WASHINGTON -- Three thoughts after the U.S.' 2-2 tie with Costa Rica in the final Hexagonal game of World Cup qualifying:
• The U.S. does not know how to give up. Down 2-0 midway through the second half, the Americans scored twice in the final 23 minutes, capped by Jonathan Bornstein's stunning 95th-minute header, to secure a remarkable tie. The comeback forced Costa Rica into a playoff with Uruguay next month and catapulted Honduras (a 1-0 winner at El Salvador) into its first World Cup since 1982. In a week when the U.S. was shocked by the tragic auto accident involving forward Charlie Davies, this was only a sporting moment. But it was a special one which called to mind the U.S.' amazing comeback against Egypt in June's Confederations Cup. If the U.S. is to go on a deep run in South Africa next year, it will need to continue having this kind of never-quit attitude, which is infectious.
• René Simões went mental. I was just about ready to hail Costa Rica's new Brazilian coach for being the Ticos' Mr. Fix-It when he lost his mind in the final minutes, complaining to the fourth official and drawing a red card. Simões' antics mean that he'll be suspended for Costa Rica's first playoff game against Uruguay next month. If you're a Costa Rica fan right now, you have to be upset over how your team went from first place to fourth in only four games.
• Oguchi Onyewu's injury looked scary. The hulking U.S. defender left the field after going down with an alarming non-contact injury in the 83rd minute. We'll have to wait for a postgame injury report, but Gooch was extremely agitated on the field after falling down awkwardly in the Costa Rica box going up for a header.
What are your thoughts after the game? Please post them below, and check back later for a post-interviews piece.


Emily DiDonato
Irina Shayk


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