| Delightful Draw for Sudwerk By Andreas Agocs Andre Press Soccer Writer SEOUL, South Korea, May 31 -- FC Sudwerk president and CEO Ramal Werdna met with U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena on Friday while his team gained it's first DARSL point in a 2-2 tie against favorite Penarol. Werdna, attending the FIFA presidential elections in Seoul as part of the U.S. delegation, met with Arena at the U.S. team's World Cup training camp in Korea. As has been widely reported in recent weeks, relations between the two men have been strained since Werdna's refusal to make FC Sudwerk players available for Arena's injury-plagued national squad. "Contrary to what the media writes, there's disagreement, but no personal animosity between Bruce (Arena) and me," Werdna told reporters. "We understand the World Cup is a big thing. But the DARSL season is in full swing and we really can't afford to lose more players." Without any Sudwerk stars in the lineup, the U.S. team's chances in the upcoming matches against Portugal, South Korea and Poland, are considered slim. The dispute had been aggravated by an article published on the Davis club's Web site, fcsudwerk.com. Under the title "A Sudwerk Guide to the World Cup," the Web site posted a harshly critical analysis of the U.S. team's prospects at the tournament. The U.S., an "underachieving national side trying desperately to save face... is poised to finish (last) in Korea/Japan," the article read. According to sources within the U.S. team, Arena's reaction, upon the reading the piece, was furious. Meanwhile in Davis, Werdna's team seemed unimpressed by the controversy surrounding the club's management, as well as the absence of key players. Aaron Stephens and Kenny Blanco, on loan from Mexican side Nexcaca, scored second-half goals for Sudwerk, and only a last-minute equalizer by Penarol's veteran star striker Victor Perez prevented a victory for the red-and-black. Anchoring Sudwerk's outstanding defensive performance, Patrick Chandler proved once more why he was Arena's first choice to replace injured national team defender Chris Armas. In Seoul on Friday, Arena and Werdna showed clear signs that they were willing to settle their dispute. Arena complimented the club on it's impressive performance and indicated understanding for Werdna's position. "(The national team coach's) challenge is very different (than Werdna's), because we don't have a great soccer culture in our country, " Arena told the Associated Press. "But FC Sudwerk has a huge fan base in Northern California, and even overseas." At the same time, Werdna declared, "FC Sudwerk supports the U.S. team in any way it possibly can. After the end of the DARSL season, Bruce can have all the Sudwerk players he wants." With the World Cup under way in Japan and Korea, and FC Sudwerk finally leaving it's mark on the DARSL league, observers agree that a great summer lies ahead for soccer fans around the world. ## |