What a trip!

I don't know how well it translated to television, but the atmosphere at RFK Stadium on Wednesday night -- even at half-full -- was as "electrifying as a hair dryer tossed into a bathtub", as Roy Hudson once cried.

Already charged up by Saturday's World Cup qualification and saddled with emotions from forward Charlie Davies' devastating car accident earlier in the week, the US crowd found even more to get loud about in the form of a dirty, dangerous and ultimately embarrassing Costa Rican soccer team.

It began innocently enough, with States striker Conor Casey blowing a chance to send the stadium into ecstasy. As fans held up handed-out "9" signs for Davies during the ninth minute, Casey ripped what should've been an easy goal over the net as the game clock struck 9:00. It was the first of an entirely forgettable and borderline offensive game for Casey, who played with the gusto of a chicken liver. You could've been convinced his cement shoes were on the take.

Maybe it was Costa Rica's defense, because Jozy Altidore was also pushed around a bit, but the other members of the mens team played dominating soccer save for a four-minute span that saw FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz strike twice to put CRC up, 2-0.

It would've been easy for the Yanks to pack up and stay home, but they played inspired soccer against a team that refused to work for their World Cup berth, milking the clock with humiliating tactic after humiliating tactic. At one point, a defender was taken off the field on a stretcher, crossed the sideline, jumped off it and re-entered the game at the next opportunity.

While the Costa Rican fans celebrating, racing their flag around the 400-level of the stadium, even of the heads of American fans, the States kept plugging away. The U.S. kept switching fields and hammering crosses into the box. Down two goals at half, you could still be confident that the Yanks would come marching back, though America used stunning drama to do it.

Michael Bradley showed typical grit in the 72nd minute, pushing a ball into the CRC net and closing the gap to one, but the attack wasn't complete until Jose Francisco Torres entered the game to put extra calm in the midfield, and Casey was substituted with Kenny Cooper, who at least endeavored to be in the proper position to win 50/50 balls.

There were five minutes of added time, and the Yanks made sure to use every drama-drenched moment. Jonathan Bornstein's head met the equalizer off a corner kick, and the celebration was on at 90+5. With a Mexico draw and a Honduras win, the Yanks had claimed CONCACAF and sent Costa Rica into a playoff with Uruguay (Told you Argentina would qualify on its own, drama kings).

The crowd exploded along with the fireworks, and the celebration was on, players circling the field after skipper Carlos Bocanegra addresses the home fans. The players snagged posters from the stands honoring Davies, and Tim Howard wore a cowboy hat. It was incredible.

I have to go do my real job now, but good looks to the effort from our boys, especially Stuart Holden and Steve Cherundolo, who never quit running and hitting great balls into the box. Also, a nod to Landon Donovan, who never hung his head despite working himself into several wonderful opportunities, only to miss. It's going to be a fun ride next summer...

The States have only announced one international friendly so far, Nov. 18 in Denmark against the Danish squad. Twenty-three of the 32 teams that will play in SA2010 have qualified, and Denmark is one.

So Good, He's Gotta Go

It's just not funny anymore. Landon Donovan is so much faster, smarter and -- well -- better than the majority of Major League Soccer. He has 10 goals this year in just 17 games with the Galaxy, and has added five assists. During most L.A. games I've seen, he's been the most dynamic player on the field, including David Beckham.

The problem is the breakaway goal he scored Wednesday night against the Chicago Fire. Donovan used a blazing run through the Fire defense to eventually poke a ball past Jon Busch, but in most good leagues that play doesn't happen. There's a small chance the well-timed run works, but no premier goalkeeper is going to allow Donovan the powerful and sloppy first touch, and they certainly wouldn't sit on the line, refusing to cut off Lando's angle (not to say Busch is a slob).

So when I write that Donovan must go overseas when the MLS season ends, it is with a selfish motive. I need the States to be good in the World Cup, and while -- even as a TFC season ticket holder -- I would love to see him time and again in person, tormenting the opposition,he's gotta move on.

If England manager Fabio Capello is demanding Beckham move back to Europe after the MLS campaign to keep his game sharp, then Donovan must as well. Assuming the Yanks get their act together and qualify for South Africa, imagine the States in the semis against Italy, and Donovan on a breakaway. It's hard to believe Wednesday's effort works against Gianluigi Buffon.

Wouldn't it be slick to see Landon Donovan working the wings with Clint Dempsey at Fulham, warming up for the World Cup on a club that's been kind to Americans? Maybe back to Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach, where he can work with Michael Bradley, or England's Hull, partnering with Jozy Altidore (not to mention non-Yank Stephen Hunt)?

He doesn't have to play alongside a Yank, or on a Champions League club, but there's no question Donovan will head somewhere to play. If he doesn't, it will be a major disappointment, homesickness or not.

Soccer gets in the way of soccer

Give a moment of angst-explanation before I preview this afternoon's contest, please.

I have had zero complaints up to this point about my appointment as play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Flash, the local womens professional soccer club. They generally win, and I have a tremendous time calling the game with former Rutgers player Oliver Petersen, an Arsenal supporter and Brit by birth.

That was until today, when America's lack of true love for soccer has kicked me square in "The Family Matters." In many nations, the 3 p.m. kickoff for the Flash and Hamilton Avalanche (televised Monday and Tuesday on TW-13 in WNY) would be move so the soccer-adoring public could watch their national team battle traditional power Brazil.

In this case, however, the Flash have no true reason to touch the start time -- their 300-500 fans are more folks that come out for local soccer than anything since the Buffalo Blizzard played their brand of indoor madness at the Aud years ago, and these casual red, white and blue supporters can DVR their little hearts out.

