Beijing Olympic Games

Nowak, Americans eye pivotal match against Nigeria

By Bill Bernardi PA SportsTicker Soccer Editor

In a Beijing minute, the feeling of unbridled triumph dissolved into agonizing defeat – although the scoreboard suggested something merely in between.

Just moments away from the biggest win in United States Olympic men’s soccer history, a late equalizer by the Netherlands forced the Americans to settle for a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Even two sunsets removed from the result, the darkness that surrounds the conclusion of the match sure makes it feel like a loss.

But with the potential gateway to the quarterfinals on the horizon, coach Peter Nowak believes his charges will be ready when they conclude Group B play against 1996 gold medalist and 2005 Under-20 World Cup champion Nigeria on Wednesday.

“As I said to the boys in the locker room, it’s just how the game goes sometimes,” Nowak said. “You have to handle it right, and not get your heads down.

“We have some unfinished business, and we’ll go into Wednesday’s game against Nigeria fully prepared. Any result other than a loss will give us a pass to the quarterfinals. Maybe, we should have taken care of this business (on Sunday), but before this game I don’t think anyone gave us a chance to play the game like we did against the European champions. Let’s not forget about that.”

The Americans (1-0-1), who have not won a medal since 1904, were vying for their first 2-0 start in the Olympics. The United States will need to win or tie against Nigeria (1-0-1) on Wednesday in order to move on to the quarterfinals.

“Nigeria might not be as technical as the Dutch, but their athleticism and the quality of players that they have is pretty good,” said Chivas USA All-Star midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who scored the Americans’ first goal on Sunday.

“We’re definitely looking out for them, and I obviously think it’s going to be a tough game for us to win, but we thought that about (Sunday) as well.”

Making the task all the more difficult will be the suspensions of forward Freddy Adu and midfielder Michael Bradley, who were both issued their second yellow cards of the tournament on Sunday.

“Freddy and Michael will not play, but as I’ve said from the beginning, it’s all about the group,” Nowak said. “The 18 players we’ve chosen have to be up to the challenge.”

Should the result not be favorable for the Americans, they can still advance – provided that the Netherlands (0-0-2) does not defeat winless Japan (0-2-0).

That route isn’t one the United States would like to travel, because one never knows what one will see in a Beijing minute.