U.S. soccer turns aside Cuba at Havana
Clint Dempsey scored late in the second half and the United States held on to beat Cuba 1-0 in a sloppy and low-energy World Cup qualifier Saturday night in Havana, its first match on the communist-run island since 1947.
Half of the lights at rain-soaked Pedro Marrero Stadium went out in the 86th minute, causing a brief delay before the final minutes, when Cuba nearly tied it after a free kick.
But the U.S. held on in the gloom to win its third straight road qualifier and take the lead in Group One of the semifinals in the North and Central American and Caribbean region
In the 39th minute, Oguchi Onyewu sent a pass into the box from midfield and Dempsey jumped up with two Cuban defenders, one of whom mistakenly headed the ball straight to Brian Ching.
Ching, the Gonzaga University product, held off a defender and dropped the ball to Dempsey, who was all but unmarked when he netted from 12 yards out.
A thunderstorm soaked the field two hours before kickoff, making for swampy field conditions. Footing and ball control was difficult for both teams.
The U.S. embargo meant there were almost no Americans in the stands, though a few officials from the U.S. Interests Section, which Washington maintains in Havana instead of an embassy, organized a special trip to the game. A few brave souls even came with faces obscured by sunglasses and bandannas patterned like the American flag to prevent retribution from the U.S. government.
Fans booed when the Americans took the field, then screamed long and loud from the start of the contest, chanting “cu-cu-cu-Cuba!” A small section banged a drum and danced for long stretches, a practice common throughout the Caribbean and often seen during baseball games here.
In the 1947 contest, a friendly in Havana, the United States fell to Cuba 5-2. But they have not lost since, improving to 6-0-1 against the Cubans.
The United States, ranked 28th in the world, is trying to earn a spot in its sixth straight World Cup. Cuba is tied for 92nd and has not played in a World Cup since 1938.
The top two teams in the group that also contains Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala will advance to the six-team finals. Three teams qualify for the 2010 World Cup, and the No. 4 team meets the fifth-place nation in South America for another berth.
Golf
Furyk leads field
Jim Furyk only wanted to give himself a chance in the BMW Championship at St. Louis, and it took 36 holes to do it on a marathon day at Bellerive that put him atop the leaderboard for the first time all year.
Whether he stays there when everyone finishes the third round is still to be determined.
Furyk finished with five straight birdies to set the course record at Bellerive with an 8-under-par 62 in the second round, then followed with a 66 that put him at 12-under 198 and gave him the clubhouse lead.
Camilo Villegas, who shot 66 in the morning for a one-shot lead through 36 holes, also was 12 under and had five holes left in the third round when play was suspended by darkness.
He will have to return this morning to finish his round.
Sergio Garcia made the first hole-in-one of his professional career, a 5-iron from 205 yards on the third hole in the morning that put him into the mix. Bart Bryant made an ace in the afternoon, on No. 13.
Auto racing
Hornaday wins
Ron Hornaday raced to his fourth NASCAR Craftsman Trucks victory of the season and record 37th overall, holding off Dennis Setzer by 0.646 seconds in the Camping World 200 at Madison, Ill.
Hornaday, the defending series champion driving the No. 2 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc., led 113 of the 160 laps on the 1.25-mile Gateway International oval.
Johnny Benson, the series leader and also a four-time winner this year, was third, followed by Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague, Erik Darnell, Mike Skinner, Rick Crawford, Colin Braun and Ted Musgrave.
Benson has a 94-point lead over Hornaday, also the 1996 and 1998 series champion, in the season standings.
•Hamilton earns pole: McLaren’s championship leader Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position for today’s Belgian Grand Prix ahead of his main challenger Felipe Massa, on a track that was supposed to favor the Ferrari car at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
Hamilton’s McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen took third place on the grid, with Ferrrari driver Kimmi Raikkonen finishing fourth.
Prep football
Player dies after hit
A Holliston High School football player has died after being struck in the chest during a full contact scrimmage in Holliston, Mass.
Joseph “Joey” Larracey, a 16-year-old lineman, was hit during a scrimmage at Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville.
His uncle, Tom Larracey, told the MetroWest Daily News that his nephew went off the field after the play, saying he felt dizzy. The player later passed out, but regained consciousness before being rushed to a local hospital. Tom Larracey said doctors there discovered his nephew’s lungs were filling with fluid. He died a short time later Friday.