Following Sunday's 2-1 loss to Iran -- eliminating them from
contention -- golf and shopping have replaced practice as the top priority.
And some older players are unhappy with their likely outgoing coach Steve
Sampson.
"It seems everyone he gives a start but me," said forward Preki
Radosavljevic, a former Yugoslav who became a U.S. citizen in 1996.
Radosavljevic, 35, who entered the Iran match late in the second half,
said he wanted to start against Yugoslavia but Sampson is likely to keep
him on the bench.
"I wanted to start especially against Yugoslavia, my former country,"
said Radosavljevic, who scored the historic goal in February that gave the
Americans their first-ever victory over Brazil.
The apparent rift within the U.S. team is good news for the Yugoslavs
who hope to score high and place first on goal-difference in Group F, ahead
of their main rival Germany, which plays Iran in a parallel match.
Both Germany and Yugoslavia, with four points each so far, will seek
to be first in the group in order to avoid the Netherlands
in the next round. The mighty Dutch are the likely winners of Group E.
So far, Germany has scored one more goal than Yugoslavia. Iran has
three points, and a victory against Germany would allow it to clinch one of
the first two places in the group and continue on into the elimination
rounds.
"I think we can score more goals against the United States than
Germany can against Iran," midfielder Slavisa Jokanovic said Tuesday. "A
simple victory may not be enough for first place."
U.S. coach Sampson was thinking about starting a mixture of veterans
and young players against Yugoslavia, one of Europe's top teams.
"We want to finish this tournament with a good game against
Yugoslavia," said U.S. forward Roy Wegerle. "We want to do our team
justice. We want to show we are a better team than against Iran and
Germany," Wegerle said.
The Yugoslavs, with a history of stumbles on big occasions, were
cautious.
"We shouldn't underestimate the Americans," said Yugoslav coach
Slobodan Santrac. "Especially because they have nothing to lose in the game
against us."
"It is always tough to play teams which are without motives," striker
Perica Ognjenovic said.
The injuries of several key Yugoslav players have hampered
preparations ahead of the match against the United States. Central defender
Miroslav Djukic, left back Zoran Mirkovic and striker Darko Kovacevic will
not play on Thursday.
Former Aston Villa striker Savo Milosevic is likely to start up front
against the Americans instead of Kovacevic, who suffered a hamstring injury
in a 2-2 tie with Germany last Sunday.
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