Compelling Soccer

USA v. Costa Rica 8 PM Eastern

USA: 19 pts, 1st in the table, +6 GD

Costa Rica: 15 pts, 3rd in the table, 0 GD

Stakes: The US has nothing on the line in this one except pride. That factor might be upped more than normal tonight as the team tries to overcome the loss of Charlie Davies for likely through the World Cup after the striker was involved in a horrific car crash. For Costa Rica, the World Cup is on the line. A victory sends them to South Africa. Anything else means a Honduras win in El Salvador would send them home. Not even a draw would help; the teams would finish tied and Costa Rica's awful goal differential would leave them empty handed.

Charlie Davies.

The talented speedy striker had taken the US soccer world by storm after his marvelous Confederations Cup. In mere months he had gone from untested substitute/reserve to a guy who had all but locked down his spot on the 2010 World Cup roster. It was meteoric rise unlike any that I can remember, at least in the soccer world. Such things are usually reserved for workout wonders at the NFL draft; not players on the International soccer stage.

Then in an instant, the rise became a crash.