Safe and Sound to South Africa!

Before I get into my notes from Saturday night's qualifier, viewed quite pirate-like on the information superhighway, here's the recap I typed for my 9-5er at WGR in Buffalo:

The United States is the 19th nation to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after a thrilling 3-2 road victory in hostile Honduras.

Unlikely starter Conor Casey tallied twice as the States countered the game's first tally. His first goal came off an attempted header that connected with the top of his back and bounded into the Honduran net. The second came off a beautiful feed from Landon Donovan, who later scored off a free kick to put the States up, 3-1.

Honduras' Julio Leon made it interesting late, scoring his second of the game to halve America's lead, and the game looked all but tied when Jonathan Spector was whistled for a handball in the goal area late in the goings. Yet immensely talented Carlos Pavon sailed his penalty kick high, and missed on a late header a few minutes later, sending Honduras into a very dangerous spot if they want to end up in South Africa. With the political unrest in Honduras, here's hoping Pavon safety in his home nation.

The United States remains in first in the North and Central America qualifying group known as CONCACAF, and will likely need a win Wednesday against Costa Rica in Washington, D.C., to finish on top. It won't be easy, as Costa Rica will need a win to ensure a trip to South Africa, while Honduras will have to beat El Salvador and hope the Costa Ricans tie or lose to the States.

Joining the States in South Africa so far are:
Australia
Brazil
Chile
Denmark
England
Germany
Ghana
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic
Mexico
Netherlands
Paraguay
Serbia
South Africa
Spain

32 teams in total will qualify for next summer's tournament.

QUICK THOUGHTS:

-- I'm genuinely worried for Pavon. Central America is all sorts of crazy, and he has put the Hondurans in a tricky spot. I hate the Honduran team, but maybe he can be a hero on Wednesday in El Salvador.

-- I was alarmed and upset by Bob Bradley choosing to play Casey, and I'm happy to peel several eggs off my face. What a long way I've come from wondering whether Bradley had the smarts to coach the team. His son was right and righteous with his summer anger.

-- Oguchi Onyewu made a couple brilliant tackles tonight to make up for later looking goofy on the second Honduras goal.

-- It was really good to see Landon Donovan get nutty off a free kick. The States really need that.

-- Stuart Holden made some sensational crosses and through balls. Way to go, Stu.

Rocktober: Do it or lose it

When my three friends and I head South to see the States tangle with Costa Rica on Oct. 14 in D.C., there's a solid chance it'll be the most important American soccer game since the 2006 World Cup.

If the States earns one point or less in Honduras on Oct. 10, they'll need another point to guarantee a berth in the World Cup, and Costa Rica have everything to play for.

Heading into that game in Honduras, a nation undergoing so much civil unrest that they've banned everything from freedom of speech to freedom to dress yourself without government superviasion, the table looks like this:

(First three qualify for WC, fourth place earns play-in game with fifth place team from CONMEBOL, who in my opinion will be Antonio Valencia's Ecuador squad).

1. US, 16 pts, +5
2. Mexico, 15 pts, +3
3. Honduras, 13 pts, +6
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4. Costa Rica, 12 pts, -4
---
5. El Salvador, 8 pts, -2
6. T&T, 5 pts, -8

An extremely unlikely scenario could make it all moot for the States. If moribund Trinidad and Tobago can somehow topple Costa Rica in San Jose (the Costa Ricans beat T&T at T&T, 3-2, in their previous match-up), the States would be assured South Africa.

The Oct. 10 matchday features the two aforementioned games, plus El Salvador's trip to Azteca. In all likelyhood, CR, Honduras and Mexico come out on top, though the States chances at an upset are the best of the three visitors.

Here's how the table would look before the final match day (without goal differential):
1. Mexico, 18 pts
2. Honduras, 16 pts
3. US, 16 pts
---
4. Costa Rica, 15 pts
---
5. El Salvador, 8 pts
6. T&T, 5 pts

If you're a States fan hoping for qualification on the first matchday, hope for one of the following:
A) a win
2) a Costa Rican loss
D) a draw and a Costa Rican draw

Email: nicholas.mendola@gmail.com

The Mexicans poisoned Lando! (Not really)

Okay, okay, it's not as dramatic as that, but Landon Donovan has swine flu, and was suffering through a bout with the virus during the States' 2-1 loss to Mexico at Azteca.

