Clint Dempsey scored off a pass from Brian Ching in the 40th minute to give the United States a 1-0 victory over Cuba on Saturday in their World Cup 2010 qualifying match.
The victory boosted the Americans, who had not played in the political rival nation since 1947, to the top of Group 1 in CONCACAF second round qualifying.
The Cubans, who dropped their opener 3-1 to Trinidad and Tobago, will struggle to reach the final group, while the US, who beat Guatemala 1-0 in their road opener, have all but sealed a spot.
“The pitch wasn’t the best and we had some problems with the heat,” US goalkeeper Tim Howard said. “This is the third straight qualifying win on the road for us and that will do wonders to building up our confidence.”
A power outage late in the game did not fluster the Americans, who play host to Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.
“Cuba did a good job of responding after their first game. It meant a lot to them and as a result it was a tight game,” US coach Bob Bradley said. “We dealt well with some difficult conditions and came away with a good result. We’ve played in two tough games on the road now and have six points.”
Trinidad and Tobago moved to second in the group — the top two from each of three groups advancing to next year’s final round — with a 1-1 draw against Guatemala, with Keon Daniel’s goal in the 84th minute matched by Carlos Santizo in the 90th minute.
Mexico seized the Group 2 lead with a 3-0 home victory over Jamaica in a match moved from the Caribbean because of hurricane threats. Andres Guardado scored in the third minute, with Fernando Arce following at 33 minutes and Jonny Magallan ending the scoring in the 63rd minute.
Honduras jumped to second in the group with a 2-1 victory in Canada, Ramon Nunez scoring in the 47th and 56th minutes to offset Adrian Serioux’s goal in the fourth minute.
Costa Rica routed Suriname 7-0 to stretch their lead in Group 3, while El Salvador thrashed Haiti 5-0.
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