The cold, blustery and wet conditions at RFK Stadium were nothing short of appropriate for the United States’ final World Cup qualifier, really: the fitting backdrop for the conclusion of a road trip which has seen little sunshine for the men’s national team. In the light of the car crash which severely injured forward Charlie Davies, most of the 26,243 on hand focused their meditations on one question: would the accident inspire the Americans to perform at the peak of their abilities, or would they simply fall flat in a match that both math and the accident had rendered much less of a priority?

It took nearly the full ninety, but the answer to that question eventually arrived – from a most unlikely source.

Defender Jonathan Bornstein nodded home Robbie Rogers’ corner deep into stoppage time, and the U.S., despite a plethora of missed chances, drew Costa Rica, 2-2, and avoided losing a World Cup qualifier on American soil for the first time since a 2001 game against Honduras (also, coincidentally, at RFK). Bornstein’s wasn’t the prettiest goal in the world, but it was just enough to stake the U.S. to the pride of first place in the region’s hexagonal table and, perhaps more interestingly, relegate Costa Rica to a playoff with Uruguay for a ticket to South Africa next summer. It was the fourth time in the last six games that the U.S. came from behind to take points.

“Tonight is not the way you draw it up on the board before the game, but it still showed the mentality, the spirit, and we’re very proud of that,” said coach Bob Bradley after the thrilling ending.