Source: U.S. Soccer
The U.S. Men’s National Team received a first half lead through Jeff Cunningham’s first international goal, but three quick second half goals by Denmark canceled out his strike and provided the Danes with a 3-1 victory against the U.S. in their final match of 2009. Cunningham capitalized on a mistake by Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen for the match’s first goal in the 26th minute, but three substitutes made immediate impacts by scoring for Denmark in the first 10 minutes after the break. The match was the second in five days in Europe as the U.S. begins their preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and second straight against a fellow World Cup qualifier. The U.S. was one of only five teams to play two fellow World Cup qualified opponents on the final two international matchdays of 2009. The United States concludes 2009 as the top team in CONCACAF World Cup qualification, besting rival Mexico by one point at the top of the standings. The U.S. also reached the final of a FIFA international tournament for the first time in their history, defeating No. 1 ranked Spain in the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup before eventually falling 3-2 to Brazil in the championship match in South Africa. The following month, a younger and less experienced U.S. team marched through the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, reaching the final for the sixth time. The U.S. now awaits the draw on Dec. 4 in South Africa to find out their group opponents for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which you can follow on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com at 11 a.m. ET or via DrawTracker on ussoccer.com.
