By JOSHUA ROBINSON HAVANA - Two flags hung limp in the choking, viscous air that enveloped the Estadio Pedro Marrero. Not often seen side by side, the American and Cuban standards sagged in each other’s company, while a group of young men huddled on...

It's been quite awhile since that happened. But then, it's also been 61 years since an American national soccer team visited the communist-run island.

Both sides insist Saturday night's U.S.-Cuba World Cup qualifier is about soccer — not politics. But Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo ensures that American players wouldn't have the chance to visit this nation if not for the game.

"Obviously, we wouldn't know what to expect seeing that this is the first time being in the country," U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu said after arriving at the Melia Cohiba Hotel.

"But I think we're all just taking it in, trying to enjoy the experience and taking advantage of every moment right now,"

Coach Bob Bradley said he discussed the political situation between the two countries "a little bit" with his players.

"I don't think there's extra pressure, but we do understand the fact that this game will bring extra attention," Bradley said.

"We really motivate ourselves at times knowing that more people than usual will follow the match, and that it's an opportunity always to show off our team."

It's the U.S. national team's first trip to the island since an exhibition game in 1947, when the...
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