MCBRIDE HAT TRICK LEADS U.S. ROUT EL SALVADOR, MEXICO OUT OF GOLD CUP U.S. 4, EL SALVADOR 0.

Byline: Fred J. Robledo Staff Writer

PASADENA - South Korea and the United States sure know how to clear out a stadium.

The two biggest draws in the Gold Cup tournament - Mexico and El Salvador - were both eliminated in Sunday's quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.

South Korea defeated Mexico 4-2 on penalty kicks after the two teams tied 0-0 in regulation, and the Americans, who have made a habit of torturing the Salvadorans, cruised to the other semifinal with a 4-0 victory in front of 31,628 rain-soaked fans, a crowd that whittled down to about 5,000 with the U.S. team leading 3-0 at halftime of the second game.

American striker Brian McBride showed that when he's healthy and fit, he's the United States' most dangerous weapon, as U.S. coach Bruce Arena hinted last week.

McBride, the Columbus Crew striker, scored three times, all in the first 21 minutes, for the first hat trick of his international career, giving the U.S. its third consecutive victory in this tournament. Ante Razov scored the other goal in the 72nd minute.

``I still need to sharpen my soccer brain, but I feel pretty good. My teammates around me made it easy for me today,'' McBride said. ``It was the best day for getting in spots and having my teammates find me. You never expect anything like this, you just have to be ready for it. Sometimes it's just your day.''

The U.S. team advances to Wednesday's semifinal against defending Gold Cup champion Canada, which needed penalty kicks to defeat Martinique in Saturday's quarterfinal in Miami.

The last multigoal game for McBride also came against El Salvador, when he notched two goals in a 4-2 victory in 1997. It was the first hat trick by a U.S. player since Joe-Max Moore scored three goals in a 7-0 victory over El Salvador in 1993.

``There's no question about it, (McBride has) made it back from his injuries,'' Arena said. ``He's not where he wants to be or where I want him to be, but that's just going to take some time.

``You know, Brian does a lot of good things out on the field. I thought his performance against Korea was outstanding, and today, who can argue with the three goals. It's a real good sign in the early going to see we have Brian back. He's another guy we can put into the mix, and it's real positive with (Clint) Mathis coming back from his injuries.''

McBride scored his second and third goals of the tournament in a two- minute span to give the United States a quick 2-0 advantage.

Right back Frankie Hejduk made a long run down the right side, sending a short cross to the near post. Salvadoran defender Guillermo Garcia tried to head the ball away but instead headed it backward to McBride standing alone near the back post. All McBride had to do was redirect a header to the far side for a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute.

In the 11th minute, midfielder Chris Armas sent a pass to Cobi Jones, who barely beat Salvador's offside trap. Alone against goalkeeper Santos Rivera, Jones dribbled around him, losing the ball to the right where McBride was rushing in to direct a 10-yard shot to an open net.

On the third goal, Ante Razov sent a ball down the left side to Eddie Lewis. Lewis slid a pass to Landon Donovan in front of the Salvadoran net. Instead of rushing a shot, Donovan hit a square pass to McBride, who knocked in another open-net goal in the 21st minute.

``The U.S. team was completely superior to us,'' Salvadoran coach Jorge Humberto Recinos said. ``They're going to the World Cup, and that means a lot. We were trying to keep our balance and attack, but we were killed with those first two goals coming so soon. Nobody is prepared for something like that.''

In the previous two games against South Korea and Cuba, the United States scored only one goal from the run of play before Sunday's explosion.

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Photo:

U.S. midfielder Chris Armas (14) jumps to kick the ball as El Salvador's Santos Cabrera (8) looks on at the Rose Bowl.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press