Photo by ISIphotos.com
If you happened to miss last night's USA-Costa Rica match, you missed one of the most exciting U.S. national team matches in recent memory. The Americans fought back from two goals down to score a 2-2 tie and clinch the top spot in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group (while helping Honduras qualify for the World Cup in the process).
Here are the highlights for those of you who missed it, or who just want to experience them again:
What did you think of the U.S. team's comeback? Still can't believe they fought back from two goals down? Can you see Jonathan Bornstein being named president of Honduras?
Share your thoughts below.
The U.S dominated this game completely. They just counldn’t get the ball in the net. Ball possesion and rythem of the game was all U.S. I don’t know what Daniel browski from Picante is talking about. The U.S has a load of chances in the first half more than C.R had.
Personally I think Bornstein should turn down the presidency and just settle for the 50 ft. bronze statue of him standing astride Tegucigalpa.
I was there and as depressing as it was to see us go down 2-0 to Costa Rica again, it was encouraging to see how the we bounced back. I thought we played well and if we had finished a few chances in the first half (donovan (2), casey, and altidore) it would have been a completely different game. Still great to see the heart. Get well soon Charlie and Gooch!
Jeff, you’re right it says it was Rogers on the corner on the US Soccer site…”Rogers took a corner kick from the right side and Bornstein sliced through the pack of players to power a six-yard header off the base of the right post and into the net to tie the match. The goal was Bornstein’s second career international tally, and first in World Cup qualifying.
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…but my lying eyes saw Paco with the corner, after Rogers started to the corner, Paco trotted over and Rogers stood in front drawing the marker away from the goal line… I’m going home to re-wind my DVR…to double check, but I would’a bet it was Paco who took that corner.
I may have to stand corrected on the corner, Jeff.
It appears after yet another glance that the No. 9 I thought I saw in the box may be No. 3 — that is Boca instead of Rogers, which would back up what you are saying about the corner.
I’m more than happy to be wrong in this case. Either way it worked out for the best.
USAAA!!! awesome! i was so pissed when Casey missed the open goal in the 9th minute that i stopped watching the game – then Donovan misses 2 open goals too (by his standards) – and i was livid
USAAA!!! i wanna see a replay of this glory
@ g-loff
I saw it on Sports Illustrated’s soccer page. There’s a short write-up about it under one of the headlines.
@McHead – Where did you see about Milan wanting compensation for Gooch’s injury? I don’t see how they could ask for it seeing as they had barely let him off the bench yet this season. If Madrid doesn’t get money for Ronaldo and Liverpool didn’t get anything for Torres the few times he has come back hurt, there is no way Milan has any grounds for this claim.
I was at the game last night and I want to share this event that may have gone unnoticed by most everybody — As the U.S. scored the second goal and we celebrated, I happened to turned around and saw this gentlemen boiling his eyes out, at first I thought he was a Costa Rica fan, however, to my surprise he was a Honduras fan and he was just as happy that all he could do was cry. It was moving to see that display of humility and love for country and game –all I could do was shake his hand and congratulate him, but not without a tearing eye. That is the beautiful game!
If Bornstein were named President of Honduras, American fans would probably cheer for him to be ousted by Edgar Castillo in a few months.
I actually think Bornstein would probably make a better President than either of Honduras’ current options. Bornstein seems more reasonable. And faster.
(SBI-LOL)
From US Soccer: “On almost the USA’s last kick of the game, with more than four and half minutes of the announced five minutes of stoppage time gone, Rogers took a corner kick from the right side and Bornstein sliced through the pack of players to power a six-yard header off the base of the right post and into the net to tie the match. The goal was Bornstein’s second career international tally, and first in World Cup qualifying. ”
Torres had some really great touches. I thought Torres and Rogers were inspired substitutions by Bradley. However, both of them benefited from the fact that Costa Rica had basically given up on attacking by that point. When their players weren’t rolling around on the turf, they were dropping back DEEEEEEEEP in their own half.
I thought this was a foolish tactic, since it allowed the US to attack in wave after wave, which played to Torres’ and Rogers’ styles. No one doubts Robbie’s ability to get down the field and cross the ball; his weakness has usually been in holding possession. But with Costa Rica willing to cede possession, RR is a potent threat.
