When the U.S. men’s national soccer team takes the field tonight at RFK Stadium in the nation’s capital, it will be a victory lap of sorts and the culmination of a long season.
The year began with the first half of the final CONCACAF world cup qualifiers. On a cold February night in Columbus, midfielder Michael Bradley scored at the end of each half to propel the U.S. to a 2-0 victory over rival Mexico.
In late March, trailing 2-0 late in the second half on the road in El Salvador, the U.S. salvaged a point with late goals from youngster Jozy Altidore and Frankie Hejduk to even the match.
Altidore, already the youngest man to score a goal for the U.S. did two better by recording a hat trick in a 3-0 home win over Trinidad & Tobago on April Fool’s Day in Nashville.
The top three teams from the CONCACAF hexagonal qualify for next summer’s World Cup in South Africa with the fourth having to play a tiebreaker with the fifth place team from South America and the red, white and blue was looking good after three of 10 matches at 2-0-1.
But a trip to Costa Rica in early June was a humbling one for the U.S. The Ticos scored less than a minute and a half into the game and again in the 12th minute en route to a 3-1 win. The top team in the region looked anything but on the uneven turf of Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.
Back on home turf in front of a huge crowd at Soldier Field in Chicago, the U.S. quickly found themselves behind again early against Honduras. But this time they rallied. Landon Donovan converted a penalty kick right before halftime and Carlos Bocanegra’s diving header in the 68th minute sealed the first comeback in a World Cup qualifier in nearly a quarter century for the “yanks.”
With 10 points (3-1-1) the U.S. was second in the hexagonal standings, trailing Costa Rica (4-1) at the midway point of qualifying.
Up next was a tremendous measuring stick for a team so desperate to prove to the World it belongs in the conversation of the planet’s elite soccer clubs.
The Confederations Cup, a two-week tournament in late June, featured the six champions of each continent, the reigning World Cup champion and the host of the 2010 cup South Africa.
Getting to play some of the best teams in the world on African soil just 12 months before some of the very same venues would hold World Cup matches was a rare and valuable experience the team needed to seize.
But once again placed in a terribly difficult group, the team was faced with a daunting challenge. First the U.S. had to take on defending cup champions Italy, then perennial powerhouse Brazil, followed by the top team in Africa, Egypt.
Against the Azzurri, Donovan once again converted a first-half penalty kick and the U.S. took the 1-0 lead. But Ricardo Clark’s red card in the 32nd minute was finally expoited by Italy and New Jersey-born Italian sub Giuseppe Rossi whose two-second half strikes were crippling to the U.S. effort and they fell 3-1.
It only got worse three days later when the Brazilians ran past the U.S. 3-0. If two early goals weren’t enough to seal the Americans fate Sacha Kljestan’s red card in the 56th minute certainly was.
Just four days into the tournament, the U.S. looked like the overmatched and bewildered team of the 2006 World Cup Germany and it was almost certain they would be going home win, lose or draw against the Egyptians.
Yet, once again their resiliency paid major dividends. Needing a miracle scenario to play out to advance out of their group, the U.S. beat Egypt 3-0 on goals from Charlie Davies, Bradley and Clint Dempsey and watched the scoreboard in stunned disbelief as Brazil beat Italy by the same score. With the two 3-0 results and identical 1-2 records for the Americans, Italy and Egypt the U.S. was sent through to the semifinals on a quirky goal differential scheme.
Waiting for the U.S. in the semifinals was Spain, the top team in the world. Determined not to be daunted by the 9-1 odds against them and playing with house money, the Americans shocked the Spaniards 2-0 in one of the biggest wins in the history of the sport in this country. Altidore was magic again with his first half strike and Dempsey’s goal in the 73rd capped the improbable upset.
Into the final, the U.S. was once again matched up with the one country to qualify for every World Cup, Brazil. Soundly defeated by the Samba Boys ten days earlier, the prospects once again looked bleak for the upstart Americans.
Still riding a high from back-to-back wins, the U.S. stunned everyone again by jumping out to a 2-0 halftime lead on goals from Dempsey and Donovan. 45 minutes away from the biggest win U.S. soccer had ever seen the Brazilians rallied with three second half goals against the suddenly overmatched Americans and Brazil snatched a 3-2 win in the championship.
It was an incredible two week stretch of despair, euphoria and heartbreak for the USMNT, but it sure seemed like they had really arrived after such a forgettable start to the tournament.