SI's Grant Wahl has the report that Donovan tested positive for the H1N1 virus after requesting a test Sunday in Miami, where the team was preparing for Wednesday's match in Mexico City. Donovan said he contracted the disease in the US, despite the fact that the disease is widely-considered to have Mexican origins.

Donovan said he felt as bad as he has on the field in a long time during the loss to Mexico, though he did assist on Charlie Davies' ninth minute goal. We attributed Donovan's relative offensive struggles against El Tri to a need to play box-to-box while Clint Dempsey unexpectedly came up with the touch of a three-year old, but perhaps it was the pigs.

Stop poisoning our players, Mexico. I no longer consider this loss a fair one, and I expect a rematch... next week... at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Day After Standings

(great picture I first saw at The Big Lead)

The dirty Hondurans really shook up CONCACAF yesterday far more than Mexico's win over the States did, as their four-nil shellacking of Costa Rica sets up a furious final four game dates in 2010 World Cup qualification.

Trinidad's -- sorry, Tobago -- 1-0 win over El Salvador ensures that it will be at least another two games before anyone is strictly playing for pride. This also means the States cannot take T&T lightly on Sept. 9. With the inconsistent play we've seen, that game in Port of Spain is more than a little frightening.

The updated standings:

Costa Rica, 12 pts, +/- 0

Honduras, 10 pts, +4

United States, 10 pts, +3

---

Mexico, 9 pts, -1

---

El Salvador, 5 pts, -2

Trinidad and Tobago, 5 pts, -4

No lesson learned; 2-1 loss

Well, that provided very little fun.

The States' supporters could be forgiven for having confidence heading into Wednesday's tussle with Mexico at Azteca despite a 0-22-1 record in the building. This was the A-team looking to avenge an ugly Gold Cup loss with all the confidence of their strong Confederations Cup performance behind them.

So when the States struck early thanks to Charlie Davies right foot, it felt like the party was on. Oh, how the young don't learn. The Yanks sat back and let Mexico equalize and eventually topple their hopes at cracking the longheld goose egg at Azteca.

It's hard to fault Bob Bradley. His subs made sense, with Benny Feilhaber, Jozy Altidore and Stuart Holden all providing a lift whether for performance or injury. The big guns just weren't there when needed. Save for an assist on the US goal, Landon Donovan had to be essentially invisible offensively while dedicating so much time to playing box-to-box.

Why would he have to do such a thing? Perhaps the second Mexico goal gives us a big clue, as Oguchi Onyewu was caught in a terrible spot high inside the box, enabling Miguel Sabah all the time he needed to give El Tri their late winner.

So many players were ghosts, but it may be better to focus on those player who allowed this game to end 2-1. There's only one worth singling out, as Jay DeMerit continued his excellent international play with some terrific tackling. Onyewu was otherwise very good, but the mistake will be what's remembered.

(Just so it doesn't seem I'm an idiot, I realize how terrible the officiating was. I know there's a huge edge to having 100,000 people threatening death on a referee, but you'd like to think he could make a single call).

Four games remain for the States, who luckily have the two teams at the bottom of the table ahead. If the US can take all six points, which is a completely reasonable expectation, they should be safe for World Cup, but it shouldn't be about that. Here was a chance to do the undoable, and the Yanks let it be done to them.

How poor.

STANDINGS (Top three into WC2010, 4th team plays 5th team of CONMEBOL for final spot):
12 pts - Costa Rica (vs. Honduras, Aug. 12)
10 pts - USA
9 pts - Mexico
7 pts - Honduras (vs. Costa Rica, Aug. 12)
5 pts - El Salvador (vs. T&T, Aug. 12)
2 pts - Trinidad and Tobago (vs. ESL, Aug. 12)

Prediction

Just for the record: States 1, Mexico 0.

The streak will be over in 3hrs13.

