United States qualify for South Africa 2010 as they beat Honduras 2-3

The talented Conor Casey scored his first international goals and that was exactly what the United States needed to book a place in next year's World Cup. The american team made an excelent comeback to defeat Honduras 3-2.

Almost 45,000 Honduran fans arived at the Estadio Olímpico in San Pedro Sula, uniting behind their national team despite the domestic political strife dominating international headlines. After a scoreless first half that saw both sides shooting off-target, the second half turned into an instant classic with the U.S. getting the deciding goal in the 71st minute from a free kick by midfielder Landon Donovan.

The strong Conor Casey provided the heroics for the U.S., scoring the first two goals of his international career in the 55th and 66th minutes, and setting up the Donovan freekick. It was Casey’s third appearance in the 2010 qualifying cycle, and the 15th of his career.

The central american team faithful thought their side would draw even in the 87th minute when the referee awarded a penalty kick in their favor. The veteran Carlos Pavon, the all-time leading scorer for Honduras with 55 career goals, shockingly blasted his penalty over the crossbar. Despite the bad luck, the Honduran crowd showed their class by offering the U.S. team a warm ovation at the end of the game.