Milutinovic Sticks Neck Out, Eager to Break Stranglehold

He just won’t take the darn thing off.

Everywhere he goes these days, Bora Milutinovic has that blue scarf draped around his neck.

And he makes it a point to let everyone know it symbolizes his selection as the United States’ best national team coach of the last quarter-century, in the opinion of the editors of Soccer America magazine.

“For me, is the biggest honor of my life,” Milutinovic said in his trademark fractured English after Mexico’s convincing 3-1 victory over Denmark on Friday night in U.S. Cup ’97 at San Diego.

This from a man who coached Mexico to the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, Costa Rica to the second round of the 1990 World Cup and the United States to the second round of the 1994 World Cup.

No matter how warm the weather today, Milutinovic is likely to be sporting the scarf at sometime or other when Mexico plays the United States in the 46th renewal of the greatest rivalry in North American soccer.

The 3:30 p.m. game at the Rose Bowl (preceded at 1 p.m. by Denmark vs. Peru), has an added edge. Although Mexico holds a 28-7-10 advantage in the series that dates from 1934, it has not won in the last five meetings. In addition, the United States and Mexico have to play each other twice in World Cup ’98 qualifying games later this year, and this afternoon’s game will be a warmup of sorts.

“This is very important tournament for us,” Milutinovic said Friday night. “We want to defend our title.”

Mexico, beaten, 4-0, by the U.S. at RFK Stadium in U.S. Cup ‘95, played the Americans to a 2-2 tie in front of 92,216 at the Rose Bowl last June 16 to clinch U.S. Cup ’96.

For Steve Sampson, who inherited the U.S. national team from Milutinovic in 1995 and has compiled a 16-12-5 record through Friday’s 1-0 loss to Peru, the result today is not as important as what can be learned from the game.

“I think Bora’s priority is to qualify for France and my priority is to qualify for France,” Sampson said last week. “Entering [today’s] game, both teams will play to win, bottom line. Bora will do some experimenting and I will do some experimenting.

“Given the [poor] relationship that Bora has had with the press and the fans in Mexico [in the wake of World Cup qualifying losses to Honduras and Jamaica last year], I think he feels a much greater sense of needing a victory against the United States than maybe I do [against Mexico].

“History has proven that when the United States beats a team, and especially consistently, that it impacts a coach’s career with that country. So I know he’s feeling that.

“Also, there’s a certain amount of pride that I’m sure he has in playing well and beating the United States, and he wants to prove that Mexico is superior to the United States.

“We, on the other hand, will do the same, but not losing our focus on what is most important, and that is to develop a chemistry, to develop a group of players that I feel comfortable will go into [World Cup] qualifying and win ballgames.”

Sampson, an assistant under Milutinovic in the U.S. team’s 1994 World Cup campaign, maintains a good relationship with him and the likelihood is that both will be taking their teams to France next year.

“My relationship with Bora is outstanding,” Sampson said. “We stay in touch with each other quite often. We’re very much friends off the field and very much competitors on the field and we understand that business is business.

“We’ve been able to maintain our friendship.”

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U.S. Cup ’97

* WHAT: A four-nation, six-game international soccer tournament.

* WHO: National teams of Denmark, Mexico, Peru and the United States.

* WHERE: San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium and the Rose Bowl.

* RESULTS: FRIDAY--Peru 1, United States 0; Mexico 3, Denmark 1.

HOW THEY STAND

*--*

TEAM W L T Mexico 1 0 0 Peru 1 0 0 Denmark 0 1 0 U.S. 0 1 0

*--*

* SCHEDULE: Today--Peru vs. Denmark (1 p.m.) and U.S. vs. Mexico (3:30) at Rose Bowl; Wednesday--U.S. vs. Denmark (6:30 p.m.) and Mexico vs. Peru (8:45) at Rose Bowl.

* PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1992, United States; 1993, Germany; 1994: no tournament; 1995, United States; 1996, Mexico.

* TV: Telemundo