The World's Game

Yesterday, all over the globe, nations engaged in the final day of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.  It was the culmination of a grueling, 18 month qualifying process and featured simultaneous matches in the various regions with the results of many games deciding which countries will be part of the once-every-4-years soccer event.

The US team booked its ticket to South Africa on Saturday night with a stirring 3-2 victory in Honduras.  The win clinched the 6th consecutive World Cup birth for America, which is impressive when you consider the fact we had missed 10 straight cups prior to this run.

But the biggest news out of the US camp was the tragic story just two days later when a promising young Yank almost lost his life.  You may have heard by now of the massive one-car accident late Monday evening on DC’s George Washington Parkway which resulted in the death of a young woman from Maryland.  Rising US Soccer star Charlie Davies was apparently in the back of the SUV with his seat belt on when the crash occurred.  The vehicle was ripped in half by the collision and Davies suffered very serious injuries - after more than 5 hours of surgery the following day, he was in serious but stable condition.  While his life was spared, Davies broke his right femur and tibia, left elbow, lacerated his bladder and had other facial and internal injuries.  In the matter of an instant, Charlie Davies went from probable starter in the World Cup to a man lucky to be alive.

Which brings us to last night and the match between the United States and Costa Rica.  While the US was already booked for the Cup, Costa Rica needed a win to guarantee a spot.  And the Ticos came out firing, scoring 2 goals in less than 5 minutes in the first half against a listless US team.

But the 2nd half was a different story.  The boys in red white and blue played with pride despite the deficit, hoping to somehow put together a win and potentially win the qualifying group (and “beat” Mexico one more way in the process).  But most of all you got the feeling the team wanted to do something magical for Charlie.

With 20 minutes left Michael Bradley found a way to poke home a goal.  All of a sudden the game was 2-1 and there was life back in the stadium. As the Costa Ricans tried to waste time the Americans pressed forward, missing more than a few quality chances.  As the game waned into the 5th minute of injury time, it looked like the rally had been too little, too late.  But then little-known defender Jonathan Bornstein rose unmarked to meet a last-gasp corner kick, and with a snap header to the side netting, the 2-2 draw was ours.

It was pandemonium for the US players as the final whistle blew and they found themselves on the top of the heap in qualifying.  But the bigger picture was even more breathtaking - as the US clawed its way back to a 2-2 draw, Honduras held on for a 1-0 victory many miles away.  As a result of the heroic US comeback, little Honduras earned a spot in the World Cup and the Costa Ricans are now forced to a playoff with Uruguay, with only one making it to South Africa.

You have to be happy for the citizens of Honduras, who have been through their own political turmoil in the last few months.  For a country with a population less than the state of North Carolina, making the Cup is a fantastic feat.  Last night all over Honduras there were celebrations in the street and even a few chants of “USA, USA” (check out the 2:07 mark below).  It was a fitting ending to an unbelievable night.  And just one more reason they call it the Beautiful Game.