Posted at 3:37 p.m., Friday, May 26, 2006
Ching scores in U.S. soccer win
Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Brian Ching, the first national-team player from Hawai'i, scored in the 36th minute and Clint Dempsey added a goal in the 69th, leading the World Cup-bound U.S. team to a 2-0 victory over Venezuela Friday.U.S. coach Bruce Arena used a lineup filled with many reserves, and it fared better than the regulars did against Morocco earlier in the week.
Just one game remains now before the United States heads to the World Cup: on Sunday night against Latvia in East Hartford, Conn.
With the schedule cramming three exhibition games into a six-day span, Arena rested many of his regulars, who started in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Moroccans at Nashville, Tenn. Only defender Oguchi Onyewu and forward Josh Wolff remained in the starting 11.
Ching put the United States ahead with his fourth goal in 19 international appearances. Bobby Convey, who has added offensive spark, took the ball down the left side and crossed around Hector Gonzalez. Ching, at the top of the 6-yard box, got a toe on it and beat goalkeeper Javier Toyo.
Ching nearly got another in the 54th, off a sharp cross from Chris Albright, but Toyo dove left to punch the ball away.
