Sandra and I attended the US vs. Costa Rica World Cup qualifier in Salt Lake City last weekend and watched the US easily beat Costa Rica 3-0. The US followed this win with another big win Wednesday night by putting together a simlarly convincing 3-0 victory against Panama in Panama. The US is now in a good position to easily qualify for World Cup 2006 in Germany, which we’re counting on since we’ve already purchased tickets for all the first round matches in which the US would play. Here’s the US celebrating after Donovan’s first goal.
We enjoyed a nice weekend in Salt Lake City, not only because of the US victory. Rumors about having to be a member of a private club to order a beer in a restaurant or bar fortunately turned out not to be true. The morning of the game we wandered through Temple Square and encountered many Mormons of the non-proselytizing variety. You can easily spend nearly an hour wandering around the buildings. We then hiked from a light rail stop near the stadium (the University of Utah stadium is very nice for a college stadium, especially compared to the ancient San Jose State stadium where the Earthquakes play) over to Red Butte Gardens before the game. While I wouldn’t say that Salt Lake City is rich with lots to do and see, there’s definitely enough to fill a weekend. There was even a great Chilean deli on Main Street in what appeared to be the ethnic district (at least 4 non-American oriented businesses within a single block).
Below is a photo of Sam’s Army raising their BAF in celebration of a US goal.
