United States 2 - 0 Wales
USA 2-0 Wales
| Scoring Summary | |
| United States | Wales |
| Landon Donovan (pen 36) | |
| Eddie Lewis (60) | |
| Match Information |
|
Stadium:
Attendance: 12,262 Match Time: 22:00 ET |
| Teams | |
| United States | Wales |
| Jovan Kirovski | David Vaughan |
| Nick Rimando | 1 Paul Jones |
| Ryan Suarez | Ady Williams |
| Richard Mulrooney | 3 Mark Pembridge |
| C.J. Brown | 4 Andrew Melville |
| 12 Jeff Agoos | Andy Johnson |
| Greg Vanney | Jason Koumas |
| 7 Eddie Lewis | 7 Matthew Jones |
| 21 Landon Donovan | John Oster |
| 8 Earnie Stewart | 11 Simon Davies |
| Bobby Convey | Gareth Taylor |
| Substitutes | |
| Manny Lagos | David Pipe |
| Mike Petke | Darren Ward |
| Brian Ching | Carl Robinson |
| Neil Roberts | |
| Substitutions | |
| Brian Ching for Bobby Convey (74) | Darren Ward for Paul Jones (46) |
| Mike Petke for Ryan Suarez (75) | Neil Roberts for Gareth Taylor (57) |
| Manny Lagos for Earnie Stewart (85) | David Pipe for John Oster (71) |
| Carl Robinson for Mark Pembridge (78) | |
| Yellow Cards | |
| Ryan Suarez (60) | Matthew Jones (37) |
| Mark Pembridge (60) | |
| John Oster (70) | |
| Red Cards | |
| Matthew Jones (49) | |
| · Club Rosters: United States | Wales | |
Updated: May 27, 2003, 3:26 AM ET
Matthew Jones gave away a penalty and was later sent off as Wales lost their 20-month, 10-match unbeaten run in San Jose.Wales, with just a sprinkling of their first-choice side, battled away bravely against the world's 10th-rated country who reached last summer's World Cup finals.
• Hughes - Jones departure cost us
But Mark Hughes' team could rarely match the high-tempo play of the Americans.
The game was a personal disaster for 22-year-old Jones, who has come back from a career-threatening cruciate ligament injury only to be told he can leave Leicester on a free transfer.
He wanted to put himself in the shop window in this game but sadly did so for all the wrong reasons - conceding the penalty that produced USA's opening goal, having been booked a minute earlier.
Then in the second half he deliberately handled the ball and was shown a red card.
He became the sixth player to be sent off in Welsh history - joining Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, Dean Saunders, Vinnie Jones and Iwan Roberts on the nation's crime sheet.
His departure was the end of any realistic chance for Wales. But Hughes did discover good, young prospects in debut boy David Vaughan and Jason Koumas who finally showed his qualities in a red shirt.
Elsewhere, Wales struggled.
It has been a long, hard season for many of the team - and this was a 7,000-mile trip too far for them.
Vaughan, with only a couple of under-21 appearances, has played a key role in Crewe's promotion to the First Division and was asked to play in an unfamiliar left-back role.
Wales were missing 19 players for a multitude of reasons on the trip to California and gave Reading's Adrian Williams his first start in a Wales shirt in four years - while Burnley's Gareth Taylor also got a rare start, his first since March 1998.
West Brom pair Koumas and Andy Johnson played in midfield - and Sunderland's John Oster won his sixth cap.
Wales stuck to their tried and trusted five-man midfield, and Vaughan was in crucial action after just two minutes.
The hosts got away down the left, and a dangerous low cross was aimed at Landon Donovan. But Vaughan got back to clear under intense pressure.
The States were again dangerous on 18 minutes when Ernie Stewart chipped in a cross from the right, and Preston's Eddie Lewis saw a glancing header flash across goal.
Jones was again pressed into service at right-back and, after playing only a few games last season through injury, looked rusty and short of the technical know-how for that defensive role.
The States had headed opportunities by Lewis and Stewart which went close as they started to impose themselves on the game.
A 30th-minute foul by Stewart on Vaughan produced a curling free-kick by Koumas which Taylor got a touch on but could not direct towards goal.
Andy Melville, captain for the third time, was a constant defiant barrier for the Americans - while Mark Pembridge produced all of his Premiership experience as he battled in midfield.
But the pressure was mounting even more on Matthew Jones.
