The Road to the World Cup

EAST HARTFORD, CT - May 25, 2010 – In a match that served as a final audition for some U.S. players and a World Cup tune-up for others, the U.S. Men’s National Team fell 4-2 to the Czech Republic in front of 36,218 fans, the largest-ever crowd to watch a soccer match at Rentschler Field.

Both U.S. goals came from players who had never before tallied at the full international level with midfielder Maurice Edu putting the USA ahead in the 17th minute while second-half substitute forward Herculez Gomez knotted the score at 2-2 in the 65th. The U.S. allowed two goals in the final 13 minutes plus stoppage time as Martin Fenin tallied in the 78th and Tomas Necid ended any chance of a late U.S. equalizer with a goal in the 92nd.

U.S. head coach Bob Bradley will announce the 23-man U.S. World Cup roster tomorrow, May 26, live on ESPN during SportsCenter’s 1 p.m. ET hour and then the U.S. team will head to Philadelphia, where the team will play its second and final Send-Off Series match against Turkey at Lincoln Financial Field. More than 45,000 tickets have been sold for the match that will kick off at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can follow via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and twitter.com/ussoccer.

“We've worked very hard and guys know we're at a point where tough decisions need to be made,” said Bradley. “There's still a respect we have for what they've put into the camp and into the game. As a player, to come into a camp with the opportunity to make a team and go to the World Cup is a special thing. As it gets closer and closer those emotions come out. On a night when the result doesn't go our way, we know there are things we will still work hard at and we pay tribute to the guys who have been in this camp, the work they've put in and the way they've gone about it.”

Bradley chose to rest numerous regulars for tonight’s game as captain Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jay DeMerit, Jozy Altidore, Benny Feilhaber and Tim Howard did not dress.

The match marked the return to game action for Onyewu who played his first match since tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee on Oct. 14, 2009, at RFK Stadium in the USA’s final CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica. Onyewu played 65 minutes before being replaced by Alejandro Bedoya, who came in at right midfield, moving Stuart Holden into the middle and Edu to center back.

The other players that did start and those that came off the bench got the chance to make a final impression before the selection of the roster tomorrow. Those players included Gomez, who brought his torrid scoring streak from the end of the Mexican season to the international stage. The goal originated from a Holden corner kick that he spun in from the left corner. Six-foot-four Clarence Goodson rose high to meet the cross, looping it back to the far post where an unmarked Gomez darted in to power home a header from close range.

The USA had opened the scoring 17 minutes into the match, also on a service from Holden, who bent a dangerous free kick from almost flush on the left sideline all the way to the far post. Edson Buddle jumped high to nod the ball down as Czech and Chelsea goalkeeper Pert Cech missed his punch attempt and flew past the pack of players. Edu was first to the loose ball and pounded it into the net from close range.

Buddle took a knock to face as he won Holden’s cross and was off the field for almost seven minutes while the U.S. training staff stopped the bleeding and got him changed out of a blood-soaked jersey. Buddle suffered a split lip that required two stitches at halftime.

The Czechs tied the game just a minute before the break on a free kick of their own. Jaroslav Plasil spun the ball from the right side to the far post where it just skimmed just over the head of Onyewu as Tomas Sivok used the big defender’s shoulder to get some extra elevation. He sent a looping header back cross the face of the goal and just inside the base of the right post past scrambling U.S. ‘keeper Brad Guzan.

Bradley made five substitutes at halftime, sending on Sacha Kljestan for Jose Torres, Heath Pearce for Jonathan Bornstein and Robbie Rogers for DaMarcus Beasley. He also changed out both strikers as Brian Ching came in for Eddie Johnson and Gomez replaced Buddle.

The Czechs had taken a 2-1 lead in the 58th minute after David Lafata dribbled down the left wing, cut the ball back and then sent a low cross behind the U.S. defense across the six-yard line. Jan Polak scooted in front of Pearce and re-directed the ball into the lower right corner from seven yards out.

Gomez’ equalizer in the 65th minute was foreshadowed by several quality U.S. attacks. Rogers tested Cech in the 61st with a long distance blast that forced the big ‘keeper to fully extend to his left to snag the ball. In the 64th minute, a nifty back-heel from Ching put Gomez in great position to shoot from the top of the penalty area, but his low, hard drive was smothered by Cech.

The Czech Republic scored the game-winner in the 78th minute as Libor Sionko slashed from the right wing into the U.S. penalty area on a nice dribble run. He cut back a pass back into the middle of the box that bounced around for a moment before a Czech player got a foot on, but the strike was blocked directly off his foot by a U.S. defender. Unfortunately, the ball bounced right to Fenin who cracked his shot into the roof of the net from 12 yards out, giving Guzan no chance.

The Czechs added a goal in stoppage time after Edu misjudged a long ball and Necid ran through on goal after the ball had hit him on the back and bounced forward. The Czech striker drove towards the net and slid his shot past Guzan and into the near post for the final margin.

The match did not feature many major scoring chances for either team as both countries put just four shots on goal, but the Czechs scored on all four.

Kljestan and Ching Impress in U.S. Win over El Salvador

TAMPA, FL - February 24, 2010 – The U.S. Men’s National Team came from behind against El Salvador for the third consecutive time with a 2-1 victory in front of a crowd of 21,737 fans this evening at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

El Salvador took the lead in the 59th minute through a Rudi Corrales goal, but halftime substitute Brian Ching equalized in the 75th minute with a well-struck header. Ching then turned provider in stoppage time as he played a one-two with Sacha Kljestan to put the midfielder through on goal and snatch the win with a clinical finish.

The U.S. also came from behind to win or tie against El Salvador in their last two meetings during the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, drawing 2-2 last March in San Salvador after falling behind by two goals and then bouncing back after allowing an early first half goal to win 2-1 on Sept. 5, 2009 in Sandy, Utah.

The U.S. will next travel to Amsterdam where they will take on the third-ranked Netherlands at Amsterdam ArenA on March 3 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The match will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision and fans can follow via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

“Overall, there were some good efforts and we saw some very positive things on the field tonight,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “We went down but continued to push to get a win, and when you can come away with a result from a good play at the end that’s very positive.”

The falling rain markedly affected the opening stages of the match as both teams seemed to struggle getting used to the ball movement on the field. The first 20 minutes saw both teams trying to muster attacks and establish a rhythm without much success, aside from an ambitious fourth-minute shot by Osael Romero which U.S. goalkeeper Nick Rimando smothered as it skipped to the far post.

The tempo began to change when an El Salvador cross from the left was blocked by Brad Evans but skipped directly into the path of Juan Carlos Moscoso. The midfielder was able to collect the ball in a dangerous spot at the top of the area but slipped as he attempted to shoot.

The incident sparked both teams into life and play opened up. The U.S. created some sustained pressure and were almost rewarded when Robbie Findley broke behind the defense on the right flank. He cut a square ball inside to the trailing Kljestan who took a touch and shot on frame but the ball was deflected behind by the Salvadorian defense.

Kljestan was again on the end of a nice U.S. attack in the 31st minute when Conor Casey received the ball in space on the left. He advanced toward his defender and laid off a ball to the inside to a cutting Kljestan who hit a one-time shot low to the ‘keeper’s left. Miguel Montes proved equal to the task and palmed the ball around the post to give the U.S. a corner.

The U.S. was now piling on the pressure in search of the opener as they held possession around the El Salvador area. After a string of quick passes in the 32nd minute, Heath Pearce beat his man to the endline and lifted a cross to the far post where Robbie Rogers waited unmarked. However, Rogers’ downward header could only find the leg of an onrushing defender and the ball deflected out for another U.S. corner.

The first half would end with another close chance when Brad Davis cut in from the left in the 40th minute but had his shot blocked inside the area. The rebound spun out to Kljestan who side footed a low show destined for the back of the net until goalkeeper Montes again intervened to push the shot around the post.

