Worldcup 1998 : Gold Cup - United-States 3 / Cuba 0 (Gold Cup), February 1st, 1998.

UNITED-STATES 3 / CUBA 0, February 1st, 1998.

Cuba no match for U.S. in Gold Cup opener
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OAKLAND, California February 2, 98 (AP).

Eric Wynalda showed once again why he's the United States' leading goal scorer in international competition.

Wynalda had one goal and one assist, and had another goal disallowed in the United States' 3-0 victory over Cuba in a first-round CONCACAF Gold Cup match at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday.

Wynalda and Roy Wegerle scored within a three-minute span early in the second half to snap a scoreless tie.

Joe-Max Moore added a penalty-kick goal in the 76th minute.

Wegerle's goal came in the 55th minute. Frankie Hejduk headed the ball into the middle of the field at the top of the penalty box, and Wynalda flicked it to Wegerle, who had a straight shot into the net.

"Eric gave me a good ball and I finished it off," Wegerle said. "We moved the ball quickly and opened up so many times, that we had many scoring opportunities."

Wynalda followed with an unassisted goal in the 58th minute. Cuba goalie Alexi Reve-Aviles came out to challenge Cobi Jones, who chipped it inside the box. Wynalda, who has 32 goals in 92 international matches, had an easy shot into an open net.

"It always feels good to score and contribute to other people scoring," Wynalda said. "We wanted to force the issue and get on top as soon as possible." Cuba had a chance to take the lead in the 53rd minute, but Ariel Alvarez-Leyva's shot was touched up into the bar by USA goalie Brad Friedel.

"At times we got stretched defensively and didn't react quickly enough to Cuba," United States coach Steve Sampson said. "But we controlled the match 80-90 percent of the time."

Wynalda's goal five minutes into the match was disallowed when he was ruled offsides, though replays clearly showed Wegerle had passed the ball slightly behind himself.

"I thought that was an exceptional goal by Eric," Sampson said. "That's exactly what we worked on in training all week long."

Wynalda said, "(Wegerle) hit the ball actually backwards. I don't understand it, but I won't question it." Cuba did not mount an attack until late in the first half. Eduardo Cebranco missed wide right.

"In the beginning we were nervous, but as the game developed, we gained more confidence," Cebranco said. "We felt we could score a couple of goals."

The match was the first between the United States and Cuba since two World Cup qualifying games in 1949. The two countries had never played each other on U.S. soil. Sporting ties between them have been sporadic as a result of the U.S. trade embargo against the communist-ruled island following the 1963 Cuban missile crisis.

Cuba, considered an international soccer novice, next plays Costa Rica in the Gold Cup on Wednesday. The Americans will play Costa Rica at Oakland next Saturday.

The ten-nation Gold Cup is organized by CONCACAF, the umbrella organization for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Four teams taking part -- the United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Brazil -- will be using the two-week tournament as a warm-up for the World Cup finals this summer in France.

Rounding out the tournament are Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala.