PHEW! AND THANK YOU, SOUTH KOREA STUNNED AMERICAN TEAM NEEDS HELP - AND GETS IT - TO ADVANCE POLAND 3, USA 1.

Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer

DAEJEON, South Korea - Years from now, it won't be the night the U.S. national soccer team was routed 3-1 by Poland.

It will be the night the U.S. advanced to the second round of a World Cup on foreign soil for the first time in 72 years.

``We weren't too excited in the locker room, but if we had lost our first game, tied our second and won our third everyone would be elated,'' U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said late Friday at Daejeon World Cup Stadium. ``It works out the same in the end. We're through to the second round.''

Stunned by a pair of Poland goals in the first five minutes, the U.S. never recovered and seemed destined for a flight home today.

But in a concurrent Group D finale at Incheon, tournament co-host South Korea scored in the 70th minute to defeat Portugal 1-0 and leave the U.S. battered but all alone in second place with four points (from a victory and a tie) to Portugal and Poland's three points.

The U.S. will play regional arch-rival Mexico in a knockout-round match Monday at 3:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. PDT Sunday) at Jeonju. It marks only the second time the U.S. has advanced to the second round; the first came in 1994, when the U.S. hosted the event. And it is the first time the U.S. has faced Mexico in the World Cup.

Group winner South Korea, meanwhile, will play three-time World Cup champion Italy on Tuesday.

``We're through to the second round because of their results, not because of what we did,'' U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said of the Koreans. ``We really needed a point and we couldn't do it.

``So, yeah, we owe (the Koreans) a big thanks that they went out and won.''

Had Portugal tied South Korea and finished with four points, the highly regarded Portuguese would have advanced ahead of the U.S. on the basis of superior goal-differential.

The dynamics of the evening, with Poland's early lead on goals by Emmanuel Olisadebe and Pawel Kryszalowicz, the fruitless attempts by the Yanks to close the gap before halftime against Poland's big and packed defense, the ongoing scoreless tie in the other game and South Korea's late goal and victory, left the Americans emotionally conflicted.

``When you lose a game you're never happy,'' forward Brian McBride said. ``But this time you have a little bit of joy because of the things we did before today. It is weird. I have never felt like that after a soccer game, especially one you've lost.''

U.S. coach Bruce Arena seemed equally torn. He was apologetic about the early deficit and the result but clearly pleased his team is playing while soccer superpowers such as France, Argentina and Portugal are not.

``Our guys endured, and the points are all that matter,'' he said. ``Until they decide another method for how teams advance, we deserve to be where we are. We have four points. We finished second in our group.

``You have to give our guys credit, and now we have a big job ahead to get ready for the second round. We know our next opponent quite well. Mexico is an outstanding team, and they were minutes short of winning three games. They will be very difficult for us on Monday. We've got 72 hours to get our team ready to play.''

The U.S. earned its promotion with what it did in the first two matches, defeating Portugal 3-2 and tying South Korea 1-1.

The scenario Friday night had the U.S. advancing with a victory or a tie, or with a South Korea victory.

The U.S. clearly wasn't going to be able to help itself after Olisadebe's goal in the third minute off a rebound of a shot off a corner kick, followed two minutes later by Kryszalowicz's low liner into the corner of the goal on a cross from Jacek Krzynowek.

Those goals, in tandem with a spurious call on Donovan that negated what appeared to be a header goal from point-blank range in the third minute, left the U.S. on its heels.

Pressing too hard to cut into the deficit, ``we settled for first shots, not good shots,'' midfielder Earnie Stewart said, and it was 2-0 at halftime.

Poland made it 3-0 in the 66th minute when Marcin Zewlakow headed in a cross from Krzynowek on a counterattack against the tiring Yanks. It would have gone to a humiliating 4-0 in the 75th minute had not Friedel saved a penalty from Maciej Zurawski. It was Friedel's second penalty save in as many attempts in this World Cup.

``You don't want to keep giving teams penalties,'' Friedel said. ``It's not like you can save them every time they take them on you.''

Moments before, the crowd had let out a roar because South Korea's Park Ji Sung had scored, and Donovan added one more bit of good news with his first World Cup goal, at age 20, with a sliding right-footed shot past Poland keeper Radoslaw Majdan in the 83rd minute.

From there, it was a matter of simply playing out the string while the U.S. entourage kept a vigil on the Portugal-South Korea game. The latter game ended first, and U.S. reserves began a muted celebration on the sideline.

The Yanks were through. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't heroic, but it was done.

``Overall, we deserved to go through,'' Reyna said.

Defender Eddie Pope said: ``It's not about this game. It's about the first two games and all three games in the round. We worked hard to get those results, and that's why we're in the second round.''

LOOKING AHEAD: SPAIN vs. IRELAND

Time: Sunday, 4:30 a.m., Suwon, South Korea.

TV: ESPN, Ch. 34

Matchup: Underachiever vs. overachiever. Red jersey vs. red mist. Catholics vs. ... uh, Catholics. Ireland qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 1990 and promptly made the quarterfinals, which matches Spain's best performances ever ('86, '94). This will be the nations' first meeting in the World Cup finals. Led by forwards Raul and Fernando Morientes, Spain won Group B. Ireland fought to second place in Group E, tying arguably more talented Cameroon and Germany. Forward Robbie Keane can convert the slightest scoring opportunity.

Prediction: Ireland 2, Spain 1. Spain's shaky defense means another favorite bites the dust.

- Bill Elstrom

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel acknowledges the applause of fans at the conclusion of the Americans' game Friday in South Korea.

Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

(2) American defender Frankie Hejduk (2) battles Poland's Pawel Kryszalowicz in the first half of their game Friday.

Joe Cavaretta/Associated Press

Box:

(1) GAME RECAP

(2) WORLD CUP GLANCE

(3) LOOKING AHEAD: SPAIN vs. IRELAND (see text)