After such a taxing experience, Coach Bob Bradley opted to go with almost an entirely new squad made up of younger, less experienced national team players for the Gold Cup. The U.S. went 3-0-1 on its way to the championship game with Mexico. The make-shift team held its own for the first half of the final at Giants Stadium but fell apart after halftime as the Mexicans routed their neighbors to the north 5-0.
While the U.S. had not sent its best players to the tournament, it sure left a sour taste for all American players at home and abroad and for the fans as well.
With two-and-a-half weeks to regroup for a rematch at Mexico’s ominous Estadio Azteca, the Americans once again came together for the second half of CONCACAF final round qualifying — the most critical games they had played since the 2006 World Cup.
In front of 105,000 brazen Mexican supporters, Davies’ 8th minute goal silenced the crowd until the Mexican equalizer came 11 minutes later. Bolstered by the raucous crowd, Mexico finally broke the 1-1 tie in the 81st minute to secure a 2-1 win in a taxing and demoralizing loss for the U.S., who had wanted so badly to win under such adverse conditions against their bitter rivals.
Of bigger concern was the team’s 3-2-1 record. With the Mexican team surging, Costa Rica still riding high and other teams playing well in the region all of the sudden garnering a top-3 finish in the hexagonal seemed suddenly perilous.
The U.S. had to get results out of their next two matches if they wanted to control their own destiny. On September 5th, at Utah’s Rio Tinto Stadium the MNT found themselves in a familiar 1-0 hole and now playing for their World Cup lives. They responded.
Dempsey and Altidore countered with two goals late in the half and the Americans held on for a crucial 2-1 win. Four days later they escaped Trinidad & Tobago with a narrow 1-0 win on Clark’s sublime strike in the 62nd. Now they could breathe a bit easier. A win in one of their final two matches would mean a berth to South Africa, but there was still work to be done.
Next up was a tough trip to coup-torn Honduras. Adding to the difficulty of the game was an unblemished 8-0-0 home qualifying record for the Hondurans.
The U.S. battled hard in the first half of the game Saturday night and it was scoreless at the half. When Julio Leon put the Catrachos ahead just after intermission things looked bleak for the Americans on the road.
But MLS star Conor Casey scored his first and second international goals and Donovan bent a beautiful free kick into the far corner and the U.S. was suddenly celebrating a 3-1 lead and being 20-plus minutes from the ultimate goal – a trip to the World Cup.
But nothing comes easy for this team. Leon scored again in the 78th and the result was in doubt again. Things looked downright awful when the U.S. was whistled for a handball in the box in the 87th minute.
Carlos Pavon inexplicably sent the penalty shot soaring over the crossbar and missed an open header a couple of minutes later and the U.S. mercifully made it to the final whistle with a 3-2 victory and a ticket to the world’s biggest event.
Tonight’s game against Costa Rica means less to the Americans now, but a win would mean finishing first in the region and could help with the seeding for next summer’s tournament.
Most importantly, the long journey was a successful one regardless of tonight’s outcome. This team has provided fans with huge thrills and has set the tone to once again make noise on the world stage.
The U.S. has relished the role of underdog and taken pride in their newfound position as powerhouse. Come June of 2010, the scene will be set for them to create some more magic like that of the summer before.
Their draw, their health and a little bit of luck will go a long way to determining if they will be another flameout or if they can make another magical run like they did this past summer or in the 2002 World Cup.
Either way, the anticipation of it all will make for an exciting eight months for the players and fans alike. The party continues tonight, but no one wants the berth to be the highlight of the World Cup experience.
This team has qualified for six World Cups in a row and needs to start demanding and expecting results. Being happy to be there, gets you nowhere.
Commitment to excellence is needed to get out of the group stage. From there, anything is possible.
Writer’s note:
News broke Tuesday morning that the 23-year old Davies was seriously injured in a single car accident in D.C. around 3:15 am.
Davies suffered multiple injuries and could be out 6-12 months, meaning he will miss the World Cup. A female passenger in the car he was riding in was killed on the scene while the driver was taken to the hospital.
Playing with Davies on their hearts and minds, the U.S. scored two late goals Wednesday night to earn a 2-2 tie with Costa Rica and win the CONCACAF hexagonal.
Just more highs and lows, as the year comes to a close.