06/13/2002 - Updated 05:55 AM ET

Contributors abound in Americans' run

By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY

SEOUL, South Korea — The biggest difference between the 2002 U.S. World Cup team, which might be headed to the tournament's second round, and the 1998 U.S. World Cup squad, which finished last, is this: team spirit. It's the term the Americans use to describe their unity.

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Through the first two first-round games, there have been two potential sources of implosion: goalkeeper Kasey Keller getting relegated to the bench for both games, and star forward Clint Mathis not playing in the opener. Keller often has been the starter; he also has been outspoken about a number of topics. However, he has steadfastly held to the team-first party line. Coach Bruce Arena had been critical of Mathis' fitness, but Mathis accepted the criticism and the bench time, simply saying he agreed with what his coach thought was best for the team. Mathis started the second game and scored the team's only goal.

"We all have the same goal, to get to the second round, and we all want to accomplish it," midfielder DaMarcus Beasley says. "Even the guys who aren't starting, they still have a good vibe throughout the group. They're not down, they're not mouthing off to the coach and making things (tough) like they were in '98. I think everyone's upbeat."

In addition to midfielder John O'Brien and experienced pros such as goalkeeper Brad Friedel and midfielders Claudio Reyna and Earnie Stewart, there have been several difference-makers in this group.

Forward Brian McBride: In the opener against Portugal, he set up the first goal and scored the third on a header. It's been quite a comeback for McBride, who scored the USA's only goal in the 1998 World Cup, then endured numerous ailments. He shattered his left cheek on a head ball in 1999, when his face collided with a defender's head, then did the same the following season, when he was accidentally elbowed in the right cheek. In 2000, doctors found a blood clot in his upper right arm and discovered he had a blood-clotting condition called thoracic outlet syndrome.

Forward Clint Mathis: The team's free spirit on and off the field was in full bloom in the second game against South Korea. He sported a new Mohawk haircut — and his old form. On his only shot of the game, he scored. His fitness might be in question, but not his talent and artistry.

Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley: Beasley is the lightest player in the World Cup — he's officially listed at 126 pounds — and he's the youngest U.S. player at 20. He's also proving to be the team's workhorse on offense and defense. Though he falls down much too often, he always gets up. "I call him Gumby," coach Bruce Arena says. "You just got to bend him back in shape and he's ready. He goes down 10 times a game and pops right up."

Midfielder Landon Donovan: Against Portugal, he started at forward. Against South Korea, he started in the midfield. He also is 20, though he is three months older than Beasley. Entering the World Cup, Arena said the biggest question was whether the team could rely on its young players. The answer is yes. But Donovan is already known outside the USA. In 1999, when he was still in high school, he signed a four-year contract with German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, one of Europe's premier teams. After being stuck on its reserve team in the fourth division, frustrated and homesick, Donovan asked for a loan to Major League Soccer. He led the San Jose Earthquakes to the title in 2001. He likely will return to Leverkusen next season.

Defender Frankie Hejduk: He started both games at left back, replacing struggling David Regis. After a fine World Cup in 1998, when he went from a long shot to starting two of three games, he was offered a contract with Bayer Leverkusen, Then he disappeared. He only saw time with Leverkusen's third team this season. Hejduk, from Southern California, is a surfer at heart who greets his Bayer Leverkusen teammates with a friendly, "Was ist los, dude?" Translation: "What's up, dude?"

Defender Eddie Pope: Arena has gone out of his way to praise Pope's play and defensive leadership in both games. Though Pope is the team's quietest player, he speaks in other ways. He runs two Eddie Pope Urban Soccer leagues, one in the Washington, D.C., area, the other in North Carolina, as a way to attract more kids of color to the game.

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