The U.S. soccer team was on the defense early with Venezuela’s determined tactics and speed. Goalkeeper Warren Gross (Greenfield Center, N.Y.) was a prominent force and was a vocal leader on the field constantly communicating to his team.

The first half of the match was consumed with aggressive play and the ball spent a majority of time spanning across the midfield, but at half time concluded with a tied score of 0-0.

The U.S. returned for the second half ready to play and established consistent method passing of the ball and increased its momentum. It was that momentum that immediately opened the door for a goal by midfielder Stephen McCarthy (Colleyville, Texas) in the 50th minute of play. McCarthy said playing Venezuela was one of the most pressure-filled games he has competed in to date.

“Venezuela brought a lot of pressure in to the game and we (U.S.) had to fight until the end,” McCarthy said. “But we kept up with them (Venezuela) and their speed. We worked for what we wanted and I was really happy with the goal I scored for the team.”

Venezuela continued to utilize its speed and quickly responded to McCarthy’s goal. The team scored off of a penalty kick in the 76th minute of play and tied the match 1-1.

The U.S. continued to remain collected and focused while continuing to fight for a goal. The team transitioned the ball along the perimeter of the field and collected seven total attempts on goal. In the last minutes of play Bobby Warshaw (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) headed the ball in to the back of the net with an assist from Michael Stephens (Naperville, Ill.).

The midfielder said scoring the winning goal in the Pan Am Games is an unforgettable moment and was grateful to share the experience with his teammates.

“The theme for our team over the Games has been to ‘play as a team’ and to do our best,” said Warshaw. “We battled on the field from the first minute until the last and scoring a winning goal was one of my best life moments. It feels good to help my team in some way and know that I contributed to our first win.”

Coach Bob Jenkins was pleased with the team’s first performance at the Pan Am Games and emphasized how important each competition is in the event.

“Venezuela was a good first test for our team. The game was fast and we did not have any opportunity to slow down, which was great test for our speed,” said Head Coach Jenkins. “It is important for us to play attractive soccer and like a team. Tonight they put a win together and I could not ask for more.”

The next U.S. U-18 Men’s match versus Bolivia is July 18, 2007 at the Centro de Futebol do Zico 3 p.m. local.