Jonathan Bornstein’s goal off a corner kick five minutes into injury time in the second half allowed the United States to pull out a 2-2 tie with Costa Rica. That coupled with Mexico getting only a 2-2 tie against Trinidad, allowed the United States to finish first in CONCACAF qualifying. Perhaps more significantly, the tie, coupled with Honduras’ 1-0 win over El Salvador, slipped Honduras into third place in the group on goal difference (+6 to 0) and means Costa Rica fell to fourth and has to play a playoff against Uruguary for a spot in South Africa. If Costa Rica had held on a few more seconds and won, it would have qualified. A home-and-home series with Uruguay will be much tougher for the Ticos then finishing third in CONCACAF.

It was an emotional tie for the Americans, many of whom were wearing shirts remembering teammate Charlie Davies, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident on Tuesday.

The Americans wanted to win the group for pride purposes, but also to increase their chances of being one of the top eight seeds in South Africa. In 2006, Mexico got one of the seeds, and the United States thought they deserved it. At present, the United States is ranked 11th in the FIFA rankings. One of the teams ahead of them, Croatia, didn’t qualify, and Russia and France have to win a playoff series to get in. If Russia and France don’t make it, the United States would be the eighth team, though South Africa as the host will likely be made a seed so the organizers can control where they play. The FIFA rankings aren’t the only criteria, but it’s one of them. And if the United States can be seeded, it makes life a whole lot easier, since it means you’re not going to get one of the best teams in the world in your group. (If Argentina had tied Uruguay, by the way, it would have gone to a playoff round and it may not have qualified. That would have really helped the U.S.)