With Bradley making two changes at halftime by sending Ching on for Casey and Eddie Gaven on for Davis, the U.S. came out attacking with purpose. Findley saw a half chance tipped around the post by Montes and Rogers and Ching could not connect after the winger beat his man and centered for Ching inside the six.

The U.S. continued their pressure and scoring the first goal seemed to be only a matter of time. However, it would be El Salvador who would seize the advantage in the 59th minute.

A long ball out of the center of the field arrived on the left flank and was misplayed by Evans. Corrales took advantage to cut in behind the defense and got to the ball before the onrushing Rimando. He slid the ball inside the far post and gave Los Cuscatlecos the 1-0 lead against the run of play.

The U.S. responded with a pair of chances just moments later as Ching saw a snap header go agonizingly wide of the far post after a Pearce cross from the left in the 61st minute. Seconds later, Findley found himself running at the last defender at the top of the box but was barely tripped up before he could get a shot off.

Rogers then served in a series of three free kicks that each could have been converted for the equalizer. The 68th minute saw Evans lose his marker and head wide from 12 yards moments after Jeff Cunningham had come on for Findley. Two minutes later, Ching was on the end of another Rogers free kick from the left but Montes smothered his downward header at his feet. The third free kick skipped through three U.S. attackers at the far post only needing a touch to turn it toward goal.

The equalizer would finally come in the 75th minute after a great effort from Pearce on the left sideline. He beat his marker, making just enough room to get off an inch perfect cross to Ching who had ghosted in behind the defense and was alone at the edge of the six yard box. This time he made no mistake and buried his header at the near post past Montes, who got a hand to the ball but failed to keep it out of the goal.

Rogers wasted a golden opportunity in the 78th minute to take the lead when he beat his man on the dribble and advanced into the box deciding to unleash a drive the sailed wide of the goal instead of opting to pass to Gaven at the far post.

Dax McCarty entered the fray on the 79th minute replacing Kyle Beckerman in the center of the park. Two minutes later, Rogers almost made amends by unleashing a searing drive from the top of the 18 that rattled the woodwork as Montes could only watch rooted to the spot. It would prove to be his last input of the match as Rogers was replaced by Geoff Cameron in the 86th minute, giving the Houston Dynamo midfielder his first cap with the MNT.

As the match entered stoppage time, a draw seemed certain even though the U.S. still looked for a way to unlock the El Salvador defense. Kljestan provided the heroics in the second minute of stoppage time when he dispossessed Marvin González after a rather nonchalant pass from Montes. Kljestan picked up the ball in the center of the field 25 yards from goal and played a ball ahead to Ching. The forward returned the ball with a neat pass right into the path of Kljestan who slotted the ball behind Montes from eight yards to seal the win.

U.S. Falls 3-1 to Honduras in Opening Match of 2010

CARSON, CA - January 23, 2010 – The U.S. Men’s National Team fell 3-1 to fellow 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists Honduras in its opening match of 2010 after playing down a man for more than 70 minutes at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Clarence Goodson’s second half goal was not enough to overturn the deficit in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 18.626 fans. The loss ends an eight-game winning streak for the U.S. against Honduras, including four straight victories in 2009, highlighted in October by a 3-2 U.S. win in Honduras that clinched a World Cup berth for the United States.

"The starting point for the game in January is always assessing players," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who concluded a three-week camp with a largely inexperienced group of national team players, including 23 players with less than 10 caps. "Seeing them in a good game, a tough game, gives you the opportunity to find out what guys are all about. It gives you an indication as to where they might fit in as you move things forward. So we take a lot from it.”

The first half opened with some probing attacks by both teams, but neither squad was able to gain possession in the final third. The U.S. was thrust into difficult circumstances after just 17 minutes, when defender Jimmy Conrad was shown a second yellow card for a foul in the box. The ejection was compounded by Honduras’ goal, which Carlos Pavon rammed home from the penalty spot at the second attempt.

"I didn't think we had a good start to the game,” Bradley said. “Maybe some of that was nerves, but the sharpness you want to see at the beginning of games to establish things was not good enough. Obviously, the whole situation where we lose a player on a second yellow card on a play that also gives a [penalty] forces us to chase the game."

Conrad’s early card came back to haunt the U.S. when he was called for pulling down Palacios as the forward ran through the box in the 17th minute. Palacios started the play about 40 yards from goal, looking for a give-and-go to Pavon on his right. Pavon had other ideas and fired a shot over the crossbar, but while running through the box Conrad’s hand grazed the shoulder of Palacios and the Honduran went down easily. Pointing immediately to the spot, Mexican official Benito Archundia then showed a shocked Jimmy Conrad his second yellow of the night before ending the defender’s night with the ensuing red.

Looking to make up for his late penalty miss in Honduras last October, Pavon stepped up and finished cleanly to put Honduras up 1-0. A call from the assistant referee canceled out the goal, but Pavon calmly took the second attempt and placed it inside the left post outside the reach of Perkins to secure the lead in the 19th minute.

Down to 10 men, the U.S. tried to rally, but both forwards again found themselves starved for service. Honduras doubled their lead when Pavon took a pass deep down the right sideline and curled a cross in for Palacios, the striker’s diving header beating Perkins to give Honduras true breathing room.

Despite improved passing in the midfield, the U.S. entered the locker room at the half still looking to get on the scoreboard. U.S. head coach Bob Bradley exchanged defender Clarence Goodson for Cunningham, and the team began the second stanza looking to push to get back in the game.

In the 49th minute, Robbie Rogers received a ball from Benny Feilhaber on the left side, and taking the space afforded inside, let fly with a blast from 40 yards that beat Honduran goalkeeper Donis Escober but rattled off the right post. Rogers again threatened one minute later, taking a ball down the middle of the pitch before being brought down from behind by Honduran captain Amado Guevara. The Honduran captain was shown a yellow, and the resulting free kick by Sacha Kljestan went high.

Honduras appeared to finish off the game in the 53rd minute with a six-pass sequence that led to their third goal. Taking a throw-in down the left sideline, Guevara passed it to Palacios, who dropped it back to Roger Espinoza at the top left corner of the box. Espinoza gave a small touch to Guevara, who gave it to Palacios running across the top of the box. With the defense looking to close down the shot, Palacios slipped a through ball in for Espinoza, who remained unmarked and tucked a left-footed shot into the far post side netting.

Bradley made four substitutions at the hour mark, bringing on Conor Casey, Heath Pearce, Alejandro Bedoya and Brad Davis. The appearance was the first for Bedoya, giving the young midfielder his first cap at age 22.

The new entrants began to push the pace of the game. It paid off in the 70th minute, when defender Marvell Wynne earned a corner with a streaking run down the right side. Davis sent a floating cross towards the back left post where Goodson rose above Escober’s gloves to head it home for his second-career goal.

With U.S. fans awakening, the Americans kept up the pressure in an attempt to pull back another. Bedoya’s probing run down the right side in the 80th minute resulted in a curling cross looking for Casey, but a tentative Escober managed to punch it clear.

As stoppage time approached, the U.S. earned some late chances, the most threatening a Brad Davis free kick just outside the top of the box. The well struck blast was smartly pushed over the bar by the goalkeeper. Honduras cleared the ensuing corner, and Archundia blew his whistle for the final time on the night to give the U.S. its first January loss since 1997.

U.S. defender Jonathan Bornstein enjoyed a kind welcome from Honduran fans, as his goal against Costa Rica in stoppage time on the final day of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying last year clinched a World Cup berth for the small Central American nation.

U.S. to Face England, Slovenia, and Algeria in Group C for 2010 FIFA World Cup

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The groups and schedule were determined during the Final Draw at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.

