A 3-1 loss for the U.S. Men was a bit of a wake-up call on Wednesday. With the Honduras match a day away, the club is focused and ready for the challenge.CHICAGO, Ill. – Many people think that the turn-around time for the U.S. Men’s National Team is too quick. But for the players and head coach Bob Bradley, it couldn’t come fast enough.

Wednesday night, the men dropped their first loss of World Cup 2010 qualifying by an embarrassing 3-1 score. The team arrived in Chicago on Thursday and headed back out to training. They trained Thursday. They trained Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET, it’s go-time.

“I love getting back out on the field. The game can’t come faster enough for me,” U.S. captain and defender Carlos Bocanegra said. “The loss was a wake up call. We knew it was going to be a difficult game, and we got our butts kicked. If that’s not a wake up call, I don’t know what is.”

Prior to Wednesday, the Americans outscored opponents 7 to 2. While they are still three goals up on the competition, they’ve dropped into second place in the CONCACAF standings. For U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, Wednesday’s game left much to be desired.

“We weren’t satisfied with our play against Costa Rica,” Bradley said. “Every one of us is ready to move forward. It was one of those matches where across the board we came up short. We weren’t good enough. Period.”

But a couple-day turn around gives the club just a brief window to reevaluate the situation. Michael Bradley will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation. Conor Casey, who leads Major League Soccer with eight goals and one assist, was brought in hoping to spark the offense. Bradley declined on commenting on individual players or his game tactics one day before the qualifier.

“Our strength is playing as a team collectively,” Bradley said. “When this group has played together, prior to Wednesday’s match, we only lost three games - Sweden, England and Spain.”

The three goals is also a first for the U.S. men. They haven’t allowed more than two against a qualifying opponent in this round. A goal in the second minute set the tone for Wednesday’s match.

“The biggest problem for us was giving up that early goal,” Bocanegra said. “By letting them get the early goal we were forced to stretch ourselves out.”

Bradley said no matter what the game plan is come gametime, things can often be up for grabs.

“You try to do everything you can to everything you can to lead your team,” Bradley said. “You wish your words could be carried out both in an environment and in a game. For example, before Wednesday’s game I told the guys that you don’t win the game in the first 10 minutes. You need to manage the game. Everybody listens.

“And then there’s a series of plays. Things happen. This is soccer. You can have the greatest tactical plan in the world. But after a series of not-so-great reactions, the game changes.”

The U.S. Men are still fighting for top spot in the CONCACAF standings. They know that the qualifying process is a long one. But playing at home, they’re tough. The USA is 7-2-3 all-time against Honduras, plus 2-1-1 in World Cup Qualifiers. The Americans haven’t lost at home in a World Cup Qualifier since a 3-2 loss to Honduras Sept. 1, 2001. Since then they’ve boasted a 15-0-1 record in qualifiers at home.

Goalkeeper Tim Howard says no matter who packs the stands at these games, they feed off the crowd’s energy. June 24, 2007 the USA beat Mexico 2-1 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final at Soldier Field. A sold-crowd of 60,000 plus made it out for the match. Saturday’s match is expected to be near capacity.

“The Gold Cup final against Mexico was an exciting game for everyone,” Howard said. “As a player you want to be involved in big games with great crowds. We thrive off playing off big crowds.”

With Wednesday’s loss now in the past, the U.S. men are ready to hit the pitch and reclaim first place in the standings.

“We love it here,” Bocanegra said. “Obviously Soldier Field is a fantastic venue. We’ll have a good crowd. U.S. Soccer’s home is Chicago. We’re ready to get back out there.”