The United States recovered from a loss at Jamaica and sealed a tie for its group lead into World Cup qualifying. Herculez Gomez knocked in a free kick during minute 55 defeating the Reggae Boyz 1-0 on Tuesday.
''It was important for us to regroup after what happened in Jamaica,'' Gomez said. ''We knew it wasn't our best performance and we had to step forward and apply today. With the help of the crowd, we pushed deep and persevered. It wasn't always pretty, but I think we did it very well.''
A crowd of 23,881 echoed chants of ''U-S-A! U-S-A!'' as the September 11th attacks weighed on the minds of Americans. The voices of fans rang out with pride. A moment of silence was observed before kickoff and American flags were given out to honor the anniversary of 9-11.
The USA is going for its 7th consecutive appearance to the World Cup.
There was concern for the US team without key players such as midfielders Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley.
''That's my distance. I feel comfortable on the ball, on a free kick, striking the ball,'' Gomez said. ''Thankfully coach had confidence in me. So did my teammates. I struck it and it went on. I'm fortunate and happy.
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