U.S. qualifies

The U.S. soccer team is headed to South Africa for a chance to redeem itself in the World Cup.

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 by rallying past host Honduras 3-2 Saturday night in San Pedro Sula.

In one of the most thrilling end-to-end matches the U.S. has played in many years, the Americans took a 3-1 lead before Honduras closed on Julio Cesar De Leon’s second goal of the game.

Carlos Pavon had a chance to tie following a hand ball in the penalty area by Jonathan Spector. But Pavon put his penalty kick over the crossbar in the 87th minute, then fired high on an open header from in front in the 89th.

Coming off a first-round elimination at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the United States (6-2-1) is first in North and Central America and the Caribbean with 19 points and is assured of one of the three automatic berths that to go to the top finishers in the region.

Mexico (6-3) also clinched and has 18 points following a 4-1 victory over visiting El Salvador. Costa Rica (5-4) moved into third with 15 points after winning at home against Trinidad and Tobago.

Honduras (4-4-1), seeking its second World Cup appearance and first since 1982, has 13 points 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.

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

•Defending champion Italy qualified for next year’s World Cup along with Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Chile and the Ivory Coast.

France, Ireland, Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina assured themselves second-place finishes and will try to earn berths in next month’s European playoffs. Eight of the nine second-place finishers in Europe advance to the playoffs.

Argentina, coached by much-criticized Diego Maradona, got an injury-time goal to beat visiting Peru 2-1 and climbed among the top four nations of South America qualifying, which get automatic berths.