Soccer Capsules: U.S. routs Grenada 4-0 in Gold Cup

SEATTLE - A young U.S. lineup easily beat up on Grenada in the Americans' opener at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

"Today is important to start the Gold Cup the right way," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said after Saturday night's 4-0 win. "It was a really good team effort, four different guys scored tonight, so all things are important."

Freddy Adu scored the opening goal in the seventh minute and Stuart Holden doubled the lead in the 31st, both fed by Robbie Rogers.

Rogers made it 3-0 in the 60th minute and Charlie Davies, one of the few players kept on from the Confederations Cup, got the final goal in the 68th.

The 12th-ranked Americans, seeking their third straight title in the regional championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, outshot the No. 88 Spice Boyz 25-3.

Seven of the U.S. starters entered with a combined 11 international appearances, with goalkeeper Troy Perkins playing just his second match for the national team.

Right back Steve Cherundolo, sidelined with a hip injury for most of the past six months, was the only regular starter in the lineup. He was joined by three frequent national team backups: left back Heath Pearce, and Adu and Davies, who got a key goal against Egypt at the Confederations Cup.

"Physically, I felt fine," said Cherundolo, who played 62 minutes. "There's still a little rust that needs to come off, but it was OK. It's always good to get back on the field."

Most regulars were not included in the initial 23-man U.S. roster, allowing them to either take time off before the start of the European season or to return to their Major League Soccer teams. CONCACAF then decided to allow the U.S. to expand its roster by seven, and some of those seven could be called in later in the tournament.

The U.S., 22-0-1 in group play in the Gold Cup, next plays Honduras on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The Americans close the first round against Haiti on July 11 at Foxborough, Mass.

It was just the second time the U.S. soccer team has played on the Fourth of July - the other was a 1-0 loss to Brazil in the second round of the 1994 World Cup at Stanford, Calif.

The U.S. was coming off its first-ever final in the FIFA tournament, a 3-2 loss to Brazil last Sunday in the Confederations Cup at Johannesburg in which the Americans failed to protect a two-goal halftime lead. Davies was the only player to start both matches.

Adu, who was on the Confederations Cup roster but didn't get into a game, scored the opening goal to excite the crowd of 15,387. Rogers sent a cross from the left, and Adu beat goalkeeper Desmond Noel from near the penalty spot.

"When Robbie gets the ball out wide, sometimes he likes to cut the guy inside," Adu said. "Sometimes, you get it right, and sometimes, you don't. In that instance, I was able to read it, and it was just a great all-around play starting from him. The ball was there, and all I had to do was finish it."

Adu's goal was just his second for the national team - the other was in a World Cup qualifier against Guatemala last November.

Holden, who turns 24 next month, became the first American to score in his international debut since Eddie Robinson against Sweden in January 2008, and Rogers scored his first goal in his second appearance. It was the third goal for Davies.

"Robbie got involved in the game early. He did a nice job of setting up the first goal," Bradley said. "The ability for him to find good spots inside, out wide helped us create some chances."

Grenada, an island of 90,000 making its first Gold Cup appearance, had faced the U.S. just twice before, losing a pair of matches in 2004 during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. It fell behind by two goals when Holden scored on a leaping header from 6 yards that went in off the bottom of the crossbar.

Rogers beat Noel from the top of the arc, and Davies slotted the ball in off a pass from Pearce.

"I didn't think we passed the ball that well," said Grenada coach Tommy Taylor, a former West Ham defender. "I think we got about three or four shots in 90 minutes, and that isn't enough to win anything. We need to work up and move as a unit, as well as come back as a unit."

Honduras beats Haiti in Gold Cup, 1-0

SEATTLE - Carlo Costly headed in a free kick by Walter Martinez in the 76th minute on Saturday, helping Honduras open group play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 1-0 victory over Haiti.