My British cohort will be doing the same, but I can't wait that long. I will need to get text updates from my teammates, who will be watching the game together while I broadcast. Then, I'll have to hear about the game for a couple more hours while my mens team, Baker's City FC, tries to score a second major upset in a row. Finally, after a beer or two, at 9 p.m., I can sit down to watch what could be up for debate as the greatest moment in the history of American soccer.

In no way am I complaining about being paid money to watch soccer. C'est la vie. Go States!

--- As for the FINAL... ---

As for this afternoon's Confederations Cup final, I'm going to take the easy way out and say that while I generally do believe in miracles, losing Michael Bradley to a wrongly-given red card is going to give the US even more fits than usual when it comes to the 2 p.m. kickoff. Kaka and Luis Fabiano have a certain chance to give the US defense fits, and Bradley's absence will help nothing.

For the States to win, they will need more superior marking from Carlos Bocanegra, and another fabulous game from Oguchi Onyewu. Expecting Tim Howard to play mistake-free has become a near-certainty. You never say never after Wednesday, but I'd prefer to see the Yanks refuse to run with Brazil early, and attempt to dictate some of the pace, which would be a more-than-minor victory in itself.

Then again, if the US put up a performance like no other they've done offensively, and Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan both played unparalleled in ball movement, this could be a high-numbered classic. If you forced me to select an outcome, it'd look something like this:

Brazil strikes about 25 minutes in after a decent "feeling-out" period, with the world's No. 5 team surprised to see a different States team than they faced a week ago. They strike again 10 minutes later, but the US answers just after half. Trailing 2-1, the Americans have a handful of second half chances, but Brazil pokes one home with under 10 to go to claim the hardware with a 3-1 victory.

Needless to say, I hope I'm horribly incorrect.

--- Third place game thoughts ---

Barring late dramatics, you can't say enough for the South African performance, mostly of their team, but also of their supporters. I am firmly committed to trying to find the economic means to send my wife and me to next summer's World Cup, to see at least one States game and one other match.

On the winner... Xabi Alonso's shot was good, but it would not have scored had South African keeper Khune not had to account for Llorente's attempted elbow deflection. There's nothing you could do to legislate this without getting an official killed, but it's unfortunate for the hosts. Still, fourth place sounds like a coup for them, even if it simply means they outclassed Iraq and New Zealand. As I pointed out in the Cup preview post, I felt RSA would be able to use the home field to their advantage, and their No. 72 FIFA world ranking was slightly better than Iraq and NZ.

Comment away!

So much for moral victories! States to Semis!

Sound the Vuvuzela, as the buzzing will continue for American soccer in the face of everything improbable. The States needed to win by three and have Brazil win by three, which is stupid enough before you consider that the Amerks have looked nothing shy of crap for the first two games of group play in the Confederations Cup.

Leaving my house for men's league's pitch at 3:30 p.m., I planned to write the somewhat moral victory post around, well, now. The US was up 1-0 at half, and Brazil was demoralizing Italy by a 3-0 score. Yet texts began to roll into our team during the game, and as we topped our opponents, 3-0, the United States did the same.

I'm watching it now, knowing what's coming, and I'm buzzing. As previously posted, Charlie Davies' first goal, digging deep in the six and wresting a ball off of Egypt's keeper, was the sort of goals the States have to score, blue collar and no bull----.

The next two goals were also things the US needed. Seeing Michael Bradley rewarded for a stellar tournament despite nothing from his fellow midfielders is fantastic, and, yes, full marks for PK Lando on a wonderful low-pass. As much as I can't stand Bob Bradley lately, the look on his face when his son put in No. 2 was downright stars and stripes. It was Michael Bradley's second-straight goal on Father's Day, with his father behind the lines.

The third and final tally was needed, too, as Fulham's Clint Dempsey had been anything but stellar in the first two contests before turning it on the first half. His strong heading finish of a Jonathan Spector cross sent the Yanks into ecstasy, and they held on for an unlikely trip to the semi-finals to meet Spain.

How unlikely is this? Borderline impossible... and it comes on a day I actually scored in our team's game, which truly shows you how the stars were aligned.

Full marks to Brad Guzan for the clean sheet, but this was without Tim Howard and Carlos "Charlie Blackmouth" Bocanegra.

This is a fine day for US soccer, a day that no one can take away from us, regardless of what happens against Spain in Wednesday afternoon's Stage Two. We'll be at a bar. If you're near Buffalo, come find us (or just email).

And it wouldn't be fun if we didn't ask Giuseppe Rossi how he feels about the whole thing.

Dual citizen choose States; will it matter?

The lad to your left is Jermaine Jones, a midfielder for Schalke 04 with three caps to his credit, all coming in friendlies for Germany. After making a dent into the German line-up the past two years -- and subsequently being left out of the Euro 2008 team -- Jones informed the Germans he wants to suit up for the States.

Born in 1981 to a US soldier serving in Germany, Jones has dual citizenship. Since he never suited up in tournament game, Jones is allowed to switch national teams.


Anything beyond that is speculation. Raised in Frankfurt, Jones has played 189 games while journeying between Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke, though some were with second squads. On those first teams, he's played 159 times, scoring 16 times. The team finished eighth in Bundesliga, and his three goals were fifth on the squad.

Jones has also courted controversy in his past. According to the Information Superhighway, in 2004 he was asked whether there were gay footballers in the Bundesliga, responding, "hopefully not."

You could go to his website, where you can see him shirtless and such, and pretend to read German.

Jones, who is considered a defensive midfielder, enters a crowded US midfield with Michael Bradley currently the A-1 holding mid, but that's a much shorter task than eclipsing Simon Rolfes et. al to play alongside Michael Ballack, should the Chelsea mid maintain his status as Germany's skipper.

Honestly, I haven't seen enough Schalke to say whether he should play. Somebody ask Gooch for us.