Wisconsin Soccer Central

Columbus Crew midfielder Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) earned his first World Cup qualifying cap for the U.S. national team Tuesday, on a dominant night for the Americans on his team's home field – and he should have had a goal, too.

After coming on to the cheers of his hometown fans in the 71st minute, Finlay ran on to a ball from fellow sub Jozy Altidore and seemingly scored 14 minutes later, only to see the goal waved off after he was incorrectly ruled offside. (Watch below)

But the former FC Milwaukee attacker wasn't complaining after the U.S. finished off a 4-0 rout of Guatemala in what was essentially a must-win game in the fourth round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

"I wasn’t off," Finlay told the Columbus Dispatch. (Read full article) "But, hey, it’s all right. It's part of the game. It was a really special moment, one that I'll always remember."

It was the third cap for Finlay, who made his international debut in January. The only player with Wisconsin ties to have scored for the full U.S. national team is Tony Sanneh (UW-Milwaukee), who had three goals in 43 caps from 1997 to 2005.

Wisconsin's national team players

With the win, the U.S. (2-1-1) moved into second place in Group 3, behind Trinidad and Tobago (3-0-1). The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the final round of qualifying, commonly referred to as the Hexagonal.

The Americans, who have qualified for every World Cup since 1990 after going 40 years between berths, close out the round Sept. 2 at St. Vincent and The Grenadines (0-4-0) and Sept. 6 against Trinidad and Tobago in Jacksonville, Fla.

On Twitter: @EthanFinlay13

Read more: Ethan Finlay lives dream that's off by just a little bit (MLSSoccer.com)

• Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) was an unused sub as Canada lost to Mexico 2-0 in a Group 1 qualifier Tuesday night in Mexico City. Canada (1-2-1) is tied with Honduras for second place in the group behind Mexico (4-0-0), which has clinched the top spot in the group and a berth in the hex, but is third on goal differential. The teams meet in a vital match Sept. 2 in Honduras, and Canada closes out the fourth round of qualifying Sept. 6 at home against El Salvador (0-2-2). On Twitter: @TosaintRicketts
• Chicago Fire midfielder Matt Polster (Milwaukee) played all 90 minutes as the U.S. Under-23 national team lost to Colombia 2-1 on Tuesday night in Frisco, Texas, and lost its two-leg Olympic qualifier 3-2 on aggregate. On Twitter: @MattPolster
• The U.S. Futsal national team, with defender Alex Tozer (Whitefish Bay Dominican) on the court and coached by Milwaukee's Keith Tozer and Mark Litton (Racine St. Catherine's/UW-Parkside), lost to the Argentina Under-20 national team 3-1 on Sunday and 5-1 on Monday to close out its trip to Buenos Aires as it prepares for May's CONCACAF Championships in Costa Rica. On Twitter: @amtozer14 @ktozerusafutsal