The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

“It’s a big challenge but when you come to the World Cup and you have a chance to kick it off against an opponent like England, it gives it a real special start,” said U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “It gives us a great opportunity to challenge ourselves in the first game.”

“We know that Algeria and Slovenia are very good teams and we have respect for what they accomplished. We’ll do our preparation and prepare our team. It's a four year period of growing, and we've played very tough teams along the way.”

The U.S. commences its World Cup by facing England in a rematch of the famed 1950 game in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In that match nearly 60 years ago, an unfancied USA team defeated heavily favored England 1-0 to cause one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history. Joe Gaetjens' goal proved a memorable winner in the only World Cup meeting between the two teams.

The USA has faced England, ranked ninth in the FIFA World Rankings, on nine prior occasions and holds a 2-7-0 record against the 1966 World Cup champions. Most recently the two sides met in a friendly on May 28, 2008 at Wembley Stadium, where Fabio Capello's side earned a 2-0 victory. England qualified for its 13th World Cup, setting aside the disappointment of missing out on the 2008 European Championship by marching imperiously to a 9-1-0 record in Group 6 of UEFA qualifying.

Slovenia (ranked 33rd) and Algeria (28th) have never faced the United States and the games in South Africa will mark the first meetings between the countries in any competition.

Slovenia earned a ticket to South Africa by defeating Russia in a tense two-legged UEFA playoff. After earning a priceless away goal in Moscow, Matjaž Kek's team stood firm on home turf in Maribor to seize a priceless 1-0 victory and a trip to the World Cup. The European nation of just more than two million will be participating in its second World Cup after debuting eight years ago at Korea/Japan in 2002.

Algeria, going to the World cup for the first time since 1986, were participants in one of the most dramatic final days in World Cup qualifying history, when bitter rivals Egypt scored a vital goal in stoppage time in Cairo on Nov. 14, 2009. Algeria's 2-0 loss meant the teams finished tied on points and all tie-breakers in Group C of CAF qualifying, forcing an improbable one-game playoff at a neutral site. Played on Nov. 18 in Sudan, Algeria prevailed 1-0 to make the World Cup for the first time in 24 years. Before going to the World Cup, Algeria will contest the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in January of next year, having been drawn in Group A with hosts Angola, Mali and Malawi.

Rustenburg will play host to the USA's opening game with England, in a stadium which holds fond memories for Bradley's team. It was at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium where the USA defeated Egypt 3-0 on June 21, 2009, to improbably advance to the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they subsequently defeated Spain to reach the final. The 42,000 seat stadium is the smallest venue in next year's World Cup.

The Confederations Cup final, which the USA lost to Brazil on June 28, was held in Johannesburg's Ellis Park, which will also play host to the USA's June 18 game against Slovenia. The USA also played at the same venue in South Africa's largest city on Nov. 17, 2007 during the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup against South Africa, which the Americans won 1-0. The historic ground was built as a rugby stadium in 1928 and also played host to the Rugby World Cup final in 1995, won by South Africa.

The U.S. concludes group play in a stadium which also held Confederations Cup matches this past summer, facing Algeria in Tshwane/Pretoria. Loftus Versfeld was the site of the USA's games against Italy on June 15 and Brazil on June 18 during Group B play in the Confederations Cup. The stadium, built in 1906, is one of the oldest in South Africa and the oldest of eight venues used for World Cup games.

Should the U.S. advance to the second round, they would face a team from Group D (Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia) in either Rustenburg on June 26 on Mangaung/Bloemfontein on June 27.

U.S. Falls to Denmark 3-1 in Final Match of 2009

AARHUS, DENMARK – Three quick second half goals by Denmark canceled out a first half goal by Jeff Cunningham and provided the Danes with a 3-1 victory against the U.S in their final match of 2009.

Cunningham capitalized on a Danish mistake for the match’s first goal in the 26th minute, but three substitutes made immediate impacts by scoring for Denmark in the first 10 minutes after the break.

Speaking on the first half, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley said “I thought the first half tonight was solid. We stayed organized and got an opportunistic goal.” Remarking on the Danish attack, Bradley continued by saying “Denmark as expected picked up the pressure early in the second half. The six minute stretch really teaches us some lessons in terms of our reactions and our ability when a team really comes after us. That's something we can really look at closely and try to use down the road.”

The match was the second in five days in Europe as the U.S. begins their preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and second straight against a fellow World Cup qualifier. The U.S. was one of only five teams to play two fellow World Cup qualified opponents on the final two international matchdays of 2009.

The United States concludes 2009 as the top team in CONCACAF World Cup qualification, besting rival Mexico by one point at the top of the standings. The U.S. also reached the final of a FIFA international tournament for the first time in their history, defeating No. 1 ranked Spain in the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup before eventually falling 3-2 to Brazil in the championship match in South Africa. The following month, a younger and less experienced U.S. team marched through the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, reaching the final for the sixth time.

The U.S. now awaits the draw on Dec. 4 in South Africa to find out their group opponents for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which you can follow on ESPN2 at 11 a.m. ET or via Drawtracker on ussoccer.com.

“2009 was still an excellent year,” said Bradley. “The main job was to secure qualification for South Africa next June. Today Denmark picked up the pressure early in the second half and the six minute stretch really teaches us some lessons in terms of our reactions and our ability when a team really comes after us. That's something we can really look at closely and try to use down the road.”

Similar to the match against Slovakia, Bradley tapped into the depth of the U.S. player pool without the likes of Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onyewu and Tim Howard. After making his first-ever appearance at center back for the U.S. on Saturday against Slovakia, Jonathan Spector again partnered with Carlos Bocanegra in the middle of defense. With Howard staying in England to nurse a foot injury, Brad Guzan again started in goal, while veteran Frankie Hejduk started at right back, and up top Cunningham earned his first start for the U.S. in four years.

A trio of players were also added to the roster since the game against Slovakia with the Houston Dynamo duo of Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden getting the starting nod, while Tigres defender Edgar Castillo, who earned his first call-up to national team camp, came on as a substitution in the 61st minute.

Despite playing Denmark five previous times, this was the team’s first game in the Scandinavian nation and Denmark capitalized on an energized crowd to get the first good chance of the match. After a foul by Benny Feilhaber on the right side of the pitch, Jakob Poulsen quickly took the free kick and dropped it in behind the U.S. defense for an onrushing Jesper Grønkjær. The forward was in a full sprint with Hejduk on his back and could not put his shot on frame, firing the volley over the crossbar from eight yards out.

The U.S. responded with their own attack, earning a free kick in the sixth minute. Holden’s cross didn’t find a teammate and the clearance was passed out to Daniel Jensen, but Feilhaber stepped in to strip the ball away. Taking one touch towards the box, the midfielder shot hard towards the near post, but Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen dived to his left and pushed the shot aside.

The next 20 minutes saw probing attacks up and down the field by both teams, but the slick pitch made final shots hard to come by.

The U.S. struck first in the 26th minute from the foot of Cunningham, punishing the Danish defense for a mistake in their end. Sørensen had possession and looked to pass it out to his left back, but neglected to see the MLS Golden Boot winner lurking nearby. Pouncing on the casual pass with his first touch, Cunningham took one more towards the top of the box before letting fly with a left-footed shot that beat the goalkeeper to the near post.

Cunningham’s goal was his first international strike, making him the ninth player this year to get his first goal with the national team and equaling a team record set in 1993. He’s also the 21st different player to score in 2009, setting a new record for the Men’s National Team.

Denmark head coach Morten Olsen made three substitutions to start the second half, bringing on Johan Absalonsen, William Kvist Jørgensen and Søren Rieks. The change paid dividends immediately, as Absalonsen pulled Denmark even in the 47th minute. Receiving a high cross into the top of the box behind the U.S. defense, the forward collected and turned towards the endline on the right side. Holding off Spector, the Dane got a clean shot past Guzan and inside the near post.

