WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP: U.S. WIN BRINGS JOY TO PANAMA AMERICANS DESTROY COSTA RICA'S HOPES.

Byline: Matt Zimmerman Staff Writer

CARSON - For the United States, which already had secured a spot in the FIFA World Youth Championship, Sunday's qualifying finale against Costa Rica provided an opportunity to give reserves some playing time and perhaps play spoiler.

For Costa Rica, it was all on the line.

First-half goals by UCLA's Chad Barrett and Columbus Crew defender Danny Szetela finished the Ticos. The Americans' 2-0 victory at Home Depot Center at the regional qualifying tournament for under-20 soccer teams gave Panama, a 3-1 winner over Trinidad and Tobago in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, the second CONCACAF berth at the June 10-July 2 world championship in the Netherlands.

Costa Rica needed only a tie, or a one-goal loss in which it scored twice, to advance. The Ticos and Panama finished 1-1-1, but a better goal-differential was the difference for the Canaleros.

The United States, featuring teen sensations Freddy Adu and Eddie Gaven, went 3-0 in the round-robin event to qualify for its sixth successive World Youth Championship. Two more CONCACAF teams will qualify from a quartet later this month in Honduras.

``Every time we've qualified, we've met Costa Rica, and we've never lost to them,'' said U.S. coach Sigi Schmid, the former UCLA and Galaxy coach. ``We're very proud of the fact that we won three games without a loss.''

Had Costa Rica lost only 2-1, a coin flip would have determined whether it or Panama advanced. And the Ticos had plenty of chances to score in the second half, but Gherland McDonald recorded a hat trick of near-misses.

McDonald was alone in the U.S. box in the 65th and 69th minutes, but he fired over the crossbar, then hit the right post after beating goalkeeper Andrew Kartunen. McDonald fired wide right in the 73rd from a Jose Luis Cordero through ball.

In the opener, Luis Gallardo gave Panama a 14th-minute lead, and Alvaro Salazar in the 71st and 76th minutes, the second on a miskick, to extend the advantage to 3-0.

That would have been sufficient for Panama, no matter how narrow a Costa Rica loss. A two-goal victory for the Canaleros would leave some doubt, and lax defending nearly cost them.

Trinidad and Tobago, playing a man down after Makan Hislop was red- carded in the 67th minute for a cleats-up tackle on Eduardo Ponce, narrowed the lead two minutes after Salazar's second goal.

Matt Zimmerman, [phone]

matt.zimmerman(at)presstelegram.com