U.S. ties Costa Rica as fans salute Davies

While fans showed support for Charlie Davies, hospitalized after major surgery following a one-car accident Tuesday morning, his U.S. teammates rallied for a 2-2 tie with Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifying game last night in RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Trailing 2-0 late in the second half, Michael Bradley and Jonathan Bornstein, in added time, scored goals that dropped Costa Rica into fourth place in the CONCACAF qualifying.

In the 9th minute of the game, thousands of fans held up white cards with a black No. 9 - Davies' jersey number - while other fans waved large banners that read "Get Well Charlie."

The cards were the idea of the Baltimore Brigade supporters group to show support for Davies, who remained in serious but stable condition at Washington Hospital Center Medstar.

Honduras' 1-0 win over El Salvador put that country into the 32-nation field for next summer's World Cup in South Africa, while Costa Rica will now play Uruguay in a two-game playoff in November for a World Cup berth.

In yesterday's major game, Argentina topped Uruguay in Montevideo, 1-0, on a goal by Mario Bolatti to sneak into the fourth-and-last automatic berth from South America.

Other nations earning berths yesterday were Slovakia and Switzerland from Europe.

The first will take place Saturday, Nov. 17 on Field No. 1 at Mercer County Park in Trenton, with the second session at Penn's Rhodes Field on Saturday, Dec. 5. Both sessions start at 8 a.m.

Select players will be invited back for a second day of training on Nov. 18 and Dec. 6.

There is a $30 registration fee for each participant. Between the two tryouts, the MLS Expansion Draft will be held on Nov. 25, with a subsequent SuperDraft at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in January.

"This is very serious business for us and we will demand that players come to us in shape and eager to work hard," Union head coach Peter Nowak said in a statement.

The complete schedule is on page 57.

* Jamaica defender Orane Simpson was fatally stabbed in the violence-wracked Kingston slum where he was raised. A police statement said the 26-year-old Simpson, a Jamaica international since 2005, was stabbed multiple times on Tuesday, several hours after having a quarrel with a man in the Tivoli Gardens area. There have been no arrests. The Kixx announced its 20-game schedule for the 2009-10 Major Indoor Soccer League season. The team will play home games at the Liacouras Center on Temple's campus. The season opens on the road in Mexico on Nov. 15 with a game in Monterrey, followed by five road games before the home opener with the Rockford Rampage on Jan. 9. Heather Mitts, who played two seasons for the Charge, will return to the area as a member of the new Philadelphia Independence. Mitts played last season with the Boston Breakers of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). The Union will be the first visitors to test Toronto FC's natural grass facility, on Apr. 17. MLS' lone Canadian team will install the sod at its BMO Field during the offseason.

The Union is making good on a promise to scout homegrown talent. The new MLS franchise has announced plans to hold two open tryout sessions.