Five minutes later the home side took the lead, this time through Rieks. Denmark’s attack down the left side found Absalonsen with space. Turning towards goal and entering the box, the striker drew the defenders towards him—leaving Rieks open on the back post. With Absalonsen sliding the pass across the six yard box, Rieks calmly shot past Guzan to take the lead.

Three minutes later the final damage was done, this time on a strike from Bernburg. A pass into the arc at the top of the box was aiming for Lars Jacobsen, but the defender dove after light contact. With Bocanegra and Spector trying to close down Rieks, the striker slipped a pass between them to Bernburg, who had space to turn and fire past Guzan for a third goal in nine minutes.

Bradley responded with three substitutions of his own in the 61st minute, calling on Eddie Johnson, Robbie Rogers and newcomer Castillo to replace Cunningham, Holden and Michael Bradley, respectively.

Castillo and Rogers did well to combine with Jozy Altidore eight minutes later. Castillo’s pass up towards Altidore was touched back to Rogers 22 yards from goal. Firing a hard shot towards the right, Sørensen dove for the save and held onto the ball.

Content with a two goal lead, Denmark played for possession for the remainder of the game, passing around the pitch in a bid to kill off the clock. Two late free kicks and a Rogers corner caused some trouble for Denmark, but a tight backline ushered the game to a victorious end.

Since taking the helm in 2007, Bradley is 6-6-0 against European opponents, and 2-5-0 on European soil. The U.S. record in 2009 record moved to 13-8-3. The teams had split their previous games with identical 1-1-3 records before today’s match.

In other matches, five teams earned final spots in South Africa next summer. Algeria defeated Egypt in a one-game playoff in Sudan 1-0 to book a spot, while Portugal, Slovenia, Greece and France all won their European playoffs. The final spot is up for grabs between Costa Rica and Uruguay as the South Americans will host tonight’s second leg and hold a 1-0 aggregate lead.

U.S. Falls to Fellow FIFA World Cup Finalist Slovakia 1-0 on First-Half Penalty Kick

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – A penalty kick on the only shot of the first half by Slovakia was the deciding factor as the U.S. lost the first ever meeting between the two 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists 1-0 at Tehelne Pole in Bratislava.

The U.S. continues preparations for next summer’s World Cup in South Africa traveling on Sunday to face another fellow 2010 qualifier, Denmark, on Wednesday, Nov. 18 in Aarhus. Prior to the Denmark game, some roster changes are expected pending the results of this weekend’s matches involving some of the team’s North America-based players.

The match against Denmark will kickoff on ESPN Classic live at 2:30 p.m. ET and then will switch over to ESPN2 immediately following the conclusion of the UEFA qualifying playoff match between Ukraine and Greece. Fans can also follow the match live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and at www.twitter.com/ussoccer. The U.S. is just one of five teams that was able to schedule two matches on these FIFA international fixture dates against two 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists.

“I thought we had a good start in the match in the first 25 minutes,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “The penalty and going down 1-0 changed the game. Slovakia is a very well organized team and has a lot of people behind the ball. We were not sharp enough with our ability in the attacking third to make a play and get through the defense.”

With several regulars unavailable for selection due to club commitments and injury, Bradley tested his depth without the likes of Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onyewu and Tim Howard. Other than U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra, the three central defenders with the most caps in 2009 – Onyewu (knee), Jay DeMerit (eye) and Chad Marshall (knee) – were unavailable due to injury, which meant Jonathan Spector got his first start in central defense alongside Bocanegra. With Howard staying in England to nurse a foot injury, Brad Guzan started in goal for the first time since the Egypt match at the Confederations Cup.

The U.S. started strong in the first half, getting five total shots and forcing Slovakia’s Ján Mucha to make four saves, but in the end couldn’t break through for the equalizer. In the second minute, Michael Bradley headed the ball into the net after a second-straight corner taken by Robbie Rogers, but Jozy Altidore was ruled offside during the scramble in the box before the U.S. midfieler finished past the Slovakian goalkeeper.

The U.S. continued to press in the first part of the match with Steve Cherundolo getting two crosses into the area as he overlapped from his position at right back. In the 22nd minute, Clint Dempsey had a good look on goal from the top of the area, but his left-footed strike swerved just wide left.

With the match settling down and the U.S. controlling most of the possession, Slovakia earned a penalty kick in the 25th minute. Starting off a throw-in deep in U.S. territory, Róbert Vittek played a ball into the top right corner of the penalty area for Vladimír Weiss. Jockeying for position to win the through ball, Jonathan Bornstein made contact with Weiss, who went down easily, and Austrian referee Stefan Messner immediately pointed to the spot. Marek Hamsík calmly scored the penalty shooting right as Guzan guessed the wrong way on the only shot he faced in the first 45 minutes.

As has been the case for most of 2009, the U.S. continued to battle back against the deficit. After a pair of good buildups by the U.S., Altidore’s shot from 18 yards and Benny Feilhaber’s shot from 23 yards forced Mucha to make saves.

In the 37th minute, Dempsey pushed Mucha to make his best save of the half on a free kick from long distance on the left wing. The U.S. set up a play that drew one of two players out of the Slovakia wall, opening the space for Dempsey to hit a low line-drive at the far post.

The U.S. started the second half with Eddie Johnson replacing Conor Casey. Making his first appearance since June 15, 2008, he had the first U.S. chance of the half. Dempsey dribbled up the center channel and found Johnson on the right side of the area, but the forward’s touch went a bit long and his shot hit side netting.

Slovakia found consecutive opportunities on counter attacks, forcing Guzan to save a pair of Erik Jendrisek shots. In the 52nd minute, a Feilhaber turnover allowed Slovakia to attack and a good combination eventually got the ball to Jendrisek on the left, but his shot to the far post didn’t fool Guzan. Two minutes later, Jendrisek got behind from a tough angle on the left and Guzan came off his line to cut down the angle and make a stellar save.

Dempsey’s second free kick of the game once again called on Slovakia’s defense to make a play. After Rogers was taken down 27 yards from goal, Róbert Vittek stuck out a leg on the right side of the wall to block the shot into the air before it bounced and spun just wide of the right post as Mucha struggled to slug through the muddy six-yard box to try and cover.

In the 72nd minute, Bocanegra gave way for Clarence Goodson, and right away Slovakia nearly capitalized on the new U.S. pairing in central defense. Ján Durica mishit a low shot that found the feet of striker Stanislav Sesták, who led the Slovaks in scoring in World Cup qualifying with six goals. With time to gather and shoot, Guzan did well for a third time in the match to come off his line and make a big save.

Bradley went to his bench late and Dax McCarthy and Jeff Cunningham became the 52nd and 53rd players, respectively, used by Bradley his year (Johnson was the 51st coming on at halftime). For McCarthy, it was his first cap with the full national team as he became the 15th player from the 2008 Olympic roster to make an appearance. Cunningham, the top scorer in MLS in 2009, made his first appearance since Sept. 7, 2005.

Sacha Kljestan came on in the 82nd minute to make his first appearance since the Confederations Cup and his first touch was a free kick that forced Mucha to punch out of his six-yard box.

Down the stretch, the U.S. continued to press and hold possession but could not break down Slovakia’s defense, which gave up just 10 goals in Group 3 UEFA qualifying matches.

U.S. Takes First in Hexagonal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With a berth to the 2010 FIFA World Cup already secured, the U.S. Men’s National Team took care of one last piece of business during its 10th and final game of CONCACAF Qualifying, mounting a furious comeback that finished with just 10 players on the field while earning a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica on a rainy night at RFK Stadium.

The draw, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 26,243 fans, coupled with Mexico’s 2-2 tie against Trinidad & Tobago, gave the USA first place in the group. The USA finished the Hexagonal with a total of 20 points, ahead of Mexico (19) and Honduras (16), who finished above Costa Rica (16) on goal differential. Costa Rica was just 30 seconds away from finishing in third place in the group and earning an automatic berth into the World Cup when Jonathan Bornstein scored off a header from a corner kick by Robbie Rogers in the 95th minute to tie the match.

