With the spectacle of their first match in Cuba in over 60 years looming on Saturday, U.S. star Landon Donovan says he just hopes the team took a lesson or two from their last CONCACAF World Cup qualifying away game.

The 'Nats kicked off semifinal round play with a slim, if not fortuitous, 1-0 win at Guatemala.

"We still have to learn how to play in these games," Donovan told Sports Illustrated. "You could tell we were naïve against Guatemala because we had a lot of young players on the field."

"The good thing is we got that experience and we won."

The Americans looked in dire straits in Guatemala when Steve Cherundolo was sent off with a second yellow, but rallied on a set piece goal by Carlos Bocanegra.

Donovan believes the visitors have to keep their challenges and their emotions in check when battling for CONCACAF's World Cup berths.

"Even with Steve, someone who's as experienced as anyone out there, you can still make two dumb plays and the refs are waiting to throw you out," he stated. "So we've got to get better at that."

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