HERSHEY, Pa. -- "Nervous? Yeah, I'm nervous," Chris Albright said Friday afternoon when his father asked about butterflies. "This is the most important game of my life!"
It quickly turned into the greatest night of his life. The Penn Charter graduate never had time to let any nerves affect him. Just 44 seconds in, Albright assisted on a goal for the United States men's Olympic soccer team, and then a mere seven minutes later, he set up another one.Albright helped on yet another one, in the 22nd minute of the game, without touching the ball.
Taking all the drama out of the evening, the United States clinched its place in this summer's Olympics in Australia, dominating Guatemala, 4-0, in front of 12,299 fans at HersheyPark Stadium.
"Unparalleled," Albright said of the experience after he wrapped himself in a U.S. flag. "So far, I haven't achieved anything this special. It's a big relief. There was a lot of pressure, being at home. It was all there for us, and it worked out all right."
It served as a coming-out party for a new generation of American soccer players, who blazed past the Guatemalans from the start. The U.S. under-23-year-old team joins Honduras as CONCACAF's representatives to the Olympics. The Hondurans stunned prohibitive favorite Mexico with a victory on penalty kicks, after their tense semifinal played out to a scoreless tie. Honduras and the United States will play in the region final tomorrow afternoon, but that one is just for bragging rights.
Landon Donovan, who just turned 18 last month and already is in his second year as a professional in Germany, scored two goals as the United States surprised Guatemala with a new three-forward alignment.