Scoreless tie for U.S. men’s soccer and Ivory Coast

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Updated at 10:25 a.m. Ryan Babel and Roy Makaay scored late goals to give the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Cameroon in a pre-Olympic soccer tournament game in Hong Kong.

The United States and Ivory Coast played to a scoreless tie Wednesday during a pre-Beijing Games soccer match in Hong Kong. The Netherlands, which hopes to win a gold in Beijing, plays Cameroon later Wednesday at Hong Kong Stadium.

Ivory Coast dominated the first half but failed to convert. Kafoumba Coulibaly had two shots on goal late in the half, but U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped both of them. Momentum subsequently shifted to the U.S., which also failed to convert.

The U.S. will play Cameroon on Saturday and the Ivory Coast will play the Netherlands during the ING Cup tournament that runs through Aug. 2.

-- Greg Johnson