Martinez took the free kick from the left of the penalty area about 2 yards up from the goal line. He drove it into the box, and Costly went up and flicked it off the left side of his head and into right corner of the net, well beyond the reach of Haiti goalkeeper Jean Dominique Zephrin.

Honduras will take on the United States next Wednesday in Washington, D.C., in the second of its three Group B games. Haiti will play Grenada, also next Wednesday in Washington.

Costly, who has four goals in World Cup qualifying, nearly had another on Saturday just four minutes after he put Honduras on the board. But his 35-yard shot toward a wide-open net was kicked off the line by Haiti's Pierre Richard Bruny.

Haiti had the run of play during the early part of the game and had two near-misses. Honduras goalkeeper Donis Escober dove to grab the ball of the foot of Fabrice Noel directly in front of the post before Noel could get off a shot in the 19th minute. Noel then went inches wide of the left post on a 25-yard shot in the 32nd minute.

Honduras had two excellent scoring chances in the final eight minutes of the half. A shot by Martinez from 10 yards away was saved at the post by goalkeeper Jean Dominique Zephrin. In the final seconds before the first-half whistle, Nery Medina's shot from 30 yards away on the right side was heading toward the upper left corner before Zephrin leaped to knock it away at the last moment.

MLS

Kamara's goal gives Dynamo 1-0 win over Wizards

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Kei Kamara scored on Mike Chabala's first career assist, giving the Houston Dynamo a 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night.

Houston's Pat Onstad made three saves for his eighth shutout of the year, giving him the MLS lead over Chivas USA's Zach Thornton.

The Dynamo (9-3-4), who extended their Western Conference lead to four points over Chivas, broke a two-match winless streak.

Kansas City (5-6-4) controlled the run of play early, with three clear scoring opportunities in the first 11 minutes, before Houston scored on a counterattack in the 18th.

Corey Ashe sent a long pass down the left side to Chabala, whose left-footed cross found Kamara in front of the net. Kamara outjumped central defender Rauwshan McKenzie and headed the ball home from just inside the 6-yard box.

McKenzie was filling in for U.S. national team defender Jimmy Conrad, who was called up to the Gold Cup squad but is out with a hamstring injury. Conrad aggravated the strain in Sunday's 3-1 SuperLiga loss to Mexican side Santos Laguna.

The Wizards had two late chances to equalize, but couldn't convert, either.

In the 83rd minute, Josh Wolff's header hit the ground and bounced off the underside of the crossbar. The ball bounced around in front of the goal, but Abe Thompson's attempt to put back the rebound went wide.

Claudio Lopez's free kick from just outside the penalty area, in the closing seconds of stoppage time, also missed by inches.

Cunningham's 2 goals lift FC Dallas past Red Bulls

FRISCO - Jeff Cunningham scored twice in a 2-minute span of the first half to lead FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory Saturday night that extended the New York Red Bulls' road winless skid to 23 games.

FC Dallas (4-7-5) extended its unbeaten streak to three games while pushing the Red Bulls' overall winless streak to 10. New York's last won on May 8, when it beat San Jose 4-1. The Red Bulls (2-13-4) are also 0-17-6 in their last 23 on the road.

Cunningham, fourth on the MLS career goals list with 107, started in place of striker Kenny Cooper, who missed the game due to U.S. national team duty for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Cooper had started 47 consecutive games at forward.

Cunningham's first goal came in the 15th minute after he dribbled past Nick Zimmerman and fired a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net from the top of the penalty area.

In the 17th minute, Cunningham took advantage of a great pass from midfielder Dave van den Bergh to chip in a shot from inside the goalie's box. Van den Bergh crossed a volley from 20 yards which Cunningham redirected into the net with the top of his left foot.

Cunningham had a potential third goal disallowed in the 80th minute when he was called offside after knocking in a missed shot by Eric Avila.

New York's Juan Pablo Angel scored from inside the goalie's box in the 43rd minute for his sixth goal of the season, with Danleigh Borman and Jorge Rojas assisting.