US Soccer and the Cuba Cinco

Forget about Ocho Cinco. The newest rebels: The Cuba Cinco. As the US Soccer Team beat Cuba in a World Cup qualifying match last night, they had some special fans in the crowd cheering them on. Five US soccer fans chose to ignore the government's ban on travel to Cuba and went to support their team by traveling through another country.

“It was pretty much a no-brainer,” said one who travels to every U.S. road qualifier. “The U.S. is playing Cuba and we follow the U.S. team. Then there’s the historical significance of the game. For people who are really fans you can’t miss it. The team’s playing here, embargo be damned. We’re not going to make a political statement. We’re just going to watch the game and take in a new culture.”

Americans traveling to a hostile country that has a storied hatred for our country? Sounds like a no-brainer to me. The US team obviously felt the love, beating Cuba on a bumpy pitch in less than perfect weather conditions. Clint Dempsey scored the only goal of the game for the US in the 39th minute off a loose ball, helping the team take the lead in group 1 of the World Cup qualifiers. The night got even more interesting at around the 80th minute of the match when the stadium lights when out and the place went dark. After some of the lights were restored, Tim Howard made a late game finger-tip save to preserve the win.