The USA had fallen behind 2-0 midway through the first half, but launched a fierce comeback that included a 72nd minute goal from Michael Bradley, who finished a rebound of a Landon Donovan shot, and then came Bornstein’s dramatic header with the final seconds ticking away.

The USA was reduced to 10 men for the last seven minutes of the game, plus five minutes of stoppage time, after defender Oguchi Onyewu went down in the Costa Rican penalty box with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, suffered while he was backpedaling after a corner kick. He had to be stretchered off and, as the USA already had used all three of its allowed substitutes, the Americans played a man down the rest of the way.

As the fourth place finisher in CONCACAF, Costa Rica will have to face South American fifth place finisher Uruguay in a home-and-home series to vie for a spot in South Africa.

Bradley called upon veteran Steve Cherundolo at right back, inserted Benny Feilhaber into the center midfield, and gave Jozy Altidore a run at forward alongside Conor Casey, one of the heroes of the USA’s victory in Honduras after scoring twice, his first two career international goals.

Costa Rica came into the match with everything to play for as only a victory would guarantee the Ticos CONCACAF’s third and final berth. In the early going, Costa Rica’s desperation turned into goals as the teams traded chances but the Central Americans put theirs away.

The first U.S. chance came in the ninth minute as the Americans counter-attacked off a Costa Rican corner kick. U.S. forward Jozy Altidore controlled the ball on the right wing and powered his way through two defenders before spotting Casey wide open in the middle of the field. Altidore played a long square pass to the streaking Casey, but with a wide open look at goal, he spun his 14-yard shot wide right.

Two minutes later, a Costa Rican cross from the left flank was met on the full volley by Tico captain Walter Centeno at the right edge of the six yard box, but U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard was in great position to make the save at the right post and used impressive reactions to push the driven ball over the crossbar.

In the 18th minute, flank midfielder Stuart Holden popped free on the right wing after a nifty back heel from Casey and chipped a cross into the middle to Altidore, but his diving header attempt from the penalty spot went skidding wide left.

Soon after, Costa Rica scored twice in a four-minute span to rock the Americans. In the 21st minute forward Bryan Ruiz ran onto a pass into the left side of the penalty area, pushed past Onyewu then cut into the six-yard box. Ruiz was almost at point blank range when he squeezed his shot through Howard’s legs to make it 1-0.

Just three minutes later, Costa Rica made it 2-0 on an unstoppable blast from Ruiz, who popped open just outside the penalty area on the right side after a nice give-and-go. The Costa Rican forward sizzled a world class 19-yard shot on a line with his left foot into the upper left corner, giving Howard no chance.

After the Costa Rican flurry, the USA became the aggressor and, truth be told, the Americans were unfortunate to not score once or even twice before the halftime whistle.

In the 28th minute Donovan took a free kick from the left side just on the edge of the penalty area, but his spinning service well punched away by Costa Rican goalkeeper Keilor Navas, who did well all evening to get his fists on the frequent U.S. services into the box.

In the 32nd minute, Donovan had a direct free-kick chance from just about the same distance as his goal against Honduras last Saturday, albeit on the other side of the penalty arc, but he spun his shot over the top.

In the 37th minute Donovan almost finished off a great solo run, lifting the ball over Costa Rican defender Luis Marin after collecting a flick header from Altidore. Donovan raced into the left side of the penalty box, but fired his left footer from a sharp angle over the bar from 10 yards out.

In the 42nd minute, Altidore was taken down on left side just above the penalty area. Donovan touched the ball to the right to Bradley, but his low, driven blast was deflected away for a corner kick.

The USA had two fantastic chances to score in the final two minutes of the first half. The first came when Altidore won the ball on the right wing with a powerful tackle. He played the ball into the middle for Casey, but he let it run to Donovan, who he tried to slot the ball into the lower right corner from just inside the penalty spot. Navas stabbed his left hand to the ground and made a fine save to smother the shot.

Less than minute later, Donovan burst down left flank and cut a pass back to Altidore in the middle as his defender slipped to the ground. Altidore took a touch to settle, but his powerful shot from 13 yards was batted away by the charging Navas, who closed the distance in an instant.

In the second half, it became clear that Costa Rica was content to defend its two-goal lead while the Americans attacked with fervor looking to pull one back.

Costa Rica’s only dangerous looking chance after their goals came in the 60th minute as Ruiz fired low from distance, but Howard was easily able to make the save. Otherwise, it was a pretty much one-way traffic for the last half hour as the Americans attacked in waves in search of the group title.

Bradley made all three of his substitutions in the final 27 minutes, sending on Jose Francisco Torres for Feilhaber in the 63rd minute, Rogers for Holden in the 69th and Kenny Cooper for Casey in the 79th minute.

The USA finally broke though in the 72nd minute as Rogers crossed from the right wing. The ball was headed up in the air by Bradley and it fell to Donovan in the left side of the penalty area. He wound up on a defender, cut the ball into the middle and then shot quickly from 14 yards out. The low shot was parried by Navas, but Bradley slid to power the rebound into the roof of the net with his right foot from three yards away. It was Bradley’s seventh career international goal and fifth in World Cup qualifying.

Rogers almost tied the game himself a minute later as he ran onto a through ball in the right side of the penalty box, but couldn’t get enough on the shot to bend it around a closing defender and the goalkeeper, sending it wide right.

The USA continued to push hard for equalizer, especially down the right flank through the tireless work of Cherundolo and the fresh legs of Rogers, who also sliced a header wide left of the net after a cross from the right back.

In the 80th minute, a forced turnover in midfield led to a U.S. break and Altidore roared past a defender into left side of the box, but his shot under pressure flew over the goal.

The frantic ending to the match featured the ejection of Costa Rica head coach Rene Simoes and a member of his staff, who both engaged the fourth official in a heated exchange as the game moved into stoppage time. Both had to be escorted from the field by security.

The USA also had two corner kicks in stoppage time, scoring off the second one, despite Costa Rica implementing its best time-wasting tactics.

On almost the USA’s last kick of the game, with more than four and half minutes of the announced five minutes of stoppage time gone, Rogers took a corner kick from the right side and Bornstein sliced through the pack of players to power a six-yard header off the base of the right post and into the net to tie the match. The goal was Bornstein’s second career international tally, and first in World Cup qualifying.

Seconds later, referee Benito Archundia blew the whistle and the shocked and dismayed Costa Ricans left the field in tears, while the Americans, champions of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for the second straight cycle, celebrated wildly with each other and their fans. After the match, the U.S. players paraded around the field with American flags and many displayed messages of support for teammate Charlie Davies, who was seriously injured in a car accident early Tuesday morning. In the ninth minute of the match, thousands of U.S. fans positioned at midfield held up “9” signs in honor of Davies, who wears that jersey number.

U.S. Qualifies for Sixth-Consecutive FIFA World Cup

SAN PEDRO SULA - The U.S. Men’s National Team qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 win against Honduras with five goals scored and a penalty missed by Honduras in a heart-stopping second half.

A standing room only crowd of Honduran supporters rocked Estadio Olímpico in San Pedro Sula, uniting behind their national team despite the domestic political strife dominating international headlines. After a scoreless first half that saw both teams shooting off-target, the second half turned into an instant classic with the U.S. getting the deciding goal in the 71st minute from a free kick by midfielder Landon Donovan.

Forward Conor Casey provided the heroics for the U.S., scoring the first two goals of his international career in the 55th and 66th minutes, and setting up the Donovan freekick. It was Casey’s third appearance in the 2010 qualifying cycle, and the 15th of his career.

