The US, which clinched with the win in Honduras last weekend, picked up a huge 2-2 tie against Costa Rica to close out qualifying on Wednesday night. The game tying goal---coming in the 90+5' (also known as the 5th minute of second-half stoppage time)---by Jonathon Bornstein sent the 26,000+ into a frenzy...but also completely changed the final standings in the hexagonal...
With that one header, the US vaulted back over Mexico to finish #1, while Costa Rica, in dropping the 2 added points of a win, fell behind Honduras---meaning Honduras will play in South Africa, while Costa Rica is left in a playoff (more on that later)...
The US was by far the better of the teams in this one, with Jozy Altidore especially playing an inspired game--spurred on by the tragic accident late Monday night that killed a 22-year-old woman and left starting striker Charlie Davies laying in an intensive care unit with serious injuries. Davies certainly wasn't forgotten, with the fans offering a tribute all around the lower bowl at RFK, holding up printed #9s (Davies' jersey number) in the 9th minute of the game...
The tribute nearly translated to the field, as Altidore sent Connor Casey in alone on the Costa Rican net, though Casey narrowly missed...right as the clock struck 9:00 in...
Misses turned into the theme for the US, as Altidore, Casey and Landon Donovan all missed first half sitters. Costa Rica capitalized with two goals in a 3-minute span to take the lead into the half. After Michael Bradley notched one back in the 72nd, off of a rebound from a Landon Donovan shot, the Yanks' task was made even tougher with the loss of Gooch Onyewu to a torn patellar tendon...which all set the stage for the stunning equalizer...
(video from YouTube, shot from section 201---directly next to SoccerJunkie's section)
At the end of the night, the US walked out 2-2 in a game that could've easily been a 6-2 win, though this was enough to win the CONCACAF region and begin to turn the focus to South Africa.
As the US celebrated, captain Carlos Bocanegra took the mic...
Of most worry now for the US is the state of the roster. Heading into this final round of qualifying, it looked as though at least 18 (or more) of the roster spots were set, with a few remaining fringe players battling to be in the final 23. The starting 11?...all but a lock. However, the news coming out of the US Soccer press offices over the past week has left the roster in tatters, with spots (such as centerback) that were once thought to be deep and solid, now left thin and inexperienced. Over the past week, the US has lost:
Charlie Davies---injured in a serious car wreck late last Monday night...underwent more than 5 hours of surgery to repair a lacerated spleen and place rods to set his broken femur and tibia...though released from intensive care, Davies still faces more surgery to fix a broken left elbow, and likely faces surgery for facial fractures...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: non-existent...lucky to be alive, Davies career isn't out of the woods yet...doctors expect at least a 6-12 month recovery, though nobody knows how his body will heal, and how these injuries will affect his fast, powerful game.
Gooch Onyewu---left with less than 10 mins. of regulation remaining in Wednesday night's game with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee...looked hobbled earlier, with his left leg appearing to bother him right before the first Costa Rican goal...set to undergo surgery in LA this Wednesday...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: Good...but at what strength?...US Soccer isn't announcing a recovery timetable until after surgery, though this injury typically requires 3-4 months of rehab...Gooch will need a fast recovery and some meaningful minutes with AC Milan if he's to be 100% match fit for South Africa.
Jay DeMerit---would be the natural choice to replace Onyewu at centerback (after the Confederations Cup, it looked as though Onyewu and DeMerit would start in the center with Bocanegra out wide left, which is still a possibility)...prior to his club match for English side Watford on Sept. 15th, some dirt or grit got stuck under the contact lens in DeMerit's left eye...his eye became infected, and DeMerit had surgery to replace his cornea this past Saturday...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: Good...expected to miss 2 months as his sight returns to normal, DeMerit should be ready to rejoin Watford after the New Year, and should be 100% for a send-off series for the US in May and June.
Clint Dempsey---suffered a shoulder injury with English club team Fulham that appears to be more serious as he misses each day...initially expected to be available for the Costa Rica game, but had to be replaced on the roster...WORLD CUP PROGNOSIS: Good...Dempsey's had multiple scans, all of which confirm that the injury isn't exceedingly serious...still considered to be day-to-day and won't need surgery...the sooner he returns to the field, the sooner the Yanks breathe a sigh of relief.
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As mentioned at the beginning of tonight's entry, 23 teams are set to compete in South Africa, while the remaining 9 teams will be known following playoffs that will take place next month. Already qualifying are:
Host
South Africa
Asia
Australia
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
Europe (UEFA)
Netherlands
England
Spain
Germany
Denmark
Serbia
Italy
Switzerland
Slovakia
South America (CONEMBOL)
Brazil
Paraguay
Chile
Argentina
Africa
Ghana
Ivory Coast
North/Central America (CONCACAF)
US
Mexico
Honduras
Africa, which has no teams that are drawn into playoffs, are the last to finish qualifying. Three of the 5 groups are still up for grabs, with two teams alive in each...
Group 1
Cameroon leads Gabon
Group 2
Tunisia leads Nigeria
Group 3
Algeria leads Egypt
The top 8 2nd-place teams from UEFA have been drawn for their playoffs, which will feature:
Ireland vs. France
Portugal vs. Bosnia
Greece vs. Ukraine
Russia vs. Slovenia
The remaining playoffs feature:
Costa Rica (4th-place CONCACAF) vs. Uruguay (5th-place CONEMBOL)
New Zealand (Oceania champion) vs. Bahrain (5th-place Asia)
(New Zealand and Bahrain are tied 0-0 after the first leg of their playoff.)
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The Red Bulls will play their final match at Giants Stadium on Saturday night...let's hope a new arena, new coach, and (hopefully) new front office staff will help bring a completely fresh start to this franchise and help turn it into a successful one (for once).
One other Red Bulls note: No team in the MLS saw as sharp a decline in attendance as NY. The league as a whole is averaging just over 15,000 fans per game this year, down a modest 3.45% from last year (not nearly as bad as MLB, which dropped 6.4% in the recession). Seattle is leading the way, ready to set a new attendance-average record, presently drawing over 30,700 fans to Qwest Field for each match (nearly triple the Red Bulls average). In a season where only 3 teams---RSL, San Jose and Toronto FC---have seen attendance rise, the average crowd in Giants Stadium this season has dropped 26% from last year. Hopefully the new arena brings an end to that shocking trend...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Parting thought for today:
Is it just me, or has the Champions League lost a lot of its appeal with its switch from ESPN to FSC? Sure, we get to see more games...but still only one per day live (the others debut as late as 10pm), and by the time they're played on FSC, we already know the result.
And no offense to Bobby McMahon (FSC analyst for pre- and post-matchday shows)---yes, he IS a smarter, more aware analyst than ESPN had---but he simply lacks that "I'm your lovable, but uber-crazy Grandpa who wants to say 'Bulging the 'ol Onionbag' as much as possible" appeal that Tommy Smyth brought to their studio.
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