U.S. ties Cuba, Honduras tops Panama in Olympic test

    BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Freddy Adu put his best foot forward against a surprising Cuba team, scoring the only goal for the United States in a 1-1 tie in the first round of Group A play at the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifier on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida.

    Adu had six attempts on goal, but only one found the net. It came in the 14th minute, when he powered one in with his left foot to give the U.S., considered the team to beat in the group, a 1-0 lead.

    But Cuba, with far fewer shot attempts (19-6) and shots on goal (9-4), made the most of its limited opportunities in the first Under-23 match between the countries.

    Roberto Linares' goal in the 42nd minute, a shot inside the penalty box with his left foot that was assisted by Yordany Alvarez, tied the match. From there, Cuba dodged several bullets.

    "I feel like we had a lot of chances, but we were a bit unlucky," Adu said. "We're going to go back to the drawing board."

    With the draw, the U.S. and Cuba are both 0-0-1 in Group A round robin play.

    Earlier, Honduras defeated Panama 1-0 in the tournament opener. The top two teams in the group advance to the March 20 semifinals in Nashville along with the top two from Group B. The two finalists there earn a berth in the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

    With the win, Honduras improved to 1-0 in the Group A round robin. Panama is 0-1.

    (Agencies)