TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan (Wednesday, December 1, 2004) – The U.S. closed out the FIFA Futsal World Championship 2004 with an 8-5 defeat to Brazil in an entertaining match that had seven goals scored in the final eight minutes while the U.S. cut the margin to one goal with 1:27 remaining.

With the U.S. already knocked out of the tournament and Brazil already through to the semifinal, Brazil took a 3-1 lead going into halftime. In the second half, the game opened up with the U.S. scoring four goals and Brazil scoring five, including two in the final 1:10.

Five different players scored for the U.S., as Johnny Torres, John Ball, Steve Butcher, Pat White and Jamar Beasley all found the back of the net. Falcao, the odds on favorite to win the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards as the top player and scorer at the tournament, scored twice for Brazil. Indio scored the last two goals to seal it.

“Every team that played them dropped way behind midfielder and defended the entire game, and we said that we don’t want to defend the entire game,” U.S. head coach Keith Tozer said. “We wanted to mark Falcao man-to-man and played zone with the other three. The fans want to see exciting futsal, they want to see up and down play. We said let’s give the fans one more great game. The thing I am satisfied with is the heart and determination of these men. Even though they are hopping on an airplane tomorrow, I think they proved that this was a good team.”

Despite Brazil having the majority of chances in the first half, the U.S. had a handful of their own opportunities – including the first real scoring chance of the game in the first minute. Todd Dusosky held off his defender and found Pat Morris running into the area. His touch pass got caught up in Morris’ feet and Brazil recovered to prevent a shot. Then, in the fourth minute, Beasley had a chance to score but Franklin got to his near post in time to kick the ball away.

Brazil would get on the board one minute later after a U.S. turnover in their own half. Pat Morris left a bad touch at the feet of Euler near the center circle. Euler passed left to Simi, who played the ball back post to Falcao who touched it into the net for the opening score of the game.

In the ninth minute, Brazil appeared to score again, but the referee called a foul before Indio blasted a ball into back of the net from the top left of the area. Brazil made up it on the restart, as Falcao found Fininho for a 2-0 Brazil advantage in the same space Falcao previously had settled in at the back post on the first goal.

One minute after Pat White almost found Dusosky for a deflection in the center of the area, Brazil went up 3-0 with 9:53 to play in the first half. Euler received a corner kick in the area, and touched the ball to Manoel Tobias who hit the ball in with the top of his foot on a dead run.  

Right after the ensuing kickoff, Ball had a chance to put the U.S. on the board but tapped the ball wide of the right post with his toe. In the next minute, Beasley got past his defender and made a run up the left side. Just a foot before he crossed the end line, he drove a low, line drive cross that found the feet of Butcher who cut the margin 3-1 with his first goal of the tournament.

The second half did not start well for the U.S., as they were called for three fouls including a handball for a ball settled with a chest in the first three minutes. Then, Simi was denied what everyone though was a goal after he beat Scott Hileman to his left, despite the U.S. goalkeeper getting a toe to the ball. Everyone in the arena – including Simi and Hileman, thought the ball had gone in the net but it bounced off a post and into the left corner where it was cleared by Ball.

In the 25th minute, Falcao put Brazil up 4-1 as he took Ball on one-on-one on the left wing and, once he was able to create space, drilled a shot inside the far corner of the goal. One minute later the U.S. appeared to be done, as Pablo coverted a pass from Simi to up the lead to 5-1.

The game settled down for the next five minutes, but in the 32nd minute the floodgates opened as the teams would combine for seven more goals in the final eight minutes. The U.S. got things rolling when Hileman saved a hard freekick off the foot of Fininho. In the middle of the U.S. defensive penalty area, Ball cleared the ball the length of the floor. As Brazil reserve goalkeeper Lavoisier, the former No. 1, came out to head the ball away before Torres could run onto it, he misjudged the trajectory of the pass. Torres was now in alone with the ball at his feet behind the goalkeeper, but with no defensive threat, the USA’s leading scorer made an unselfish move and let the pass roll into the net so that Ball could get his name on the score sheet.

Two minutes later, the U.S. would make it 5-3 as White scored his first goal of the tournament. A ball out of the back was intended for White was deflected out to the right. Andy Guastaferro was able to run onto the ball, and then square it to White who finished his unmarked opportunity from the top of the area.

Just after the U.S. goal, Ball was called for the team’s sixth foul for contact made as Indio shouldered him off of the ball. Fininho stepped up to take the second penalty from the 10-meter spot, but Hileman came well off his line to make a big save. The save bounced into the U.S. offensive end, but Beasley was not able to control it well enough to get off a shot.

Brazil made the margin 6-3 in the 37th minute when Schumacher converted a pass from Indio and drove the ball past Hileman. The U.S. would call a timeout one minute later to regroup, and put on Ball as the fifth attacker down three goals with just more than two minutes to play.

The extra attacker paid off almost immediately, as the U.S. was able to score a goal pushing forward as Beasley played a perfect ball ahead for Torres. Torres, who had an excellent chance saved in the Ukraine match two days ago, converted this time from nearly the same spot and the Brazil lead shrunk to 6-4.

With 1:27 to play, Ball played a long ball out of the back for the head of Johnny Torres, who tried to shoot with his head on the left side of the penalty area. Lavoisier was able to make the stop on Torres’ shot, but the ball went through his hands to Beasley who calmly finished into the open net and the margin was down to one.

Brazil bounced right back to a two-goal lead with 1:10 to play, as Indio turned and fired a high shot fooling Hileman, who had gone down to his knees to try to make the save. The U.S. restarted the game with the fifth attacker back out on the floor, but after a U.S. chance was stopped the Brazilians went on the counter attack. Falcao was running the break, and instead of passing forward to the two runners who were with him on the play, he cut the ball square to Indio who beat a retreating Ball with a low finish inside the left post to seal the final score at 8-5.

