Clint Dempsey scored late in the second half and the United States held on to beat Cuba 1-0 in a sloppy and low-energy World Cup qualifier Saturday night, their first match on the communist-run island since 1947. Half of the lights at rain-soaked Pedro Marrero Stadium went out in the 86th minute, causing a brief delay before the final minutes, when which Cuba nearly tied it after a free kick.

Light on talent and with little soccer tradition, Cuba almost certainly won't make the 2010 World Cup. That makes Saturday night's qualifier against the United States, with its political overtones, the highlight of the Cubans' qualifying campaign. The United States, ranked 28th in the world and trying to earn a spot in its sixth straight World Cup, is making its first trip to the communist-run...