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COSTA RICA |
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US Soccer Team
Hosts Costa Rica in Final World Cup
Qualifying Match
By Parke Brewer
The U.S. Men's Soccer Team finishes up its
2010 World Cup qualifying schedule with a
home match against Costa Rica at RFK Stadium
in Washington. It's a crucial game for the
visitors.
The U.S. Soccer Team is very happy that its
chances of qualifying for next year's World
Cup in South Africa are not coming down to
the final match here in Washington, like
they are for Costa Rica.
When the Americans won at Honduras last
Saturday, 3-2, they clinched a berth in the
World Cup finals for the sixth consecutive
time from the North and Central America and
Caribbean region, or CONCACAF. If they had
lost, they would have needed at least a tie
in their final match Wednesday night against
Costa Rica to advance.
U.S. coach Bob Bradley told reporters prior
to the match in Washington that they
accomplished their goal on the road against
a Honduran team that had everything to play
for. "We knew it was a great challenge. We
were playing against a team that had a
chance on that night at home to qualify for
its first World Cup in what would be 28
years, and we viewed it as a big challenge,
and we were excited at the end," he said.
Coach Bradley says their goal is still to
defeat Costa Rica so they can finish at the
top of the group standings, as that could
even affect the team's seeding at the World
Cup draw in December. "We take a great deal
of pride in the ongoing competition to be
the best team in CONCACAF. And in particular
I think when you look at the final round
there are some things that show what our
team is all about," he said.
Coach Bradley mentioned that of the 19
points the U.S. Soccer Team has earned in
nine matches, 10 came from games in which
they trailed.
Mexico has 18 points and has also qualified
for the World Cup. Costa Rica has 15 and
Honduras has 13. Either Costa Rica or
Honduras which plays at El Salvador in its
final match, will earn CONCACAF's third
automatic berth. The fourth place team can
qualify for the World Cup if it beats the
fifth place team from South America - yet to
be determined - in a two-match playoff.
The U.S. Soccer Team received some bad news
the day before it faces Costa Rica. Forward
Charlie Davies, who has often been in the
starting line-up this year, was involved in
a single car accident early Tuesday morning
in suburban Washington and had to undergo
surgery. His injuries were described as not
life-threatening, but a U.S. Soccer
Federation spokesman said they could
"possibly" be career-threatening.
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