ON TOP OF THE WORLD U.S. BEATS MEXICO IN `SURREAL' UPSET, REACHES QUARTERS U.S. 2, MEXICO 0.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

The U.S. experience in the 2002 World Cup veered from unlikely to improbable Monday. An early upset of Portugal and a surprise tie with South Korea gave way to a stunning victory over Mexico and an unforeseen berth in the quarterfinals against Germany.

``It's surreal,'' U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said. ``I don't know how to explain it. Just really weird things are happening now.

``It's, like, fate or something. There's a feeling that something's meant to be here, for some strange reason.''

Brian McBride and Donovan scored elegant goals as a makeshift U.S. national soccer team lineup ousted Mexico 2-0 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium and advanced to Friday's quarterfinal match against three-time champion Germany.

This is uncharted territory for the Yanks, who won only two World Cup games the previous 72 years. They played in the quarters in 1930, but that came after only two matches in the first World Cup, a mere shadow of the 32-nation, globally scrutinized event of today.

``I hope people at home realize how big this is,'' U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel said. ``Getting to the quarterfinals of the World Cup is huge.''

Even President Bush, former owner of baseball's Texas Rangers, recognized the significance of Monday's game. He called the team in late morning and told the players, via speaker-phone, that he expected it to defeat its bitter, south-of-the-border rival, and has said just that in a conversation with Mexico president Vicente Fox.

``It never occurred to me that our president was actually interested,'' Donovan said. ``That says a lot.''

The Americans won Monday despite a lineup jumbled by injury and suspension, despite a new formation and despite more than an hour of nearly complete Mexican domination of the game, lending some credence to Donovan's notion that the abnormal has become normal for a nation considered a second-tier soccer power.

Mexico had scoring chances aplenty for some 70 minutes, but its shots banged off crossbars or sailed just high or wide. Meanwhile, the Americans had a handful of chances in the first hour-plus but converted two of them.

``It's been amazing,'' U.S. midfielder Pablo Mastroeni said. ``It's been a long drive coming in and now this is icing on the cake.''

The most ambitious among the U.S. delegation want to eat their cake, too.

``Beat Germany? Why not,'' asked Donovan.

``We understand that Germany is the overwhelming favorite,'' U.S. coach Bruce Arena said, ``and on paper it looks to be no match.

``However, we don't play games on paper.''

The U.S. sent Mexico packing by getting an early goal (eighth minute) from McBride, fighting off furious Mexican attempts to equalize, and collecting the clinching goal from Donovan in the 65th minute.

McBride's goal set the tenor of the game. It began when captain Claudio Reyna, stationed wide right in Arena's surprise 3-5-2 alignment, charged up the right side and turned the corner on Mexico midfielderr Ramon Morales.

Reyna delivered a pass to Josh Wolff, waiting at the near post, but the shooting angle was too severe and Wolff was closely marked by Manuel Vidrio. So Wolff instead centered the ball to McBride, sprinting into the box.

McBride gathered it and rammed a right-footed shot into the left corner of the goal.

It was the most propitious omen possible for the Yanks, who were 5-1-1 in their World Cup history when scoring the first goal. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre called it one of the two turning points in the game.

The other, the Mexicans felt, came in the 54th minute, when John O'Brien's handball on a Mexico corner went undetected by Portuguese referee Vitor Melo Pereira.

O'Brien said it was an inadvertent touch, prompted by a push. Nonetheless, a handball in the box means a penalty kick and a likely 1-1 tie, barring more heroics by Friedel. Said Aguirre: ``Forty thousand people in the stadium saw it and the referee did not.''

Donovan's goal was the dagger. It began with right back Tony Sanneh winning the ball and passing it to workhorse midfielder John O'Brien, who knocked it up the left side ahead of midfielder Eddie Lewis, making his first start in the World Cup.

Lewis has a reputation as the best crosser on the U.S. team and he validated it with a perfectly placed cross as he approached the end line.

Waiting at the other end was Donovan, whose long run put him just ahead of Mexico's Gerardo Torrado on the edge of the goal box. Donovan headed it sharply past goalkeeper Oscar Perez, prompting a shirt-stripping celebration by the Redlands native, and the game was effectively over.

The goals were the second for both Donovan and McBride in this World Cup.

The final 25 minutes were full of Mexican frustration and anger; the Mexicans were shown four yellow cards and had a player ejected during those waning minutes as the game turned mean-spirited, if not dirty.

``It's a rivalry,'' Arena said. ``We know each other. There's been a lot of bad blood over the years, but when the game's over we're friends again. Mexico is a great team and I'm proud of our guys.

``It's a great day for U.S. soccer.''

``The rest of the world used to call us a sleeping giant,'' said Dr. Robert Contiguglia, president of the U.S. soccer federation. ``I think the sleeping giant has woken up.''

Donovan opted for a more ethereal assessment.

``It's like it's not happening,'' he said. ``Almost like a dream that you know is a dream. But I'm honestly over it. I want to start preparing for the Germans. I'm not content with this.''

CAPTION(S):

photo, 3 boxes

Photo:

(color) Frankie Hujduk celebrates the United States' surprise victory over Mexico in the second round of the 2002 World Cup in Jeonju, South Korea.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Box:

(1) GAME RECAP

(2) WORLD CUP GLANCE

(3) AMERICANS SAY `ADIOS' TO MEXICO AND ADVANCE

SOURCE: Associated Press

Associated Press