On This Day in 2009, Clark's Strike in Trinidad Sends the US Atop CONCACAF Qualifying
The summer of 2009 had been a whirlwind for American soccer, a season of breathtaking highs and crushing lows that left Bob Bradley's squad emotionally drained yet tantalizingly close to their ultimate goal. Just two months after stunning the world by reaching the Confederations Cup final with victories over Spain and Egypt, an entirely different American team had navigated its way to another major tournament final at the Gold Cup. But that fairytale had ended in humiliation—a devastating 5-0 thrashing by Mexico at Giants Stadium that exposed the limitations of Bradley's inexperienced squad.
Now, as September arrived and World Cup qualifying resumed, those summer memories felt both distant and immediate. The Americans had bounced back from their Azteca Stadium heartbreak against Mexico in August—a familiar 2-1 defeat in the thin air of Mexico City that few had expected them to win anyway. Charlie Davies had given them a dream start with a world-class goal, the first time the Americans had ever led at Azteca, but Miguel Sabah's 82nd-minute winner had sent the 105,000 Mexican supporters home happy and left the visitors with the bitter taste of what might have been.
Four weeks later, back on home soil in Sandy, Utah, the Americans had steadied themselves with a workmanlike 2-1 victory over El Salvador. Clint Dempsey's diving header from a Landon Donovan free kick had canceled out Christian Castillo's opener, before Jozy Altidore's stoppage-time header secured the three points that kept their World Cup dreams firmly on track. It hadn't been pretty, but it had been effective—exactly what Bradley had demanded from his young forwards.
Now, under the humid Caribbean night sky at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, the Americans faced Trinidad and Tobago knowing that victory would move them to the summit of CONCACAF qualifying. The Soca Warriors were already eliminated, sitting at the bottom of the hexagonal with just five points from seven matches, but their pride remained intact. This was the same Trinidad team that had reached the 2006 World Cup, the same squad that had given the Americans fits in qualifying matches past.
Bradley's team selection reflected both pragmatism and opportunity. Oguchi Onyewu returned from his yellow-card suspension to anchor the defense alongside Carlos Bocanegra, while Jay DeMerit's groin injury opened the door for Chad Marshall. In midfield, Ricardo Clark earned another start, the Houston Dynamo veteran continuing to capitalize on his increased role in the hexagonal. Up front, the youthful partnership of Altidore and Davies—now 19 and 23 respectively—carried the creative burden that had served them so well against El Salvador.
The opening exchanges of the September 9 qualifier suggested this would be another grueling evening for the Americans. Trinidad came out with the aggressive intensity of a team with nothing to lose, pressing high and disrupting the visitors' rhythm. Kenwyne Jones, the imposing striker who had tormented CONCACAF defenses for years, immediately tested Tim Howard with a close-range header in the 27th minute. The goalkeeper, still smarting from his late concession at Azteca, knocked down the effort and gathered the rebound with authority.
Two minutes later, the woodwork came to America's rescue. Cornell Glen, the former MetroStar who knew Bradley's tactical preferences intimately, found himself clean through on goal. His delicate chip beat Howard but struck the crossbar with a sound that echoed around the stadium like a warning shot. "The sound of the crossbar is definitely the best sound in the world," Howard would say afterward, his relief palpable.
Bradley's halftime talk clearly had its intended effect. The Americans emerged for the second period with renewed purpose and intensity, pressing higher and moving the ball with greater precision. The breakthrough, when it came, arrived through the most unlikely of sources—a player who had appeared destined for the substitution bench. In the 62nd minute, as Trinidad committed players forward in search of the opening goal that might change their qualifying fortunes, the Americans struck with clinical efficiency. Dempsey, operating in the inside-left channel, played the ball wide to Donovan, who had found space on the right flank. The LA Galaxy star's touch was perfect, cutting the ball back across the penalty area to where Clark had positioned himself twenty-five yards from goal.
What happened next would become the defining moment of Clark's international career. The Atlanta native, whose father Lance had been born in Trinidad, took a touch to set himself before unleashing a bending shot that swerved away from Clayton Ince's desperate dive. The ball nestled in the lower right corner with such precision that it seemed almost inevitable, despite being only Clark's second goal in 25 international appearances.
"I just let it rip, and I hit it on frame and it went in," Clark would say, his joy evident despite his measured words. The goal carried special significance—not just for its timing and importance, but for the presence of his father in the stands, watching his son score on the island where his own journey had begun decades earlier. "It was special to score a goal while he was watching," Clark reflected.
The timing of the goal was particularly poignant given what had almost occurred moments earlier. Bradley had been preparing to substitute Clark, with Stuart Holden warming up on the sideline and apparently ready to enter the match. But football's unpredictable nature intervened, and after Clark's strike found the net, Holden stopped his preparations and returned to the bench. "When the substitution came after the goal, I had a feeling that was supposed to be me," Clark admitted. "So thank God I had that opportunity to score a goal."
The goal transformed the dynamic of the match. Howard was called upon once more to preserve the advantage, making a crucial save late in the match as Trinidad threw everything forward in desperation. But the American defense, marshaled by Onyewu's commanding presence and Bocanegra's intelligent positioning, held firm. When referee Walter Lopez blew the final whistle, the Americans had secured a victory that felt both routine and monumentally important.
The victory moved the United States to 16 points from eight matches, one clear of Mexico and three ahead of both Honduras and Costa Rica. More importantly, it meant that just one more victory would guarantee their place in South Africa—a sixth consecutive World Cup appearance that had seemed unlikely during the dark days of early qualifying. Results elsewhere that evening had favored the Americans: Mexico's 1-0 victory over Honduras and Costa Rica's shock defeat to El Salvador opened up crucial gaps in the table.
The Americans now controlled their destiny with two matches remaining—away to Honduras on October 10, followed by a home fixture against Costa Rica four days later in Washington. As the Americans boarded their flight back to the United States, the summer's emotional peaks and valleys felt like preparation for this moment. The Confederations Cup run had shown them they could compete with the world's best. The Gold Cup final defeat had reminded them of the margins at international level. The qualifying campaign—with its familiar frustrations at Azteca and steady accumulation of points elsewhere—had taught them the value of persistence and pragmatism.
Two matches remained between Bob Bradley's young team and their World Cup dream. In Honduras, they would face the team that had pushed them hardest in recent months, a side desperate for their own place in South Africa. Then, in the familiar surroundings of a home crowd, Costa Rica would provide the final obstacle. The path was clear, the destination tantalizingly close. Clark's moment of inspiration in the Caribbean heat had brought them to the threshold of qualification. Now they had to cross it.
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