Nilis - L. Mpenza
Wilmots
Van Kerckhoven - Boffin
Van der Elst
Leonard - Staelens - Vidovic - Deflandre
De Wilde
Substitutions : 46th min : Wilmots -> Walem 55th min : Van der Elst -> Karagiannis 55th min : L. Mpenza -> Verheyen 70th min : Leonard -> Borkelmans 85th min : Nilis -> Peeters
U.S.A. :
Stewart - Wynalda
Agoos - Jones - Lassiter - Balboa
Burnes - Harkes - Lalas - Reyna
Keller
Substitutions : 57th min : Wynalda -> McBride 57th min : Lassiter -> Radosavljevic 65th min : Jones -> Henderson
Match Report
Belgium has started the series of friendly matches before the World Cup with a victory.
Immediately from the beginning of the match, there were some attacks on both sides.
Nilis and Mpenza had a few quick break-outs for Belgium, but couldn't score.
Belgium was experimenting with a 4-man defense, with Staelens and Vidovic in the center on one line.
In the beginning of the match, they had to search a bit, and the U.S.A. could take advantage of this with a few chances.
It was however Belgium who could score the first goal of the match.
Nilis gave a nice pass through the middle to Van Kerckhoven, who came up on the left.
He got past his immediate defender and placed the ball through the legs of the keeper, Keller : 1-0.
On the opposite side, it was Wynalda who could get away from Staelens just before half-time, but his shot went just aside of the goal.
In the second half, there was first a shot of Nilis that went next to the goal.
On a second chance he came closer : his free-kick hit the post, but Van Kerckhoven could shoot it in in the rebound : 2-0.
The U.S.A. allready have an exhausting campaign of friendly matches behind them, but Belgium couldn't make any more goals.
It was De Wilde who had to save a few nice actions on the other side.
The final score was 2-0.
The U.S.A. played a good game and would have deserved to score a goal.
Belgium made a good start on the way to the World Cup in France.
The next friendly match in on 25 March against Norway.
This was the full selection of coach Georges Leekens :
Goalkeepers :
- Filip De Wilde (Sporting Lissabon - Portugal)
- Ronny Gaspercic (Harelbeke) Defenders :
- Vital Borkelmans (Club Brugge)
- Geoffrey Claeys (Feyenoord - Netherlands)
- Bertrand Crasson (Napoli - Italy)
- Eric Deflandre (Club Brugge)
- Philippe Leonard (Monaco - France)
- Lorenzo Staelens (Club Brugge)
- Gordan Vidovic (Mouscron) Midfielders :
- Danny Boffin (Metz - France)
- Manu Karagiannis (Germinal Ekeren)
- Franky Van der Elst (Club Brugge)
- Nico Van Kerckhoven (Lierse)
- Gert Verheyen (Club Brugge)
- Johan Walem (Udinese - Italy)
- Marc Wilmots (Schalke04 - Germany) Attackers :
- Lokonda Mpenza (Standard)
- Luc Nilis (PSV Eindhoven - Netherlands)
- Bob Peeters (Roda JC - Netherlands)
Ronny Gaspercic got his first selection for the national team.
Johan Walem and Manu Karagiannis return to the national team after a very long time.
There last selection was in 1995, when they both played for Anderlecht.
De Bilde, Goossens, Genaux and Oliveira are not selected because they are injured.
Other important names who are not in the selection are :
Claessens, De Boeck, De Roover, Doll, Van Meir, Verstraeten and ... Enzo Scifo.
Scifo had not been selected for the previous matches, because he had a minor injury, and was not playing too well for Anderlecht.
But now it was going better for Scifo and a selection could be expected.
Leekens however didn't see it that way, he wanted to experiment with a new team.
Scifo couldn't take that, and he has now definitely quit the national team.
He said that he never wants to play for the national team again under Georges Leekens.
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