The Official Site of Landon Donovan

Sun, Jun 7th 2009, 13:47

US pulls out victory over Honduras after trailing early

The U.S. Men’s National Team posted a historic 2-1 victory against Honduras behind a successful penalty kick conversion from Landon Donovan and a game-winning header from team captain Carlos Bocanegra in the 68th minute this evening in front of 55,647 fans at Soldier Field in Chicago. The win improved the USA’s unbeaten streak at home in World Cup qualifying to 16 matches, collecting a record of 15-0-1 on U.S. soil dating back to 2001.

Tonight’s come-from-behind victory was the first in qualifying for the Unites States in more than 24 years, the last occurring on May 15, 1985 against Trinidad & Tobago in St. Louis. Soldier Field hosted the latest come-from-behind victory as well, which occurred during the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final when the U.S. came back from a goal down against Mexico to earn the regional title and a spot in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

With his goal, his second of the week after netting another penalty against Costa Rica on Wednesday, Donovan now stands as the USA’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with 11 goals. Bocanegra’s goal was his second game-winner of the qualifying cycle, with his first coming against Guatemala on Aug. 20, 2008, in Guatemala City.

“The most important thing for us was the response of the team after giving up the first goal. It showed a great deal about what these guys are all about,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley, who improved his home qualifying record to a perfect 6-0-0. “From that standpoint, that’s an important step for us as we try to move forward. It was a tough game for sure. It’s not easy when you start the game and give up a goal the first time the opponent comes down the field. The response was strong, and it was an important three points.”

After a disappointing performance in Costa Rica just three days earlier, Bradley made four changes to the starting line-up. Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein were called upon to man right and left back, respectively, while Ricardo Clark was selected for a central midfield spot.

Up front, Jozy Altidore earned his third-straight start, and was joined by Conor Casey, who was added to the roster after the Costa Rica match when Brian Ching was ruled unavailable due to a hamstring strain. The appearance was Casey’s fourth start and fifth overall appearance in FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Honduras took the lead early on after Carlos Costly won the ball near the midfield line. He played the ball to his left for Wilson Palacios, who touched it inside and had a clear look at goal. He tucked a left-footed shot neatly past the outstretched hands of Tim Howard and inside the left post to give Honduras an early lead in the fifth minute.

After the goal, the U.S. took control of the game, holding possession and creating numerous chances. Spector joined the attack in the 25th minute, sprinting up the right flank to the endline before cutting the ball back across the goal mouth to create the first dangerous chance for the U.S. Casey tried to get on the end of the service but slipped in the goal mouth and Honduran ‘keeper Noel Valladares was able to get enough of a hand on it to put it out of danger.

The attack that led to the penalty kick started on the back line with Oguchi Onyewu. The central defender played a long ball through looking for Altidore, but Honduran defender Mario Beata knocked the ball down inside the area with his hand preventing Donovan from getting an opportunity at goal. Donovan stepped up and rifled the ball high past Valladares to level the score just two minutes before halftime.

Bradley exchanged Benny Feilhaber for Pablo Mastroeni to start the second half, and Feilhaber quickly got involved as the U.S. continued to control the pace of the game. In the 61st minute, Feilhaber crossed the ball from the left side into the box to Dempsey who was streaking to the far post. The Fulham midfielder lunged at the ball, but didn’t get a proper touch and missed the frame.

Continue reading….