Good news if you don't get Telemundo/mun2

If you're sick like me and wishing Time Warner or some other cable provider would dish out and show the US/Mexico game, you're in luck (maybe).

According to several sources, including US Soccer, DirecTV is opening Telemundo for the 4 p.m. EST affair, and many other cable outlets are following suit by airing mun2 from NBC Universal as a free preview. Good news, qualifying juice.

States Embarassed by El Tri in Final

The United States fell on its own soil for the first time in ages, and "fell" is an understatement. The States were picked apart by Mexico, 5-0, at Giants Stadium in the Gold Cup final.

Thanks to head-scratching defense from the Yanks, and superlative performances by Premier League attackers Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela, the "C-plus" team ceded their trophy back to El Tri, who will certainly have a chant or two for the visiting Americans come Aug. 12's World Cup qualifier at Azteca.

Where to start with the back end? Jay Heaps was an abhorrent for the second time in two weeks, while Heath Pearce wasn't much better. The latter defender remains unsigned, and would be best suited to hit the Major League Soccer circuit and practice against less than world class talent.

It's a shame for goalkeeper Troy Perkins, whose defense played tentative. Strike that, they played scared, and that's the most embarassing label you can apply to any unit. After a scoreless first half, the four backs played all sorts of ugly. This was more like the 3-1 loss in Costa Rica than the first team's losses to Italy and Brazil in group okay of the Confederations Cup.

Other notes...

-- Watching the Mexicans dance all over the New York grass -- and rightfully so -- really puts some heat and fervor back in a rivalry that has been one-sided. The States real squad needs to get something special going for the trip to Azteca next month.

-- Dos Santos was stunning, and Vela's addition to the game really underlined what the States were missing. As Max Bretos pointed out during the broadcast, Charlie Davies up top would've helped a ton.

-- Sure, I'm bitter right now, but before I suit up for a mens league match, let me comment on the broadcasting. Fox Soccer Channel's Bretos picked his most inept moments for the States most embarassing game. Tell me, Max, do they keep a whipping post inside a woodshed? Mixing up his metaphors with a shocking lack of knowledge for an announcer on his stage, Bretos couldn't believe Heaps was whistled for his PK ("not in my books"?) and completely skipped over the clear offside on the Mexicans second goal.

Throw all of that together with his first half disbelief that anyone could call this US team "less than a B-team." Hey, Max, B-teams are commonly referred to as reserve teams. Besides Ching, who else on that field is going to be there on Aug. 12? Maybe Stu Holden. Also, when Bretos is doing a better job, it's a heck of a lot easier to brush over his horrible pronounciation of every player with any sort of different name. You don't have to sound like a Mexican to properly announced a last name.

As a last note, the FSC crew might want to put the microphone a little closer to color man Christoph Sullivan's mouth.

Final set, rivalry renewed: States and Mexico on Sunday

Well, this will not be pleasing to my wife at all -- our first anniversary will feature something I have no desire to watch on DVR.

The Mexicans defeated Costa Rica 5-3 in kicks after the game ended at 1-1, clinching a berth in the Gold Cup final and setting up another USA/Mexico match-up.

The States and El Tri for hardware deserves live viewing.

Thursday night's semifinal found the Mexicans thrived in a thrilling setting, and showed great gumption in not quitting after a stunning injury time equalizer from Costa Rica helped send the game to kicks.

El Tri scored the game's first goal in the 88th minute, as Guillermo Franco followed up what appeared to be a goal with a no-doubter rebound, but the 93rd minute found Froylan Ledezma alone and ready to equalize.

Ledezma went from hero to goat minutes later when Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa guessed right before the Costa Rican had taken his first step. Couple that miss with all five Mexicans converting their attempts, including a nasty guessing game goal from Giovani dos Santos, and we're set for -- hopefully -- another "Dos a Cero" at Giants Stadium. It's a 3 p.m. kick-off on Sunday, and will be aired on Fox Soccer Channel and Univision.

An early guess at the outcome? 2-1, States, though this is where my prediction skills generally deteorate into patriotic fandom. The Americans need a strong showing, with their next WC2010 qualifier coming up in August down in Mexico.