The U.S. was without three players, as Lee Tschantret (hamstring), Greg Howes (back) and Joel Shanker (groin) all sat out due to injury. The U.S. was also without Beasley for a period of the first half as he got medical treatment after he was fouled on the sideline and hit his head on the base of a TV camera tripod at midfield.

The match was the final for U.S. all-time cap leader Sean Bowers, who announced to the team after the game that he was retiring from the Futsal National Team. The U.S. 36-year-old U.S. captain finished a nine-year career that included two FIFA Futsal World Championships with 35 caps and five goals.

In other action from Group F, Argentina and Ukraine tied 0-0. Argentina finishes second to Brazil in the group to advance on goal difference to the semifinals. Brazil will face Spain, the second-place finisher in Group E after a 3-1 victory over Portugal, in the first semifinal, while Argentina will face Italy, who sealed their second stage group with a 3-0 victory over Czech Republic.

The U.S. finishes the tournament in seventh place, ahead of the eighth-place Czech Republic on goal difference and just behind Ukraine. The U.S. lost to all four semifinalists while in Taiwan, although the loss to Spain was in an unofficial closed-door scrimmage before the tournament began. This is the best finish for the U.S. at a Futsal World Championship since the 1992 team finished as runners up to Brazil.

2004 FIFA FUTSAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Participants:  U.S. National Futsal Team vs. Brazil
Competition: FIFA Futsal World Championship 2004, Second Group Stage
Location: National Taiwan University New Gymnasium; Taipei City, Taiwan
Date: December 1, 2004
Attendance: 1,600

Scoring Summary:
                        1st     2nd     Final
Brazil                   3        5        8
United States        1        4        5

BRA – Falcao (Simi)                               5th minute
BRA – Fininho (Falcao)                           9.
BRA – Manoel Tobias (Euler)                  11.
USA – Steve Butcher (Jamar Beasley)    12.
BRA – Falcao                                       25.
BRA – Pablo (Simi)                               26.
USA – John Ball (Scott Hileman)            32.
USA – Pat White (Andy Guastaferro)      34.
BRA – Schumacher (Indio)                     37.
USA – Johnny Torres (Beasley)              38.
USA – Beasley (Torres)                         39.
BRA – Indio                                          39.
BRA – Indio (Falcao)                             40.

Lineups:
USA – 1-Scott Hileman, 5-Todd Dusosky, 6-Sean Bowers-C, 8-Johnny Torres, 10-John Ball
Subs Used: 2-Andy Guastaferro, 4-Jamar Beasley, 7-Pat White, 11-Steve Butcher, 14-Pat Morris
Did Not Play: 12-Brett Phillips
Not Available: 3-Lee Tschantret, 9-Greg Howes, 13-Joel Shanker
Head Coach: Keith Tozer

BRA – 2-Franklin, 4-Neto, 8-Euler, 11-Simi, 12-Falcao
Subs Used: 1-Lavoisier, 3-Schumacher, 5-Manoel Tobias, 6-Pablo, 9-Indio, 10-Fininho,14-Vander
Not Available: 7-Vinicius, 13-Angelo
Head Coach: Fernando Leite

Stats Summary
                  USA    BRA
Shots             24     47
SOG              13     25
Corners            9     16
Fouls             4/6    2/3
Saves             14      8

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Johnny Torres (caution)    18th minute
BRA – Pablo (caution)                 27.
USA – Pat White (caution)           35.

Match Officials:
Referee: Yaya Djiba (SEN)
Second Referee: Massimo Cumbo (ITA)
Third Referee: Vladimir Maso Goitisolo (CUB)
Timekeeper: Kazuya Isokawa (JPN)

Group E Standings
         GP    W    L    T    PTS   GF    GA    GD
ITA      3      2    0    1       7        6      2      +4
ESP    3      2    1    0       6        7      4      +3
POR    3      1    1    1       4        9      7      +2
CZE     3      0    3    0      0         4    13       -9

Group F Standings
         GP    W    L   T    PTS   GF  GA    GD
BRA    3      3    0    0      9      16      6    +10
ARG    3     1    1    1       4       3      3        0
UKR    3     1    1    1       4       3       7      -4
USA    3     0    3    0       0        7    13       -6

Date       Match                                  Venue; City
Nov. 28    Brazil 6, Ukraine 0        National Taiwan University; Taipei City    
Nov. 28    Argentina 2, United States 1    National Taiwan University; Taipei City    
Nov. 28    Spain 2, Czech Rep. 0        Linkou Gymnasium; Tao Yuan County    
Nov. 28    Italy 0, Portugal 0        Linkou Gymnasium; Tao Yuan County    
Nov. 29    Brazil 2, Argentina 1        National Taiwan University; Taipei City    
Nov. 29    Ukraine 3, United States 1    National Taiwan University; Taipei City    
Nov. 29    Spain 2, Italy 3            Linkou Gymnasium; Tao Yuan County    
Nov. 29    Czech Rep. 4, Portugal 8    Linkou Gymnasium; Tao Yuan County    
Dec. 1     Brazil 8, United States 5        National Taiwan University; Taipei City    
Dec. 1     Ukraine 0, Argentina 0         Linkou Gymnasium; Tao Yuan County    
Dec. 1     Spain 3, Portugal 1        Linkou Gymnasium; Tao Yuan County    
Dec. 1     Czech Rep. 0, Italy 3        National Taiwan University; Taipei City 

Article by: Steven Torres - CONCACAF
                  David Applegate - U.S. Soccer