The United States is headed to the 2010 World Cup next year after clinching qualification with a 3-2 win over Honduras on Saturday October 11th.

Conor Casey scored his first two international goals in the second half, Landon Donovan added another and the United States clinched its sixth straight World Cup berth with a game to spare.

In one of the most thrilling end-to-end matches the U.S. has played in many years, the Americans needed a late penalty miss by the hosts to get the win.

Following a handball in the penalty area by U.S. defender Jonathan Spector, Carlos Pavon blazed his penalty over the crossbar in the 87th minute, then the striker again fired high with an open header from in the 89th.

The United States is top of the CONCACAF qualifying group and assured of one of the three automatic berths.

Mexico also clinched a World Cup berth on Saturday with a 4-1 victory over visiting El Salvador. Costa Rica moved into third after winning at home against Trinidad and Tobago.

Honduras, seeking its second World Cup appearance and first since 1982, and dropped into fourth. If the Catrachos are still in that spot after the final match at El Salvador on Wednesday, they would meet the No. 5 nation from South America in a playoff.

“You don’t want to go into the last game leaving anything to chance,” Donovan said.

“We’re very proud,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “We understand the responsibility we have every time we step on the field for our fans, for our country.”

Honduras has been in turmoil since a June military coup, but the crowd was united behind its team.

“This isn’t an easy place to play,” Donovan said. “No one else has won here in qualifying and we just did.”

Torino midfielder Julio Cesar De Leon put Honduras ahead in the 47th minute when he curved a free kick over the wall and to the right of leaping U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard from just outside the penalty area.

That set off sustained boisterous cheering and jumping that made Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano shake, but the sellout crowd of about 40,000 was silenced when Casey equalized in the 55th.

Onyewu sent a long pass downfield, and Charlie Davies nodded it across the area to Casey, who outjumped a defender and outmuscled goalkeeper Noel Valladares for his first goal in 15 international appearances.

David Suazo nearly put Honduras ahead in the 65th, one minute after entering, but Howard made a leaping fingertip save. Casey then gave the U.S. the lead a minute later when he split two defenders, took a pass from Donovan and scored from 16 yards.

Donovan, who set an American record with his 10th assist of the year, extended his U.S. scoring record on a 21-yard free kick in the 71st minute.

De Leon added his second goal in the 78th minute and Maurcio Sabillion nearly tied it in the 82nd, putting a bicycle kick over the bar.

Honduras: Noel Valladares, Osman Chavez, Maynor Figueroa, Hendry Thomas (Ramon Nunez 74), Wilson Palacios, Carlos Pavon, Julio De Leon (Walter Martinez 79), Emilio Izaguirre, Carlos Costly, Mauricio Sabillon, Edgar Alvarez (David Suazo 63).

United States: Tim Howard, Jonathan Spector, Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Bornstein, Ricardo Clark, Oguchi Onyewu, Stuart Holden (Steve Cherundolo 90), Conor Casey (Benny Feilhaber 84), Charlie Davies, Landon Donovan.

There is a certain level of passion that goes into being a sports fan.  Sports brings out certain parts of our nature - competition, pride, extreme emotional ups and downs - that we normally hold back in our daily lives.

No sports do this to the same level as American Football and International Futbol (or soccer, for those in the United States).  Here, we will take a look at the passions as they are best exemplified visually: how we dress up and who we fight.  It’s not a good thing that there are so many physical altercations at these sporting events, but it is a testament to the amazing level of fervor that each sport generates in its fans.

First, let’s take a “tame” look at the lengths to which fans go to demonstrate their support for their team.  The goal: there should be no question which team is getting the support, even from 50 years away.

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Soccer may be an English game, but the origin of soccer dates back to the American land. It is as American as it is Scottish or English. Association football or football experienced great levels of popularity towards late 19th century all over England. The industrial revolution has a big hand in giving boost to recreational sports. People felt the need to relax and play during weekends. The British sailors, tradesmen and worker sectors spread the fame of football all over Europe and the rest of the world.
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“Soccer” or “football”, as was it previously known and still referred in some countries, has in its background the numerous and unforgettable illustrious stories ever since it came into existence. The glorious game of ball has left behind it a similar glorious history. This game of ball is no more referred as a game of 11 players running after a single ball, but it has become more than a matter of life and death for those who preach it.
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Games involving the art of kicking and channelizing of a ball towards a given area have been played in several nations since ages. According to FIFA, the very earliest form of the game for which there is scientific evidence was an exercise of precisely this skillful technique dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC in China. It was also called the game of Cuju. The Munich Ethnological Museum in Germany has a Chinese text from around 50 B.C. that talks about the games very similar to soccer. Those games were played between the team of Japan and the team of China.
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Let us talk of something that fascinates you! Most of us are fond of this game where a number of people keep running after a round ball, trying to score a goal. Yes, a large number of people around the world know this game by the name of soccer.
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