The Honduras faithful thought their side would draw even in the 87th minute when the referee awarded a penalty kick in their favor. Carlos Pavon, the all-time leading scorer for Honduras with 55 career goals, shockingly blasted his penalty over the crossbar. Despite the misfortune, the Honduran crowd showed their class by offering the U.S. team a warm ovation following the match.

The U.S. team returns from Honduras to face Costa Rica at RFK Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. with first place in CONCACAF qualifying on the line. More than 20,000 tickets have been sold for the match that will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Tickets are available at ussoccer.com. To finish first in the group, the U.S. needs to maintain its one-point lead in the standings ahead of Mexico, who travels to Trinidad & Tobago.

“This was the most important game in qualifying because it was the one that qualified us for South Africa 2010,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “The celebration was a very good one because when you have a group that has come together, that has worked hard, that has grown, when they’ve accomplished something it’s a special feeling. Tonight we can all share that feeling."

After Honduras got things started with a handful of shots in the first few minutes of the game, the U.S. had the first dangerous opportunity in the 18th minute on a second consecutive corner kick by Donovan. His in-swinger from the left side bounced once in the middle of the penalty area and skipped to an unmarked Carlos Bocanegra. The bounce was too high for Bocanegra to get on top of and he headed the chance over the crossbar.

Eleven minutes later, Carlo Costly perfectly timed his run to beat the U.S. to a clearance over the heads of the U.S. back line. As he dribbled toward goal, he scuffed his shot just inches wide of Tim Howard’s right post.

Back the other way, the U.S. had their best chance to score of the half. Casey held the ball just across midfield on the right side and sent Stuart Holden, who was making his first World Cup qualifying start, free down the line. With plenty of time, Holden sent a pinpoint cross to Davies, whose header from eight yards was saved by Noel Valladares reaching back across his body. The rebound came right back to Davies, but he hit his follow-up effort above the crossbar.

After a scoreless first half, the complexion of the game changed completely just 20 seconds into the second half. U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu fell and made a clumsy foul that set up a Honduras freekick just a yard outside of the U.S. penalty area. Julio Cesar de Leon took a one-step approach on his right-footed shot that curled over the U.S. wall and under the cross bar, just out of the reach of Howard in the 47th minute.

The U.S. answered eight minutes later with Onyewu getting involved in the goal. The U.S. center back served a 50-yard ball to the top of the penalty area, where Davies won the header and popped the ball high in the air. As it came down at the top of the six yard box, Casey spun in the air as he challenged Valladares for the ball, and he made first contact with the back of his head before the goalkeeper could get a hand on it. The ball bounced once before going into the empty goal.

In the 64th minute, forward David Suazo came on for Honduras and moments later he made a great diagonal run right from left to right. He received the ball in stride before unleashing a shot from the right side of the area to the far post that forced Howard to make his best save of the night with a two-handed parry to keep the ball from curling inside the far post.

In the 66th minute, the U.S. took the lead that it would not relinquish. Onyewu stepped in at the top of the U.S. penalty area to win a through ball, and carried the ball forward before he found Davies available on the left wing at midfield. Davies took the ball across midfield before playing it square to Donovan. Donovan dribbled toward the middle and threaded the defense for Casey who got behind the last defender in the area. Casey faked a shot to get Valladares to go down, and then calmly slotted the ball inside the right post.

A minute later, Jonathan Bornstein nearly doubled the U.S. advantage with a 25-yard blast that Valladares pushed back into play. Holden followed up but his shot from the right was blocked by a defender.

The U.S. continued to put the pressure on, and Casey earned a free kick after de Leon was whistled for a foul 22-yards from goal. Just three yards further from goal than de Leon scored from earlier in the half, Donovan perfectly placed the ball over Ricardo Clark standing at the end of the wall. Valladares was screened, and couldn’t react in time as the shot sailed over his back shoulder in the 71st minute.

Four minutes later, Wilson Palacios played a soft pass to Suazo who was in behind the U.S. defense on the right side. He played a cross in to Pavon who put the ball into the net from point-blank range. The goal was waived off, however, as Pavon was correctly ruled offside, in front of Suazo and the ball when the pass was played into the center.

In the 78th minute, play seemed to stand still as de Leon played Ramon Nuñez into the U.S. box with two other Honduran players in an offside position. Nuñez dribbled forward to the endline to bring his teammates back into play, and dropped the ball back for Suazo. He found de Leon a few yards away on the right side of the penalty area. De Leon took a touch toward the penalty spot before drilling a shot past a drawn-out Howard to cut the U.S. lead to 3-2.

In the 87th minute, a Nuñez free kick bounced in the area before coming up and hitting Holden’s left arm. Referee Roberto Moreno immediately pointed to the spot, and Pavon – who converted a penalty against the U.S. on Sept. 1, 2001, in Washington, D.C., in the last U.S. loss on home soil – missed the chance to equalize.

U.S. Moves into 1st Place with 1-0 Victory over T & T

PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD - Ricardo Clark’s first career FIFA World Cup qualifying goal in the 62nd minute against Trinidad & Tobago put the U.S. three points closer to qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 victory in Port of Spain.

After eight games, the U.S. sits in first place of the six-team group with 16 points on the strength of a 5-2-1 record. The U.S. has clinched a top four position, which guarantees at least a playoff with the fifth-place team from South America for a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

In other CONCACAF action on Wednesday night the home teams posted 1-0 victories, with Mexico besting Honduras and El Salvador remaining undefeated at home against Costa Rica. With four consecutive victories, Mexico is now in second place with 15 points. Honduras falls to third with 13 points and Costa Rica has 12 points and is in fourth. El Salvador, with eight points, is still hanging on with a chance of finishing as high as third-place, and Trinidad & Tobago has been eliminated.

There are scenarios in which the U.S. could advance without earning any points over the final two games, however the U.S. controls its own destiny and can clinch a top three position and an automatic berth by earning at least two points from their last two matches. To clinch the position on MatchDay 9 against Honduras, the U.S. would have to equal or exceed the number of points that Costa Rica earns hosting Trinidad & Tobago.

The first chance to clinch a berth will come on Oct 10 when the U.S. travels to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, before returning home to close out the final round on Oct. 14 against Costa Rica in Washington, D.C. Tickets for the match at RFK Stadium go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Sept. 10, 12 p.m. ET.

The win against Trinidad & Tobago was just the third for a road team in the CONCACAF final round of qualifying as the U.S. joins Costa Rica (at Trinidad & Tobago) and Mexico (at Costa Rica) as victors away from home. All told, the home team has posted an 18-3-3 record this year.

The U.S. has scored 14 goals in the final round through eight games, and Landon Donovan has scored two while assisting on another eight including Clark’s game-winner. Donovan also tied Cobi Jones with the U.S. record for the most assists in a year (9).

Also, for the first time since the last two matches of 2005, the U.S. has gone consecutive games avoiding the referee’s book, meaning that the six players who played carrying a yellow card – Jozy Altidore, Carlos Bocanegra, Clark, Clint Dempsey, Donovan and Benny Feilhaber – will be available on Oct. 10 in Honduras.

"For us it was a very important three points,“ said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “We felt that it was well earned because tonight was a difficult game. A lot of credit goes to Trinidad & Tobago. I felt they put a great effort out tonight and made it very hard. We spoke at halftime and we understood the game we were in. We felt we could raise the level in the second half and we're pleased with the win.” [More Quotes]

The U.S. starting lineup had just two changes from Saturday’s 2-1 victory against El Salvador, with Clark replacing Feilhaber in central midfield and Oguchi Onyewu returning from suspension to replace Chad Marshall and start in the middle of the defense with Bocanegra.

The first chance of a sloppy first half came for the U.S., as Dempsey blasted a free kick wide in the fifth minute, and 15 minutes later Charlie Davies hit a low shot on goal from 20 yards out that was easily stopped by Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Clayton Ince.

