July 9, 2009
Quaranta was making his first appearance for the United States in more than three years, and the member of MLS' D.C. United broke a scoreless tie in the 75th minute before his home fans at RFK Stadium
Brian Ching followed Quaranta's goal with a header four minutes later to seal the win.
"To listen to the anthem was very emotional for me," Quaranta said. "It's been a fun, long road back."
The United States, two-time defending champion in the competition contested among the countries of North and Central America and the Caribbean, is 23-0-1 in Gold Cup group play.
The Americans are 2-0 and lead Group B going into their final first-round match against Haiti on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass., where a draw will be enough to clinch the group and move into the quarterfinals.
Honduras (1-1) will face winless Grenada, also in Foxborough.
Haiti (1-1) beat Grenada in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader 2-0.
"I looked to my left and saw Santino making a good run, so I was able to lay off a good ball for him," Davies said. "He was just like, 'Thanks.' I think it was gratifying for him to score in front of the home crowd."
The crowd of 26,079 had a pro-Honduras bent, but there were still enough American fans to loudly cheer Quaranta's goal.
Quaranta was one of several new players on the U.S. roster for the Gold Cup. The Americans have a nearly entirely different roster from the U.S. team that made a surprise run to the Confederations Cup championship game last month; most regulars were given a rest for the Gold Cup.
The Americans last played Honduras on June 6 in a World Cup qualifying match, but the only American who was dressed for that game and Wednesday's match was Benny Feilhaber, who came on in the 64th minute.
"There were times in the game we couldn't find the right rhythm," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "But I think there was still a good understanding of pushing the tempo. When we push the game for 90 minutes, we think that's an advantage for us."
Both squads had several opportunities before the United States broke through.
Lineups:
USA: 1-Troy Perkins; 6-Steve Cherundolo (capt.), 4-Chad Marshall, 14-Michael Parkhurst, 2-Heath Pearce; 20-Santino Quaranta, 8-Logan Pause (25- Benny Feilhaber, 64), 5-Kyle Beckerman, 7-Robbie Rogers; 11-Brian Ching (17-Kenny Cooper, 82), 19-Freddy Adu (9-Charlie Davies, 64) Subs not used: 10-Stuart Holden, 16-Jay Heaps, 18-Luis Robles, 21-Brad Evans Head Coach: Bob Bradley
HONDURAS:
22-Donis Escober; 5-Erick Norales, 11-Mariano Acevedo, 2-Osman Chavez, 16-Nery Medina; 14-Carlos Palacios, 23-Roger Espinoza (7-Rigoberto Padilla, 70), 18-Melvin Valladares, 13-Carlos Costly (24-Georgie Welcome, 79); 10-Marvin Chavez (8-Allan Lalin, 65), 15-Walter Martínez (capt.) Subs not used: 3-David Molina, 4-Johnny Palacios, 12-Ricardo Canales, 21-Luis Ramos Head Coach: Reynaldo Rueda
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