unbeaten streak against CONCACAF opponents.

To play it safe, Arena chose to fly in to San Salvador two days before the game rather than the day before as has been the case against both Jamaica and Panama. The U.S. manager felt the team didn't really have its legs against Panama and he wants an extra day to be ready.

"Maybe we'll be a little bit more rested and a little bit more prepared to deal with the game," he said

Of the 23 players he brought into camp, Arena is releasing two back to their clubs and traveling with 21.

While he hadn't announced the players as of Thursday afternoon, the likeliest candidate is goalkeeper Jonny Walker since both Kasey Keller, the probable starter, and Tim Howard are on the roster. The other player returning to his MLS team will presumably be either MetroStars midfielder Eddie Gaven or Dallas Burn striker Eddie Johnson.

The team will return to the nation's capital on Sunday to prepare for Panama. Arena hopes it's with another three points in tow by beating what should be an overmatched El Salvadoran side.

"I think we have a better team in every facet of the game," he said. "However, wins on the road don't come that often in qualifying, so you can't just say that this is a game that we should get three points on the road. But that's certainly going to be our goal."

Marc Connolly covers American soccer for ESPN Soccernet.com. He can be reached at: marc@oakwoodsoccer.com