Jump back, what's that sound?

It's the sound of the U.S. topping CONCACAF's final round of qualifying, that's what it is.

Pretty good game against Panama considering who was starting - a young team with two players getting their first caps (Mapp and Carroll), and few real veterans of the 2002 team (Eddie Pope was the only player on tonight's roster who actually played in the Germany game, and he stayed on the bench). Kyle Martino and Taylor Twellman got their first international goals, and just a handful of minutes apart - Martino's was a great first-time shot out of the air that snuck past the near post, while Twellman did well to finish when the Panamanian keeper came off his line and misplayed the ball.

As good an outing as it was for Martino, Twellman, Mapp and Carroll (the latter two of whom got specific postgame praise from Arena for their performances in their first caps), it must have been disappointing for Brian Ching, another possible candidate for second striker in Germany. (There's also Landon Donovan, but he can play attacking midfield just as well, as he mostly did in 2002.) He didn't get in until the 74th minute and had an awkward handball in the box - while under exactly no pressure - lead to a penalty kick that was fortunately pushed wide left.

The U.S. did look pretty good, though. The team seemed to take a while to get cohesive on offense, but Panama rarely was able to pose a significant threat in the other direction, and considering the third-string U.S. team thrown out there, that's pretty good. (Especially since Panama is much improved recently.)

Combine the win with a Mexico loss and the U.S. tops the group for the first time since the final round expanded to six teams in 1994. Eddie Lewis' goal at Azteca looks pretty huge now, doesn't it? Of course, before we get too excited, remember: Costa Rica's "reward" for topping the group in 2001 was a place in the same group as Brazil and Turkey, the eventual champions and third-place finishers respectively. On the other hand, it's not clear whether seeding is actually based on group finish or world ranking (though said ranking can be affected by the same things group finish is - namely, wins, draws and losses), which might better explain 2002 from a Costa Rican perspective. As long as the U.S. doesn't end up in a Group of Death I'll probably be happy enough, though. There's no reason why this team shouldn't be able to hang with most of the world.