Jun 10, 2007, 0:10 GMT
Carson, CA - Landon Donovan moved into sole possession of first place on United States' all-time points list in a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.
Donovan assisted on the second goal for the U.S. to give him 85 career points (30 goals, 25 assists) in just 90 games to break a tie with Eric Wynalda, who played in 106 games for the U.S. in his career.
Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson scored for the United States, which is alone in first place in Group B with two wins in two games and clinched a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The U.S. topped Guatemala on Thursday, 1-0.
The United States, which is 20-0-1 all-time in group play in the tournament, was holding a 1-0 lead against Trinidad & Tobago in the second half when Donovan reached the milestone.
Although he didn't start, Donovan made his presence felt in the second half after coming on as a sub. In the 55th minute, a pass from Ching freed Donovan on a breakaway down the right side to start the historic play.
Donovan took the ball into the box and was one-on-one with Trinidad & Tobago goalie Jan Michael Williams but, instead of shooting, made a perfect pass to a wide open Johnson in the middle of the box.
'Just a great run and an unselfish play by Landon Donovan,' U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.
Johnson, who leads Major League Soccer with nine goals and had hat tricks in his last two games for the Kansas City Wizards, touched the ball into the back of the net for the easy finish. It was Johnson's 10th goal for the U.S.
Ching opened the scoring in the 30th minute of the first half. After missing two great scoring chances early, Ching took a pass from Justin Mapp about 10 yards from the goal and knocked it in off his shin for his fifth career goal for the U.S.
'I was pleased to see Brian get on the scoreboard for us,' Bradley said. 'He has been an important player for us and it is nice to see him score the game- winner.'
The goal was set up by a long pass from Jonathan Spector to Mapp, who made one touch to move the ball into the box and made the pass near the end line to the middle of the box. Ching nearly mis-hit the ball, but got his leg on it and it bounced into the net.
Trinidad & Tobago, which lost starter Anthony Noriega in the 13th minute after a violent collision with his own goalie, played a lot better in the first half after falling in the early hole but didn't create any real scoring chances.
When Johnson and Donovan connected in the 55th minute, the United States got a little cushion and cruised into the final minutes before Trinidad & Tobago got a final few chances - including its only two shots on goal.
United States goalie Kasey Keller, who made his 99th appearance for the team, made two tough saves in 90th minute to preserve the shutout.
The U.S. also had a scary moment when Johnson was taken off on a stretcher in the 71st minute. Trainers looked as his right knee, but he eventually got up and limped over to the team bench.
Bradley started 10 players against Trinidad & Tobago who didn't start against Guatemala on Thursday. Only midfielder Benny Feilhaber started both games for the U.S. Michael Parkhurst played in his first game for the United States.
'Before the tournament we wanted to look at two groups for sure,' Bradley said. 'When the games come so quickly, we feel good about the depth that we have.'
The defending champion United States plays its final Group B game on Tuesday against El Salvador at 7 p.m. in Foxborough, Mass.
In Saturday's other Group B game, Jose Manuel Contreras scored in the 69th minute as Guatemala defeated El Salvador, 1-0. Both teams have three points through two games.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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