Chances appear golden

US should benefit from Foxborough date

By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff  |  June 5, 2007

The Gold Cup, the continental championship contested every two years, plays well at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Orange Bowl in Miami, but not as well at Gillette Stadium. The tournament starts tomorrow and will be held at six sites, concluding in Chicago June 24.

The Coliseum and Orange Bowl do not have soccer teams as regular tenants, so these games are perceived as special events. On game days, the area around those venues comes alive with street vendors and colorful fans, creating an atmosphere in the spirit of the Gold Cup, a competition that spans the Caribbean, and Central and North America.

Norfolk County does not project a similar welcoming feeling. But Foxborough has provided a winning atmosphere for the US national team since 1991, and the US will be strongly favored to advance playing its final Group B game next Tuesday against El Salvador and a possible quarterfinal game June 16 at Foxborough.

The US is 10-0-2 (26-6 goal differential) in competitive matches and 14-1-4 overall in Foxborough since 1991. The US has fallen behind only once in a competitive match in Foxborough, when Carlos Hermosillo blocked Kasey Keller's attempted clearance into the net in the opening seconds of a 2-2 tie with Mexico in a World Cup qualifier before 57,407 fans April 20, 1997, at Foxboro Stadium.

New England produced many players for the US in the early years of the national team's existence. Even one of the coaches in the 1920s, George Matthew Collins, was from Boston. The US teams in the 1930, '34, and '50 World Cup finals included many players from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The region continues to produce professional players, and the number of national team candidates has been increasing. Seven players who either attended college or were born in New England have performed for Jamaica's national team in recent years. Charlie Davies, born in Manchester, N.H., played as a second-half substitute in the US's 4-1 win over China Saturday in San Jose, Calif. The US held a 2-1 lead when Davies replaced Ante Razov in the 66th minute, then increased the lead on goals by former Revolution star Clint Dempsey and defender Oguchi Onyewu. Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst, a Providence native, is on the US roster for the Gold Cup and could make his debut in first-round matches in Carson, Calif., against Guatemala (tomorrow), Trinidad & Tobago (Friday), or in Foxborough.

David Beckham's recall to the England national team could cause problems for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The timing of England's European Championship qualifiers is not expected to affect Beckham's road appearances, but he could miss four matches at the Home Depot Center and possibly a fifth because of an England-Germany friendly Aug. 22. Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas is sending out preemptive messages to discourage Beckham playing against Germany. Lalas does not want Beckham taking another 12,000-mile round-trip flight, even if it's in first class. The Galaxy are also concerned that, should they advance to the MLS Cup final Nov. 18 in Washington, D.C., Beckham might not be available since England will be preparing for a Nov. 21 game against Croatia. Beckham performed well in central midfield in England's 1-1 tie with Brazil Friday. England appeared capable of protecting the lead after Beckham's free kick was headed in, but made too many late substitutes and surrendered an injury-time goal to Diego.

El Salvador has had little success in Foxborough, with a 1-5 record since 1997, despite playing before a loyal following. El Salvador's only victory was by 1-0 over Martinique on a 76th-minute Marvin Gonzalez goal July 16, 2003. Probably the best local performance by El Salvador was in a 4-2 loss to the US in a World Cup qualifier before 53,193 at Foxboro Stadium Nov. 16, 1997. The match was a sendoff for the US, which had qualified for the '98 World Cup in France, and the Salvadorans had an outside chance of also advancing. El Salvador rallied from a three-goal deficit early in the second half behind the play of Nildelson de Melo, a naturalized Brazilian, who scored a goal and earned a penalty kick that was converted by Raul Diaz Arce, who would join the Revolution in '98. But Preki's 82d-minute goal clinched the result for the US.