U.S. NET GAIN: EXPECTATIONS : NOW, VICTORIES BEING DEMANDED OF STRONG AMERICAN SQUAD.

Byline: Michelle Kaufman Miami Herald

Eric Wynalda looked out at the mob of reporters surrounding his locker in RFK Stadium last weekend and couldn't help but laugh when he was grilled with questions about the U.S. team's inability to score in recent World Cup tune-up matches.

``Boy, we sure have come a long way,'' said Wynalda, from Westlake. ``Our send-off game for the 1990 World Cup was in St. Louis and there were about 4,000 people in the stands and two reporters. Back then, everyone just patted us on the back and said, `Go get 'em, boys.' Now, we've got 50,000 people watching us at RFK and hundreds of reporters asking why we didn't score. We're expected to score now, and when we don't, we face the same pressure and scrutiny as pro athletes in other sports. That's when you know you've made it.''

Veteran midfielder Tab Ramos said he looks back on his past eight years with the U.S. team and is amazed at the progress.

``In '90, we were in the World Cup mainly as tourists, a bunch of guys taking pictures of all the sights in Italy,'' Ramos said. ``We didn't even think about winning a match and nobody expected us to. In '94, it was a transition year. We hoped to win but still didn't really think we could. Now, even though we're still not on par with the Germanys and Brazils, we are so much more experienced and we know we can beat people.''

Even more important, forward Roy Wegerle said, other teams are starting to believe the United States can win.

``Some people are still skeptical of American soccer, especially in Europe. But on the inside, I think a lot of teams think they have something to fear when they play us,'' Wegerle said. ``They know if they don't play their best, we could steal a win.''

The team is so much stronger than four years ago that Ramos, Alexi Lalas and Marcelo Balboa, three of the most familiar faces in U.S. soccer, haven't been able to break into the starting lineup. Former captain John Harkes didn't even make the team - partly for disciplinary reasons, but partly because he didn't fit into coach Steve Sampson's plans.

Sampson was going to build this team around midfield playmaker Claudio Reyna, plain and simple. To give Reyna complete freedom of creativity, Sampson shocked the U.S. soccer community and sacked Harkes, the midfield anchor for eight years.

The team was deep enough that Sampson felt he could let Harkes go. Unlike the '90 and '94 teams, which were made up primarily of players with no professional experience, the 1998 U.S. team that opens against Germany on June 15 is made up entirely of professional players - 16 from Major League Soccer, three from the German Bundesliga, two from the English Premier League and one from the Dutch first division.

Sampson, an assistant in 1994, predicted his more offensive-minded team will be one of the two that advances from a first-round group that includes Germany, Yugoslavia and Iran. He went so far as to say it's ``possible'' the United States could reach the quarterfinals.

Teams get three points for a win, one for a tie and zero for a loss. Chances are the United States would need a win and a tie to move to the round of 16. The best shot for a win will come June 21 against Iran.

``In the last six weeks, I've seen a focus in U.S. players to play a faster, more technical, sophisticated style of soccer,'' Sampson said. ``For us to be successful in this Cup, we have to create scoring chances and get some results. We can't fail miserably this Cup and be satisfied. I think this team can do something special.''

Not everybody is so optimistic.

Alan Rothenberg, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, made headlines last week when he said it wasn't realistic to expect Team USA to advance to the second round.

And many pundits would agree.

Even with several key players over 30, Germany has better speed than the United States. The Germans are 25-8-8 in World Cups held in Europe, including three titles since 1954. Yugoslavia's roster is loaded with players from the world's best clubs - AC Milan, Real Madrid, Lazio, Sampdoria and Aston Villa. Yugoslavia could get as far as the Final Four if the team plays as a unit, rather than a collection of stars.

``On paper, Germany and Yugoslavia are better than us,'' Ramos said, shrugging his shoulders. ``Their best players are better than our best players.''

Team USA's biggest concern is that nagging injuries have kept Sampson from starting his favorite lineup the past two months. Wynalda is coming back from April surgery on his left knee. Ramos admittedly is ``not 100 percent'' after two knee surgeries. Reyna, the cog that makes the U.S. offense work, has been nursing a tender groin. And Frankie Hejduk's world-class speed has been slowed by a hamstring pull.

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PHOTO Eric Wynalda, left, will have to be fully recovered from knee surgery for the U.S. to have success.

Evan Yee/Daily News