LAND OF THE FRIEDEL U.S. TAKES CUE FROM KEEPER WHO FOUND WAY AFTER UCLA IN ENGLAND.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

SEOUL, South Korea - The U.S. national team was in a comfort zone going into its final match in World Cup group play today. It can thank goalkeeper Brad Friedel for that. And has.

``When your keeper stops a penalty, that's huge,'' midfielder Landon Donovan said. ``That lifts the entire team.''

Coach Bruce Arena said: ``He does what we love to see goaltenders do in the goal, which is denying the other team.''

Friedel's save of Lee Eul Yong's penalty in the first half of the match with South Korea enabled the Americans to escape Daegu with a 1-1 tie - and earn one crucial point that left them needing only a tie against Poland to advance to the second round.

To say saves on penalties are rare in the World Cup is putting it mildly. Friedel's stop was the first in 11 attempts in this World Cup (though Sweden's Magnus Hedman has made one since). There were zero penalty saves, from shots on goal, in the 1998 and 1994 World Cups.

In fact, before Friedel's save, the last stop of a non-shootout, non-overtime penalty in the World Cup was by another American, Tony Meola, against Czechoslovakia in 1990, according to research done by the U.S. team's communications department.

Friedel said he won the head game over Lee on the kick.

``They changed shooters right before, and generally speaking that would tell me that whoever is taking the penalty kick might not be prepared for it,'' Friedel said, ``and I might feel in that situation the shooter might go to the side of the goal where he opens up his body, since it's easier to hit the area of the goal doing that, as opposed to trying to drag it. A lot of times you might drag it too far right.

``It was just a thought I had in my mind and it was fortunate for us it worked that way.''

Fortunate, yes, but not quite an accident. Not at this point in Friedel's career.

The 31-year-old UCLA alumnus has been playing in England since late 1997 and has been a standout for Blackburn the past two seasons. ``No, that's not the kind of save I would have made when I was 20,'' he said.

Friedel was the winner of a torrid duel between himself and another respected veteran, Kasey Keller, for the goalkeeper job here. Arena debated the decision almost up to kickoff of the opener against Portugal.

Asked why he went with Friedel, Arena said, ``Well, first of all, I don't believe we have a goalkeeper controversy. I just happen to believe we have two great goalkeepers, which I don't think is a bad problem to have.

``Obviously, Brad is coming off two great seasons with Blackburn, and I thought in these games - Kasey is a great shot-stopper as well - but I think one of the things that separates Brad from most goalkeepers is his feet are outstanding. And his ability to play balls out of the back under pressure, on goal kicks and on balls back to the keeper, all of those things that maybe the average fan doesn't notice are big in games like this. And he is an offensive weapon, as well ...''

It has worked out well. Friedel could not be held responsible for either of Portugal's goals in the 3-2 U.S. victory, including the own-goal by Jeff Agoos (``His feet weren't set,'' Arena joked), nor for South Korea's header in the 78th minute.

Friedel's coach at Blackburn, Graeme Souness, believes the Ohio native has become one of the top keepers in the world.

``There's not another keeper in the Premier League I'd trade Brad for,'' Souness told the New York Times in April. Asked where that put Friedel among the world's top goalkeepers, Souness said, ``If you're one of the best in this league, you're certainly going to be in the top 10. I couldn't tell you nine better than him.''

Donovan practices against Friedel on a regular basis and he said the 6-foot-4 former basketball player at Bay High School in suburban Cleveland presents trouble for any shooter.

``As a player, when you're coming in on him he covers so much of the goal,'' Donovan said. ``He has big, long arms and makes himself big in the goal. As a shooter you want to see as much of the goal as possible, and you can't see much of it when he's in there.

``He just doesn't give up any soft goals.''

Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid, who coached Friedel at UCLA, said his success as a professional has come as no surprise to him.

``I felt confident he would make it because he wanted it so bad,'' Schmid said. ``He was very meticulous, a perfectionist in work and training.''

But it was a battle to dislodge Keller, whose professional career is more extensive and who seemed to be in goal for most of the key American games the past seven years.

Both were sharp in World Cup training, by all accounts. What ultimately separated them, beyond the technical points mentioned by Arena, is that Friedel played all season for a struggling team in the lower half of England's Premier League, almost single-handedly keeping them from relegation, while Keller sat most of the season at Tottenham.

Friedel said his years in England have sharpened his skills.

``The last couple of years at Blackburn have gone very well for me,'' he said. ``I'm in a good environment there. It's a very well-run club, and with a manager there who I get along with very well.

``So when things go smoothly in your club seasons, I think it always gives you more confidence.''

LOOKING AHEAD: ENGLAND vs. DENMARK

Time: Saturday, 4:30 a.m., Niigata, Japan.

TV: ESPN, Ch. 34

Matchup: The solid Danes, who beat defending champ France on the way to taking Group A, will be weakened if key striker Jon Dahl Tomasson misses the game with injury, which appears likely. They also could miss key midfielder Stig Toftig. If so, it bodes well for England, which has only scored twice so far in the tournament but advanced from the Group F pool that claimed favorite Argentina. A date with Brazil in the quarterfinals likely awaits the winner.

Prediction: England 2, Denmark 0. Michael Owen finally finds the net vs. slower Danes.

- Patrick Hipes

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

(color) UCLA alumnus Brad Friedel has led the U.S. by example with his calm demeanor in goal at the World Cup.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Box:

(1) WORLD CUP GLANCE

(2) LOOKING AHEAD: ENGLAND vs. DENMARK (see text)