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A week of extreme highs and lows for US national soccer team
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Fans display the No. 9 to honor Charlie Davies (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
And you thought you had a crazy week…in the last seven days, the US national soccer team has had enough highs and lows to fill seven years.
High: The US defeated Honduras last Saturday, clinching an invite to the 2010 World Cup. The Yanks managed the 3-2 win under some seriously difficult conditions—on the road in Central America, facing a desperate and talented Honduras squad, in a country where who the rightful President is depends on who you ask.
Low: Early Tuesday morning, starting forward Charlie Davies was involved in a horrific one-car accident near Washington, DC in which another passenger was killed (Davies was not the driver). Davies suffered several broken bones in his leg, face, and elbow, as well as a lacerated bladder. Recovery time is expected to be six months to a year, likely rendering Davies out of the World Cup.
High: Last night, the US got down 0-2 to Costa Rica before rallying for a 2-2 draw, capped by Jonathan Bornstein’s header in stoppage time. The tie ensured an outright first place finish for the US in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings.
Low: During the Costa Rica game, US defender Oguchi Onyewu tore a patellar tendon in his left knee. Onyewu will be out for several months but should be ready for the World Cup. (In an important side note, Onyewu’s club AC Milan is livid, demanding financial compensation from the US Soccer Federation. As club teams shell out increasingly insane salaries, they are becoming less tolerant of their property getting damaged in international duty).
So what’s next for the Yanks? On Wednesday Nov. 18th, they’ll travel to Aarhus, Denmark for a friendly with the Danish national team (2:30 pm ET). The Danes have already punched their tickets to South Africa, finishing first in their UEFA qualifying group.
The Danish national team is probably most famous for its upset win over Germany in the 1992 European championship, a match I highly recommend watching if it comes up on ESPN Classic for the astonishing mustaches and mullets. We probably won’t be so lucky this time mullet-wise, but watch for the frightening electronic visage of Denmark head coach Morten Olsen on the video sideline advertising. It was downright scary during Denmark’s 1-0 win over Sweden last Saturday.
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