USA, Mexico close in on WC2010 berths

The United States and Mexico closed in on World Cup berths, while Trinidad and Tobago were eliminated and Costa Rica suffered a costly defeat in the North and Central America and Caribbean zone.

In Port of Spain, Ricardo Clark’s 62nd-minute goal lifted the United States to a 1-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, putting the USA atop the six-nation final-round group with 16 points with two matches remaining.

The defeat spelled the end of Trinidad and Tobago’s hopes, as they remained mired at the bottom of the table with five points.

The Americans gained three needed points thanks to a powerful blast from Clark, which eluded the outstretched hands of Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Clayton Ince.

“For us it was a very important three points,” USA coach Bob Bradley said after his team’s first away victory of the round. “We felt that it was well earned because tonight was a difficult game.

“A lot of credit goes to Trinidad and Tobago. I felt they put a great effort out tonight and made it very hard,” Bradley said.

The day started with the top four teams – Honduras, the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica – separated by just one point.

Mexico, who had made a stuttering start to the final round, continued their late surge with a 1-0 victory over Honduras at Azteca Stadium.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco’s penalty in the 75th minute gave Mexico their fourth straight victory and 15 points, while Honduras remained on 13 points – now in third place, one point ahead of Costa Rica.

Blanco took the penalty after Giovanni Dos Santos, racing into the area behind the ball, was brought down by Maynor Figueroa.

Mexico had dominated the possession in the first half, holding the ball for long periods, dictating the pace and peppering Honduras goalkeeper Noal Valladeras with long-range shots.

Mexico had a scoring chance late in the first half, when Carlos Salcido’s cross found Miguel Sabah in front of the goal, but Sabah’s header went wide.

El Salvador, fighting to avoid elimination, defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in San Salvador, a victory that kept El Salvador alive with eight points.

Three countries from the region advance directly to the World Cup finals in South Africa, while the fourth-placed team plays off for a berth against the fifth-placed team from South America.

Qualifying concludes in October, with matches on October 10 and 14.

On October 10, Honduras host the United States, Mexico host El Salvador and Costa Rica host Trinidad and Tobago.

On October 14, El Salvador host Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago host Mexico, and the United States are at home to Costa Rica in Washington.