I mean credited with an assist. It does not say “corner”
Just looked at the official match report. Rogers is credited with the corner. So I am not the only one.
the very first comment is hilarious…
we didnt win..we tied !! 2-2 , just wanted to clarify that..
Sorry, I guess this was discussed already.
Milan wants compensation from the U.S.S.F. for Onyewu’s injury. The president of the club came out and said it. There is no such precedent, is there?
What Jeff???
Watch the video again, Rogers is standing right next to Bornstein when Bornstein heads the ball in.
It was Torres who took the corner.
Ives knows I’m a big Torres fan. But even he has to admit today that Torres completely changed the complexion of the game when he came on. If a guy can be MOTM in just 30 minutes, then Torres deserves it. We were waaaaaaaay better after he took control of the center of the pitch.
It was Torres, and it was a well taken corner. I sure hope that Torres gets more of a look. It will be interesting to see what players are taken from the States over to Europe to play Denmark.
Choka Rica
Why does everyone keep talking about Torres corner to Bornstein? Isn’t that Rogeres making the kick? Even the ESPN telecast went on and on about Torres beautiful kick.
best game i have ever been too. i have done zero work today. but i have watched highlights from the game 23498234 times. it was so loud!!!!
Nico – NO!
i need to find some pictures of the game that better capture just how many people had those #9 signs. 80% of the lower bowl had em, i was not expecting that.
nico – the only yellow accumulation that counted was if a player had gotten 2 of them last night, then they would have been out the first game.
Getting say a yellow against barbados (or any games besides last night) last year and a yellow last night does not carry over
I was driving my kids home last night and had ESPNdeportes radio on to hear the game (I’m bilingual). Throughout the entire trip home he kept repeating, “Costa “ica va al mundial!” “Costa Rica ya califico!”
(“Costa Rica is going to the World Cup!” “Costa Rica has qaulified!”)
He sounded like a parrot.
He lost his mind when Borstein scored.
At least five times, “Borrrrnsteeeeen!”
Classic.
So do yellow card accumulation carry onto the World Cup? I am still confused about this…thanks.
@baloosh13
(One of) the president(s) of Honduras has invited Bornstein to come take a vacation in the Bay Islands.
http://espanol.sports.yahoo.com/noticias/deportes-decreta-gobierno-facto-hondure-asueto-14102009-7.html
Forest – The draw for the World Cup is December 4th.
Costa Rica humiliated us in Costa Rica, but the US had the ultimate revenge by bumping them to 4th place, and possibly out of the World Cup.
That said, the US needs to stop giving up the early goals.
I wouldn’t mind if Honduras named Bornstein as president, as I think he has more of a future in that sector than in USMNT football. Really, he was pretty poor the rest of the match. I’m just saying…
Huge thank you for the fans in DC!!!
We were a goal and a man down in the 95th minute and we get the corner. ESPN shows the fans going absolutely nuts BEFORE we get the goal. I can’t imagine how awesome it would have been to be there when we tied it up!
The fans definitely deserve a lot of credit for keeping confidence in the squad. That energy carried us through to win the group.
Now just the long wait till the groupings for the cup, does anyone know when that is?
My buddy was at a Honduran bar in Chelsea, MA. After the Bornstein goal he said every beer got thrown in the air and the whole bar started chanting U-S-A.
On the phone it sounded like Mardi Gras on the streets of Chelsea
Ives. How do you see Bradley approachingthe game next month against Denmark? Is he going to bring in the B squad? or is he going to use that game to peice together his formation that he will have to run with since Davies will be out of SA 2010? I was thinking by next month that we could see.
Altidore Dempsey
Donovan Bradley Torres Holden
Bornstein Boca Marshall Cherundolo
Howard
Subs: Feilhaber, Guzan, Rogers, Orozco, Castillo, Cooper, Clark, and Cooper.
so will pavon be giving bornstein a hummer or will the honduran government chip in to give him a ferrari?
Ives did anyone do a player ranking???
(SBI-i did one for ESPN. I will post a game rewind shortly.)
As great as this win was (and it was fantastic) as well as qualifying (and being #1 in the Hex), I’m just really, really depressed about Davies and Gooch. It’s really, really hard to have these guys go down. I feel so bad for what’s happened to them. Man, has the USMNT hit the injury bug or what? Gooch, Davies, M. Edu and J. Jones!