COLUMBUS, Ohio (AFP) - Michael Bradley's brace of goals lifted the United States to a 2-0 victory over Mexico, while Andy Furtado struck twice for Costa Rica in a 2-0 World Cup 2010 qualifying win over Honduras on Wednesday.
El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago played to a 2-2 draw in the remaining match on the slate as the six-nation final phase of qualifying for the North and Central America and Caribbean region got underway.
San Salvador, El Salvador - Trinidad and Tobago's Kenwyne Jones (left) battles El Salvador's Alexander Escobar for possession during their CONCACAF World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. The game ended 2-2. (Photo: AP)
In Columbus, Bradley opened the scoring in the 43rd minute and added another goal in the 90th - after Mexico had been reduced to 10 men with the sending off of Rafael Marquez in the 65th minute.
Bradley gave the hosts the lead late in the first half after a corner kick by DaMarcus Beasley found Landon Donovan at the far post.
Donovan headed the ball back across the goal mouth, and while Oguchi Onyewu's header was denied by Oswaldo Sanchez the rebound fell at the feet of Bradley.
Pushing for an equaliser, Mexico's aggressive play resulted in a red card in the 65th when Marquez was sent off after kicking US goalkeeper Tim Howard in the right thigh during a rough challenge.
The expulsion came in the aftermath of Mexico's best scoring chance of the match.
Pavel Pardo sent a free-kick from the centre of the field into the penalty area where a touch from Giovani Dos Santos set up Fausto Pinto on the left side of the box.
Pinto slid a dangerous shot past an open goal that was somehow missed at the far post for an easy tap-in by Dos Santos, and as the ball was played back into the area Howard jumped to collect it before he was spiked by Marquez.
With the extra man and the lead, the US played conservatively the rest of the way.
Bradley punctuated the victory with a goal in injury time, collecting a pass from Donovan and firing a low shot from the top of the area past Sanchez.
In San Jose, Furtado scored twice in the space of 11 minutes - in the 48th and 59th - to lift Costa Rica to a 2-0 victory.
In San Salvador, two goals from Osael Romero in the 79th and 90th earned the draw for the hosts after T&T took a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Carlos Edwards opened the scoring for the visitors in the seventh minute, firing a shot from outside the area that eluded goalkeeper Juan Jose Gomez.
Veteran Dwight Yorke doubled the margin in the 27th, converting a penalty resulting from Luis Hernandez's foul on Stern John.
The next matches are on March 28, when T&T host Honduras, Mexico host Costa Rica and El Salvador host the United States
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AFP) - Michael Bradley's brace of goals lifted the United States to a 2-0 victory over Mexico, while Andy Furtado struck twice for Costa Rica in a 2-0 World Cup 2010 qualifying win over Honduras on Wednesday.
El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago played to a 2-2 draw in the remaining match on the slate as the six-nation final phase of qualifying for the North and Central America and Caribbean region got underway.
In Columbus, Bradley opened the scoring in the 43rd minute and added another goal in the 90th - after Mexico had been reduced to 10 men with the sending off of Rafael Marquez in the 65th minute.
Bradley gave the hosts the lead late in the first half after a corner kick by DaMarcus Beasley found Landon Donovan at the far post.
Donovan headed the ball back across the goal mouth, and while Oguchi Onyewu's header was denied by Oswaldo Sanchez the rebound fell at the feet of Bradley.
Pushing for an equaliser, Mexico's aggressive play resulted in a red card in the 65th when Marquez was sent off after kicking US goalkeeper Tim Howard in the right thigh during a rough challenge.
The expulsion came in the aftermath of Mexico's best scoring chance of the match.
Pavel Pardo sent a free-kick from the centre of the field into the penalty area where a touch from Giovani Dos Santos set up Fausto Pinto on the left side of the box.
Pinto slid a dangerous shot past an open goal that was somehow missed at the far post for an easy tap-in by Dos Santos, and as the ball was played back into the area Howard jumped to collect it before he was spiked by Marquez.
With the extra man and the lead, the US played conservatively the rest of the way.
Bradley punctuated the victory with a goal in injury time, collecting a pass from Donovan and firing a low shot from the top of the area past Sanchez.
In San Jose, Furtado scored twice in the space of 11 minutes - in the 48th and 59th - to lift Costa Rica to a 2-0 victory.
In San Salvador, two goals from Osael Romero in the 79th and 90th earned the draw for the hosts after T&T took a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Carlos Edwards opened the scoring for the visitors in the seventh minute, firing a shot from outside the area that eluded goalkeeper Juan Jose Gomez.
Veteran Dwight Yorke doubled the margin in the 27th, converting a penalty resulting from Luis Hernandez's foul on Stern John.
The next matches are on March 28, when T&T host Honduras, Mexico host Costa Rica and El Salvador host the United States