It is the day after the U.S. national team’s impressive 3-2 comeback victory in Honduras and American fans woke up today to the reality that the USA has qualified for the 2010 World Cup. It is a reason to celebrate, a cause for some pride, and hey, if Mexican fans take to the streets to celebrate their qualification then American fans are certainly allowed to enjoy a qualification that was more difficult than most would have imagined.
Photo by ISIphotos.com
I will be have been traveling all day today so apologies for the lack of posts. If you want some more reading on USA/ Honduras, I can offer you the two pieces I spent all night writing for ESPN.com. This piece on the match, and this sidebar on Bob Bradley.
If you still want some more, here are some post-match quotes from the U.S. national team after its victory:
Bob Bradley on Conor Casey
“He was very brave to go into that play that led to the first goal,” Bradley said. “The second goal he did well to time his run, took the pass and finished it very well. He’s been in good form and we’ve been pleased that we’ve gotten him into our mix and tonight was a big one for him.”
“Conor’s played very well in Major League Soccer lately. His movement, his ability to hold the ball and bring people into the game, we just felt that the fact that he’s been playing regularly and the qualities that he has would be important at the start of the game.”
Tim Howard on Honduras
“They are a good team and I think a few people have been writing how this region is starting to catch up,” Howard said. “For so long Mexico dominated, and we’ve had our fair share of domination, but man, they’re catching up. I know no one wants to hear that but these guys are athletic, they’re playing in Europe.
“(In the first half) they’re putting passes together, with the energy of the crowd that is so behind them, it entices them to take chances in the attacking third and try some tricky stuff and it was coming off. They’re very good..”
Landon Donovan on returning to the World Cup
After what most of us would say was a disappointing 2006 World Cup we have another chance at redemption,” Donovan said. “For those of us who were there, we don’t want to go through that again.”
Tim Howard on Conor Casey
“What you see is what you get (with Casey),” Howard said. “He’s pretty vanilla ice cream. He works hard, he sticks in, he got called for every possible foul tonight, but when it counted he was up there and he took his chances.
“The second goal was fantastic but the first goal was classic Conor Casey,” Howard said. “I think that’s why Bob Bradley’s brought him back into the mix. He’s obviously done well in MLS, but he doesn’t make much about the game. He’s straightforward and what you see is what you get and I think everybody on the team appreciates that.”
Tim Howard on the relief of qualifying with one match to go
“I can tell you, it was going to suck to have to go to D.C. and get a result because anything can happen,” Howard said. “Even though we’ve won all our home games you never know.”
Landon Donovan on the Honduran fans
“The Honduran people that I’ve been around in America, and my time here, they are very respectful people,” Donovan said. “Pavon, when he was in LA, you could tell they’re very down to earth, very humble. Amado (Guevara) is the same way. Even after, as we were walking off, they were clapping. I was very impressed.
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Thanks to all of you who took part in the SBI Pre-Game discussion, and to those of you who filled my commentary on ESPN.com. I will take credit for a pair of jinxes. For those of you who didn’t read the pre-game chat, I will direct you to the 7:21pm comment regarding U.S. free kicks, and I also did mention the possibility of a Conor Casey goal in the ESPN commentary, though it was more to set off the Casey haters.
One last observation I will make is of the Honduran fans and their respect for the U.s. team. Hearing some of them talk the day after the game, what I heard was plenty of positive comments about the Americans. It was a “That’s the Americans for you, never giving up and always finding a way.” It’s a bit of a shame that Honduran fans have more respect for the U.S. team than some overly cynical U.S. fans who spend more time complaining about what the U.S. team isn’t and what the U.S. team can’t do rather than what the team has done, and what it is, a brave and relentless team growing in skill and confidence.
One Honduran fan summed up last night game perhaps better than anybody. When Honduras scored its first goal the Americans never got nervous, never looked like a team that would fail. They looked like a team that knew it would find a way, and it did. That is why Honduran fans gave the United States a round of applause for Saturday's performance. As upset as they were about their team losing, they could still respect what the U.S. team accomplished.
That’s all for now. I will have more on Monday. For now, share your thoughts on the USA’s victory and qualification for the World Cup below.
