Santino Quaranta couldn't have asked for a better setting to score his first goal as a member of the U.S. national team.
Quaranta was making his first appearance for the United States in more than three years. Quaranta, a member of D.C. United in the MLS, broke a scoreless tie in the 75th minute before his home fans at RFK Stadium to help the Americans beat Honduras 2-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Brian Ching followed Quaranta's goal with a header four minutes later to seal the win.
"It's hard to explain how special it is," Quaranta said. "I was trying to tell myself all day just to enjoy it, but it was difficult."
Quaranta publicly acknowledged he had battled drug and alcohol addictions the past few years before getting another chance with D.C. United last year. That's where he started his MLS career in 2001. Now, his road to recovery has made it all the way to the national squad.
"To listen to the anthem was very emotional for me," Quaranta said. "It's been a fun, long road back."
The U.S., the two-time defending champion, is 23-0-1 in Gold Cup group play.
The Americans are 2-0 and lead Group B going into their final first-round match against Haiti on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass., where a draw will be enough to clinch the group and move into the quarterfinals.
Honduras (1-1) will face winless Grenada, also in Foxborough. Haiti (1-1) beat Grenada in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader 2-0.
Quaranta was one of several new players on the U.S. roster for the Gold Cup. Michael Parkhurst, a former Wake Forest player, started and played the entire 90 minutes. Parkhurst has now played in both games for the U.S. during the Gold Cup.
He came in as a sub in the second half against Grenada.
Freddy Adu will not play for the United States in the remaining games of the Gold Cup, Coach Bob Bradley of the U.S. said after the game.
Adu scored a goal in the Americans' opening 4-0 win against Grenada on Saturday at Seattle. He had one shot on goal Wednesday and was replaced in the 64th minute by Charlie Davies.
"This will be the last game Freddy will be here for the Gold Cup," Bradley said after the game. "That was part of the arrangement from the start."
Adu will participate in the preseason with Portuguese club Benfica, which he joined in 2007. Last season, Benfica loaned him to Monaco of France's Ligue 1, where he played just 169 minutes over 10 matches.
"It's important to get preseason in with your team," Adu said. "It gives you the best chance of being part of the team for the season."
Bradley said there will be no specific replacement for Adu on the U.S. roster. Because the Americans reached the final of the Confederations Cup on June 28 and were playing in back-to-back tournaments, CONCACAF allowed the United States to expand its roster from 23 to 30 for the Gold Cup.
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