He was booked on 37 minutes for a foul on Greg Vanney - and a minute later he gave away the penalty which saw the States take the lead.
Jones clattered into the back of Jovan Kirovski in the box, and Donovan put the spot-kick into the top corner for his ninth goal for his country.
Wales responded with a charged-down free-kick from Koumas which fell for Simon Davies to fire in for a 20-yarder which was also blocked.
Wales brought on Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Darren Ward for Paul Jones at half-time.
A minute after the break, Oster fed Davies down the right- and the Spurs man's cross was heading for Taylor who went down under a challenge from Ryan Suarez.
But appeals for a penalty from players and manager were ignored.
Things got worse for Wales on 49 minutes when Jones completed his miserable night by being sent off.
He handled a through-ball for his second booking, and a red card followed.
The gaps started to appear at the back, and it was down to Ward to make a fine save when Kirovski ran clear on 57 minutes.
A minute later Wigan's Neil Roberts replaced Taylor up front - but another 60 seconds on the States were two up.
Ward went from hero to villain as he let a low Lewis shot from the left slip under his arms and into the net.
On the hour Pembridge looked to be slapped in the face by Suarez. There was a nasty exchange, and both men were booked.
Oster almost pulled one back when he won possession on halfway, to force a fine, diving save from Nick Rimando.
The Sunderland midfielder was then booked for a tackle on Suarez before being replaced on 71 minutes by David Pipe - the Coventry youngster, 20 tomorrow, winning his first senior cap after just two under-21s games.
Suarez and Donovan both went close to a third before Carl Robinson took over from the hard-working Pembridge on 75 minutes.
Wales were down to nine men for a few minutes when Pipe was helped off with blood coming from his nose after being caught by Lewis' elbow.
Ward redeemed himself for his give-away second goal when in the final minutes he produced a fine, point-blank save after Donovan had beaten three men in the box.
'After Matty was sent off there wasn't much chance of us getting back into the game,' Hughes admitted.
Llanelli-born Jones' contribution to the first Wales defeat in 20 months was massive.
A pointless first-half challenge on Greg Vanney earned him a first yellow card, and then a silly jump into the back of Jovan Kirovski resulted in the penalty which saw Landon Donovan grab the lead from the spot.
Wales claimed the Birmingham player made the most of the challenge. But Jones clattered into his back, giving the Mexican referee little option.
Then at the beginning of the second half Jones stuck out a hand for a blatant offence and got his second yellow - and therefore red.
Hughes said: 'We were trying to put more pressure on them and were doing so until Matty was sent off.
'I'm obviously disappointed with the defeat. We hoped we could get a positive result, but I was pleased with the way the lads stuck at it.
'It was always going to be a difficult night once Matty went out of the game, and it came just after half-time when we were trying to put the USA under more pressure - which we were doing.
'We needed to do that after the first half when we didn't really test them very much.'
'We started the second half much better and were beginning to get some joy - but down to 10 men that became a lot more difficult.
'We had intended in that opening to the second half to really have a go at it.
'Once Matty was out of the game it was always going to be difficult to do that.'
Hughes had some sympathy, though, with Jones over the handball.
'I thought it was an unfortunate one, but the ball did hit his hand.
'The referee was a little bit too quick to get his card out.'
Even so Hughes saw much in Wales' performance to give him heart for the future.
'We took a lot of positives out of the game,' he said.
'Young David Vaughan did very, very well - and Jason Koumas had a lot of quality on the ball.
'Obviously we didn't get the result we wanted - but they showed a lot of character and a lot of belief in what they're doing.
'It could have been really easy for them to have excuses and not perform tonight, but they were prepared to put their reputations on the line.'
Wales' problems were compounded when Darren Ward allowed a weak Eddie Lewis shot to slip under his arms for a very soft second goal.
USA boss Bruce Arena realised his side had been handed gifts by a depleted Wales side.
He said: 'It might have been a bit different if we'd had to handle Ryan Giggs and John Hartson!'
'I haven't seen Wales play that often. But certainly they looked a good team, and their midfield was very talented.
'If they'd had their full team it would have been much more difficult for us. But Wales were missing a lot of their top players, and that rather played into our hands a bit.
'Facing the likes of Hartson and Giggs would have been a much more demanding prospect.'
Monday, May 26, 2003
| United States | 2 | |
| Wales | 0 | FT |