Trinidad & Tobago adjusted personnel slightly, moving Carlos Edwards to the right wing and it nearly paid immediate dividends. In the 27th minute, Edwards dropped a short pass to Cornell Glen on the right side, and he played a cross to the far post where Kenwyne Jones faded away from Onyewu to head the ball down to the feet of Tim Howard.

Two minutes later, Glen injected himself again as a throw-in on the left wing bounced over Bocanegra, and Glen turned on his marker and chipped Howard, only to have his effort hit the crossbar. Off Trinidad & Tobago’s heart-stopping chance, the U.S. countered with Jonathan Bornstein playing the ball up the left for Donovan. Altidore received the ball from Donovan, and after holding off a defender cracked a 22-yard shot that Ince parried out to his right.

A pair of Trent Noel free kicks from just outside the area were the final two Soca Warrior shots of the half, and each was dangerous after questionable fouls called on Onyewu. In the 37th minute, Howard was called to dive to his right post to push away a shot that almost found the bottom corner, and five minutes later Noel’s effort called on Howard to dive the same way but the ball sailed wide of the post.

In stoppage time of the first half, Donovan and Altidore combined with a slow-developing one-two combination, with Altidore patiently awaiting Donovan to cut into the left side of the area. He played a perfect ball into the space and Donovan’s left-footed shot cut back into Ince’s right leg as the kick save went out of bounds.

The U.S. created its first chance of the second half in the 52nd minute, pushing for a counter-attack after a Trinidad & Tobago corner kick. Edwards’ service was headed down dangerously in the area, but Bornstein cleared and the U.S. found Altidore wide open up on the left wing. After pushing forward, he tried to find Davies, but the ball bounced off Davies for a goal kick.

Just as Bradley was prepared to go to his bench, the U.S. finally broke through with the goal. Bornstein challenged for a 50-50 throw-in and the ball landed at the feet of Bradley, who took a good first touch and played the ball into space for Dempsey in the middle. Dempsey found Donovan on the left just outside the 18-yard box and as Dempsey and others ran through, he found Clark trailing the play. Clark blasted a 26-yard shot that tailed away from Ince and into the net. Clark became the 15th U.S. player to score a goal this cycle, and the eighth to notch a game-winning goal. He was also the 18th different player to score in 2009, matching the record number of different goal scorers set by the U.S. team in 1993 and 2000.

The U.S. twice had clear chances to increase the margin of victory to two goals for the first time in Trinidad & Tobago, with a Dempsey shot saved by a diving Ince in the 78th minute and in the 89th minute, Donovan redirected a bouncing cross from substitute Stuart Holden just inches over Ince and the crossbar. Holden, who has appeared off the bench in the last three U.S. qualifiers, came on in place of Dempsey in the 82nd minute.

Howard was on task three times down the stretch, first punching away a long-range line-drive off the foot of Edwards in the 64th minute and later scooping up another soft header from Jones. Then, in second-half stoppage time, an Edwards cross deflected off Bornstein’s foot and Howard dove to keep the ball off his left post. Howard earned his sixth shutout in 11 qualifying appearances and his goals against average dropped to 0.73. He also earned career win number 28 to pass Brad Friedel for third place on the all-time list.

U.S. Men Gets Three Points Closer to World Cup

SANDY, UT - The U.S. Men’s National Team got goals from Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore in the closing minutes of the first half to come from behind and defeat El Salvador 2-1 this evening at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. With the victory, the U.S. moved into second place in the six-team final round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying with just three matches remaining.

The U.S. fell behind in the 32nd minute when Christian Castillo headed home after a poor U.S. clearance, but after a handful of near-misses a Landon Donovan free kick found Dempsey for the equalizer in the 41st minute. Five minutes later, with seconds left before the halftime whistle, Altidore put the U.S. in the lead for good when he nodded home another service from Donovan, this time in the run of play. Donovan earned ussoccer.com Man of the Match honors on a night when he set the record for most World Cup qualifying appearances for a U.S. player, playing in his 32nd qualifier.

"I think what stood out after the goal was strong response from everybody on the field,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “That says a lot about what these guys are all about. They understand how difficult these games are and how competitive they are. The second half we certainly had some opportunities to get the third goal, which is always important. When you don't, you sometimes need a big save and Timmy Howard made a big save at the end."

The U.S. is tied with Honduras on 13 points, but Honduras holds the top spot with a better goal differential which they increased this evening with a 4-1 victory against Trinidad & Tobago. Mexico jumped to third place after a surprising 3-0 victory against Costa Rica at Estadio Saprissa. Costa Rica slipped to fourth place with the defeat.

The final round of qualifying resumes on Sept. 9, when the U.S. visits Trinidad & Tobago at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. ESPN Classic and Galavision will televise the game live at 7 p.m. ET with a pre-game show starting coverage at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN Classic. Fans can follow online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and via twitter at www.twitter.com/ussoccer.

The win continued the United States’ dominance in home World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador, as they now hold a 12-0-2 record dating back to 1977.

With referee Jose Pineda stopping play several times for fouls, neither team was able to establish much of a rhythm early on in the match.

In the 28th minute, Dempsey and Charlie Davies almost hooked up for the first U.S. goal of the day. Collecting a poor clearance by El Salvador, Benny Feilhaber took the ball from the right side of the pitch, chipping it over his marker and down on his left foot. Moving to the left, he passed it off to Davies, who was patiently waiting along the left sideline. The forward paused, pushed the ball past his defender and turned on the jets to beat his marker to the endline. Davies looked up and sent the ball to a waiting Dempsey right at the penalty spot, but the Fulham striker’s left-footed shot went wide to the left.

Five minutes later, that missed opportunity stood glaring as El Salvador got on the scoreboard first. Jonathan Bornstein’s mishit clearance fell inside the U.S. box to the feet of Zelaya. With time to collect the ball inside the top corner, the forward sent a floating ball towards Christian Castillo at the penalty spot. Castillo out-jumped defender Jonathan Spector and headed the ball past the outstretched fingers of the wrong-footed Howard.

In the 39th minute the U.S. threatened again, this time drawing even closer to that elusive tying goal. The U.S. worked a quick free kick to Spector on the right side. Spector sent in the cross and found Dempsey diving for the header, but the midfielder’s attempt hit the ground and agonizingly bounced over the frame.

Seconds later Davies again was sent in with a through ball, this time from Altidore. Davies beat the ‘keeper to the ball and got off a shot from a tough angle, but defender Mardoqueo Gonzalez was able to get back and clear the shot off the line to keep El Salvador in the lead.

Despite the near misses, the U.S. seemed to grow stronger, and after knocking on the door for the last 10 minutes they finally broke through with the tying goal from Dempsey. Castillo was called for a handball on the right side of the field midway in the El Salvador half, providing the U.S. with a free kick. Donovan whipped the ball into the box where Dempsey beat El Salvador’s offside trap and was all alone in front of the goal to hit a diving header perfectly into the bottom left hand corner from just outside the six yard box. Dempsey now has five goals in the 2010 qualifying campaign.

Refusing to let up, the Americans continued attacking in an attempt to take control of the game going into halftime. After earning two corners that were cleared out by the Salvadoran defense, Donovan again sent in a cross from the left side. The deflection fell to Michael Bradley on the left side, and the midfielder used his body to shield the ball as he dribbled up and down the left side of the goal box, looking for an option. He eventually pulled a second defender towards him, leaving Donovan wide open to receive his simple pass and then send in yet another cross. This one was perfectly placed right on the penalty spot, where Altidore leapt up and powered a header into the left side netting for a picture-perfect goal in the second minute of stoppage time. Altidore’s sixth goal in the 2010 qualifying cycle – and his second game-winner – moved him into the top spot in the USA’s qualifying scoring list through 15 matches in the campaign.

