Late Bornstein goal ties U.S. with Costa Rica

WASHINGTON - U.S. soccer fans had expected last night's final World Cup qualifying match to be a celebration after their team clinched a spot in next year's World Cup with a 3-2 win at Honduras on Saturday.

They got their party, but not until the very end.

In the final seconds of stoppage time in the second half, U.S. defender Jonathan Bornstein redirected a corner kick for a 2-2 tie with Costa Rica at RFK Stadium.

Forward Bryan Ruiz had given the visitors a 2-0 lead with two goals midway through the first half. The United States finally got on the scoreboard in the 72d minute when Michael Bradley, son of head coach Bob Bradley, scrapped his way to a rebound of a Landon Donovan shot and poked it in the net.

The tie meant the United States finished in first place outright in the final round of CONCACAF's World Cup qualifying standings for the first time.

"Tonight is not the way you draw it up on the board before the game," Bob Bradley admitted afterward. "But it still showed the mentality and spirit that we're very proud of."

American players and fans alike went to the match with heavy hearts. Early Tuesday morning, star U.S. forward Charlie Davies was seriously injured in a car crash on a highway near the team's hotel.

The U.S. fans among the crowd of 26,243 gave their team a lift with a coordinated salute in the ninth minute, in honor of Davies' jersey number. They held up placards with his number and set off a storm of red, white and blue smoke bombs.

"The whole team wanted to go out and put a good effort out there today - for Charlie, for his family, for everyone that was involved," Bornstein said.

For most of the first half, though, the many Costa Rican fans were louder than the home supporters. They were rewarded in the 21st minute, when Ruiz slotted a low shot past Tim Howard. Two minutes later, Ruiz scored again

Costa Rica had plenty at stake in the match. The tie relegated it to fourth place in the standings and a playoff against Uruguay for a World Cup berth.

The Americans' challenge became even greater in the 83d minute, when defender Oguchi Oneywu went down with a torn left knee tendon. He was carted off the field, and the U.S. team played a man down for the rest of the night.