Soccer U S Mens National Team

AARHUS, Denmark (AP) - The United States wasted an early goal by Jeff Cunningham and lost a World Cup warmup 3-1 to Denmark on Wednesday night, the final match of 2009 for the Americans.

Substitutes Johan Absalonsen, Soren Rieks and Martin Bernburg beat
goalkeeper Brad Guzan during the first 10 minutes of the second half as the
Danes took advantage of a porous U.S. defense.

To call 2009 a busy year for the U.S. national team would be an understatement. Even labeling it a marathon wouldn't be quite right. An ultra-marathon might make more sense.

Bob Bradley's team has participated in two tournaments -- the Confederations Cup and Gold Cup -- along with the final round of CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualification. All told the U.S. has already played 22 matches -- going 13-6-3 -- on two different continents.

The grueling year winds down with a trip to a third continent -- Europe -- when the U.S. places fellow 2010 World Cup qualifier Slovakia in Bratislava. (10 a.m., Fox Soccer)

One month after a late-night car accident that killed a young woman and shattered his World Cup dreams, U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies was released from a Washington D.C. hospital Tuesday. The 23-year-old said he's committed to returning to the field, although his doctor said the forward has a long road ahead.

"I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has dealt with me in the [Washington] Hospital Center and [National Rehabilitation Hospital] for really putting in the time to help me get better as a person and as an athlete," Davies said in a statement. "I continue to improve every day and I look forward to getting back on my feet and attacking rehabilitation. Thank you for everyone's support, it really means a lot to me."

The official U.S. roster hasn't been released yet for the U.S. National Team's upcoming European friendlies against World Cup qualifiers Slovakia and Denmark, but Goal.com is reporting that Edgar Castillo will be selected for the squad by coach Bob Bradley.

Castillo, who has played his entire career in Mexico, originally declared his intentions to play for El Tri despite the fact he was born in New Mexico. A new tweak in the FIFA rules allowed Castillo to switch allegiances since he never appeared for Mexico in an "official match."

Sort of a weird situation that developed Saturday with U.S. teenage striker Jozy Altidore at his Premier League club team Hull City. Altidore wasn't in the lineup, nor was he even on the bench for the Tigers 0-0 draw with last-place Portsmouth.

Apparently Altidore was late to the KC Stadium and posted an apology on his Twitter page. What's weird, is on his actual page, the apology is no longer posted and the most recent tweet is encouraging Hull fans to make a lot of noise at the game.

All things considered, it's hard to read all that much into the situation. Altidore wouldn't be the first player in the history of professional soccer to be late for a match. It was a little distressing that the 19-year-old, who is fighting for a place in the starting XI, would risk being late and nullify any chance of seeing the field.

A rough couple of months for American midfielder Maurice Edu might have hit a new low on Tuesday night. While going to his car after Rangers' stunning 4-1 home loss to Romanian minnows Unirea Urziceni in Champions League group play, Edu said via his Twitter page that he was racially abused by his own home fans.

Edu posted this late Tuesday:

"Not sure what hurt more: result last nite or being racially abused by couple of r own fans as I'm getting in my car...smh...off to rehab."

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Landon Donovan was named the best player on
the U.S. team for a record-breaking sixth time on Tuesday.

Donovan, 27, was instrumental in the Americans' successful qualifying campaign for the World Cup and its trek to the Confederations Cup final.

The U.S. national team's stirring comeback against Costa Rica last week will be remembered for Bornstein's header, Davies' tragedy, Bradley's hustle and Onyewu's injury. But it also should be remembered for the contribution of Columbus Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers, whose entry in the 69th minute changed the match.

Playing in his first World Cup qualifier, the nimble winger added an obvious spark to a team trailing by two goals. He hit the cross that led to Michael Bradley's 72nd-minute goal, came close twice to tying the game himself, then delivered the corner kick that Bornstein finished in stoppage time. A key member of this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup squad and a regular camp participant, Rogers certainly made his case for South Africa when presented with the opportunity.

This weekend, Rogers sat down with FanHouse and offered some interesting insight into a young player's path to the national team, his famous mentor, the Davies accident and the curfew culture that likely played a role.

WASHINGTON -- Playing a man down following Oguchi Onyewu's knee injury, the U.S. national team continued to press as it faced its first World Cup qualifying defeat on home soil in eight years. With seconds remaining in the 95th and final minute, defender Jonathan Bornstein raced unmarked onto Robbie Rogers' corner kick and powered home a sharp header that set off celebrations in both Washington D.C., and Honduras, while sending Costa Rica into sudden mourning.

The Ticos, up 2-0 at half and apparently on their way to the South Africa, surrendered their lead in the second half and settled for a 2-2 draw in Wednesday night's match at RFK Stadium. The result consigned them to a two-game playoff against Uruguay and lifted the Hondurans, who won in El Salvador, to the finals for the first time in 28 years.

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U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies will be hospitalized "for at least a week" following surgery to repair numerous fractures and a lacerated bladder suffered in a one-car accident early Tuesday morning in Arlington, Va.

A federation doctor said that "injuries of this nature usually require a recovery period of 6-12 months and extensive rehabilitation," making it likely that the 23-year-old will miss next summer's World Cup.

A 22-year-old Maryland woman was killed in the crash, which occurred at around 3:15 AM. The identity and condition of the third passenger still hasn't been released, and the relationship between the pair and Davies is unclear. The NBC affiliate in Washington posted pictures of the mangled SUV on its Web site, while The Washington Post's Steven Goff reported that Davies was indeed in violation of a national team curfew.