Looking at a one goal deficit at the start of the second half, El Salvador head coach Carlos de los Cobos was forced to make his first substitution of the game early, bringing on Osael Romero for Arturo Alvarez in the 50th minute after Alvarez appeared to aggravate a sore hamstring.

The U.S. appeared to gain the insurance goal in the 58th minute off the foot of Jozy Altidore, but the breakaway goal was called off. Starting the attack in their own end, Donovan sent a long pass along the ground to Dempsey at the halfway line. Pushing it around his defender, it appeared to go too far ahead before Dempsey raced to lunge and push the ball through for Altidore from just inside the half before sliding into a defender. The pass fell perfectly to Altidore, who walked in alone and slotted a shot right through the Montes’ legs, and while the offside flag stayed down, Pineda whistled Dempsey for a foul and the goal was nullified.

Four minutes later, the U.S. displayed their counter-attacking prowess yet again. After stripping Zelaya at the top of the box, Bocanegra got the ball to Donovan who played a quick give and go with Bradley. Taking the return pass 30 yards upfield, Donovan then played a give and go with Dempsey, but Dempsey’s return pass was a step in front of his partner. Coming back to take the touch was Altidore, but he was whistled offside.

In the 72nd minute, Charlie Davies went down with a contusion to his left calf, causing Bradley to make his first substitution of the day. Bringing on midfielder Stuart Holden, Dempsey moved up top to partner with Altidore.

The final two U.S. substitutions came in the final ten minutes of the match, with Bradley calling upon Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman in the 80th minute for Feilhaber and Jose Francisco Torres in the 85th for Altidore.

Desperate to steal a point, El Salvador started throwing numbers forward for the final minutes of the match. They almost succeeded in the 87th minute, after Zelaya sent in a cross from the left side of the pitch. The ball fell to the chest of Castillo, who brought the ball down and tapped it to an open William Reyes. The second-half substitute took the pass with his back to the goal from the center of the box, and while turning put the point-blank shot on frame, where Howard made the big save needed to preserve the win, diving down to his right to palm the shot.

As the game drew to a close in the 89th minute, Holden almost created the final goal, using fresh legs to steal the ball away from Denis Umanzor. After stripping the left back, Holden took the ball to the end line and sent in a cross that was too high for Donovan, leaving the ball for a streaking Torres who slammed a header towards the goal, but Montes made his best save of the day to keep El Salvador only down a goal.

Mexico Comes Back to Post 2-1 Win in FIFA World Cup Qualifier

MEXICO CITY - The U.S. Men’s National Team took its first-ever lead at Estadio Azteca in the ninth minute, but Mexico quickly tied the game before striking for the game-winner in the 82nd minute in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 100,000.

U.S. forward Charlie Davies scored nine minutes into his first FIFA World Cup qualifying start, but Mexico came from behind with a rocket of a goal by Israel Castro in the 19th minute and an 82nd-minute strike from substitute Miguel Sabah.

“It was a tight game and a fair score,” U.S. head coach Bob Bradley said. “It's a tough loss to have so many guys work so hard and then give up a late goal. The feeling inside is one of great disappointment, because the idea that you could still walk away today with a point after everyone gave everything they had is important for any team.

“Overall, our defending was very good. On the other side, I think we could still connect some more passes and hold the ball a little bit better. I think that probably was the area that let us down the most."

With two of the MatchDay 6 games yet to conclude tonight, the U.S. is still in second place with 10 points from six games, while Mexico has passed Honduras for third place with nine points. Honduras hosts Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago hosts El Salvador in the other matches.

Mexico’s win means that the teams have now split their final round qualifying games in each of the last three World Cup cycles. Dating to 2001, the U.S. has won the home leg 2-0 while losing by one goal on the road for the third consecutive game. The U.S. is still seeking its first road win against Mexico, falling to 0-23-1 including 0-9-1 at Estadio Azteca.

Mexico got the action started in the second minute when Andrés Guardado let a 23-yard shot fly at Tim Howard in the first of seven shots on goal on the day for Mexico.

The only U.S. shot on goal on the day was the Davies tally in the ninth minute, and with the strike he joined Willie Roy, Rick Davis and Eddie Lewis as the only U.S. players to score against Me xico at Estadio Azteca.

The scoring play started with a clearance by Howard that a Mexican defender headed back to Clint Dempsey. Dempsey touched the ball back behind the midfield stripe to Michael Bradley, who took a touch before playing the ball to Donovan. Donovan came back to receive the ball at the front edge of the center circle, and quickly turned inside Guardado and dribbled forward. He looked up and found Davies behind the left side of the Mexico defense. Davies sped in on Guillermo Ochoa’s goal and coolly curved a right footed shot around the Mexico goalkeeper from 16 yards.

The first ever lead against Mexico for the U.S. at Estadio Azteca lasted just 10 minutes, as Castro hit a bomb off the underside of the crossbar in the 19th minute.

Castro tackled the ball away from Donovan in the U.S. defensive half and popped up quickly to play the ball to Guardado. He played the ball to Cuauhtemoc Blanco on the left wing, and Blanco brought the play inside where he drew the attention of both Bradley and Ricardo Clark. Blanco then found Castro wide open 28 yards from goal in the middle of the field. After one touch, he blasted a shot off the underside of the crossbar that bounced across the goal line.

Five minutes later, Mexico nearly went ahead as Giovanni dos Santos played a one-two with Guillermo Franco and shot just wide of the post, but Franco was correctly flagged offside.

For the remainder of the first half, Mexico put on most of the pressure and referee Roberto Moreno from Panama showed the U.S. three yellow cards. Oguchi Onyewu will miss the next U.S. qualifier after a handball in the 27th minute, and two minutes later Jay DeMerit was booked for a late challenge on dos Santos outside the U.S. penalty area that led to a Blanco shot on goal that was saved by Howard. In first half stoppage time, Carlos Bocanegra went into the book for a tackle on dos Santos at midfield.

In the second half after Mexico coach Javier Aguirre replaced Blanco with Carlos Vela in the 56th minute, the U.S. countered by brining in Benny Feilhaber for Brian Ching and Stuart Holden for Ricardo Clark. For holding, it was his first career appearance in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Each team’s defense continued to stand strong, as they had for much of the first half. Mexico had pair of chances from dos Santos in the 59th minute. On the first, Guardado crossed to a wide-open dos Santos outside of the far post, and his hard shot was saved by Howard at the near post. On the ensuing corner, the 20 year old again tried to find the near post but his rolling shot was picked up by Howard.

Later, Davies injected himself into the best two chances for the U.S. in the second half. The first came when he was called offside as a pass from Bradley came just as Davies passed the last Mexico defender, and the second coming as he narrowly missed a diving chance as Holden sent in a driven cross from the right wing.

After a Mexico free kick in the 75th minute, Davies went down injuried with leg cramps and while on the ground was confronted by Mexico captain Gerardo Torrado. Feilhaber came to Davies’ defense, shoving Torrado away, and both were shown yellow cards as Davies was carted off the field and replaced by Jozy Altidore.

The Mexico game-winner came in the 82nd minute with Mexico switching fields to find Efrain Juarez on the right wing. Donovan gave chase and Juárez passed Bocanegra on the way to the endline, where his pass into the middle deflected off DeMerit attempting a slide tackle and found Sabah. The Mexico substitute, who had come on just three minutes earlier, crushed a shot into the goal over Howard from close range.

Mexico held on down the stretch, with Donovan’s only corner of the second half punched away by Ochoa in the 88th minute.

The final round of qualifying resumes on Sept. 5, when the U.S. hosts El Salvador at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, followed four days later by a trip to play at Trinidad & Tobago. Tickets for the El Salvador match, which kicks off at 6 p.m. MT, are on sale now at ussoccer.com. ESPN Classic and Galavision will televise the game live, and fans can follow online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.