MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) _ This U.S. men's soccer team is going where none of its predecessors have gone before.

The Americans advanced out of the first round of an Olympic tournament for the first time Wednesday, dominating Kuwait on a cool, rainy night to come away with a 3-1 victory.

The players celebrated the historic moment after the final whistle, then declared themselves determined to go farther. They finished first in their four-team group and will play on Saturday in Adelaide.

"I don't think we're going to be satisfied with just getting out of our group," defender Jeff Agoos said. "I know it's a major accomplishment for this team and this sport, and we recognize that and we appreciate that and we're thankful to be a part of that. Hopefully, we've got some more games to play. We came here to get a medal."

The weather was perfect for football: American football, not soccer. The bone-chilling evening felt nothing like a Summer Olympics, and that wasn't comfortable for a Kuwaiti team used to sun, heat and sand.

"That was a factor for our players," Kuwait coach Radojko Avramovic said. "They aren't used to these conditions, and that's part of what stopped them playing. We tried to tell them to play, to play, to play, but nobody was listening."

Danny Califf scored in the 40th minute, Chris Albright in the 63rd and Landon Donovan in the 89th as the Americans dominated, outshooting Kuwait 17-8 and taking 10 corner kicks to Kuwait's one.

Substitute Bader Najem scored for Kuwait in the 83rd.

It was only the fifth victory for an American men's soccer team in 25 games (5-12-8) in 12 Olympic appearances dating to 1924. Two of those wins have come against Kuwait.

But this is the first time the United States has fielded an Olympic team made up almost exclusively of professionals, a byproduct of the development of Major League Soccer.

"U.S. soccer not a point anymore where we're saying, `Let's try to get a point here and pull off a win there,' " Donovan said. "We're going into every game thinking we can win it."

Califf's goal was a solid header off a corner kick from Agoos. Albright got the second goal when he beat Jamal Abdulrahman to a long ball to the left of the net and slotted a tight-angle shot past goalkeeper Shehab Kankone.

Najem's goal, on a counterattack, made the U.S. bench nervous, but Donovan scored on a 2-on-1 break with Josh Wolff to secure the win.

The U.S. team, which tied its first two games and needed a victory to advance to the quarterfinals, passed well but had trouble finishing early against a Kuwaiti team that packed its defense. Kuwait could have advanced with a draw; instead, it finished group play 1-1-1 and was eliminated.

Albright had the first good scoring chance with a clear header from 12 yards in the 36th minute, but Kankone dived right to make the save. Two minutes later, Ben Olsen's shot from the top of the penalty box was stopped by Kankone. Olsen then put the rebound wide left under pressure from a defender.

Kankone, who kept the game from being a rout, made another good save on Olsen in the 56th minute.

Kuwait's best scoring chance before its goal came when Faraj Saeid had open space for a 13-yard drive in the penalty box in the 78th. But Brad Friedel pushed the ball away with a leaping save. Basher Abdulaziz appealed for a penalty kick in the 54th, but was instead given a yellow card for taking a dive.

The 19,684 fans seemed lost in the 95,000-seat MCG as they deserted the front-row seats and watched the game from sheltered seats underneath the mezzanine and the partial roof overhang. The rain stopped during the first half, but the damage was done. One of the linesmen kept the crowd entertained by sliding down hard more than once while trying to follow the run of play.

The Americans left the field wet, but happy.

"There's a buildup of U.S. soccer," Olsen said. "We're the next generation of U.S. Olympians, and every year we try to improve and this year we're doing it. And who knows what happens from here? We'll see how we do, and the next group has to do better." Cameroon 1, Czech Republic 1=

At Brisbane, Lauren Etame Mayer scored a first-half goal to give Cameroon the point that enabled it to advance. The Indomitable Lions placed second to the United States in Group C because of an inferior goal differential.

Etame Mayer scored 23 minutes into the match and Lukas Dosek tied it on a rebound in the 73rd. Nigeria 1, Italy 1=

At Adelaide, defending champion Nigeria gained the point it needed to reach the quarterfinals. But the Africans tossed away a first-half lead and had midfielder Azubuika Oliseh ejected early in the second half, which means Nigeria will have two players suspended for the quarterfinals Sept. 23.

Garba Lawal gave the Nigerians the lead on a penalty kick five minutes before halftime. The Italians got even in the 68th minute when Roberto Boronio's long-range shot deflected off Nigerian defender Gbenga Okunowo.

Honduras 2, Australia 1=

At Sydney, David Suazo scored one goal in each half in game involving two teams that did not advance. The goals gave Suazo a tournament-leading four, including the game-winner in the 60th minute.

Suazo scored his first of the game 2 minutes, 40 seconds after the opening kickoff on a lightning-fast counter.

Michael Curcija's 51st-minute goal gave the Australians some hope, but Suazo ended it with his other score.

___= WOMEN= Germany 1, Sweden 0=

At Melbourne, Ariane Hingst scored in the 88th minute as Germany completed a perfect first round. The Germans were the only team to win all three of their first-round games. They will play a semifinal game Sunday in Sydney.

Sweden was 0-2-1 and scored only one goal in the tournament. Brazil 2, Australia 1=

At Sydney, Raquel and Katia scored eight minutes apart in the second half and Brazil moved into the semifinals. The loss ended the hopes of Australia, and, again, disappointed a capacity crowd at the 40,000-seat Sydney Football Stadium. The park was packed for a doubleheader for the second time in four days.

(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)