Requiem for a World Cup campaign

It was a tough ending to a good tournament for the United States. My biggest fear going into the Ghana game was that, with all the hype and excitement of the England game, the Slovenia comeback, and the Algeria drama, the casual American fan would tune in to today's game, see us lose, and say, "Wait, we lost to Ghana? Ghana? Seriously?" I worried casual fans wouldn't quite understand that 1) Ghana is a quality team and 2) simply making it to the Round of 16 is an accomplishment for the USA, no matter how easy their draw may have been.

Ghana is good, just as good as the US if not better. The fact that they were missing their best player (by far), Michael Essien of Chelsea, speaks to the fact that they've got a lot of talent to choose from. They're also quick, fast, and strong. But most important of all, each and every one of their major players plies his trade in a top European league, some with the very best clubs on the continent. Like some of our guys (Dempsey, Howard, Bocanegra, Bradley, Cherundolo), they are all accustomed to the speed of play of the World Cup.

I'm not saying I was incredibly impressed with Ghana - I wasn't. After a flying start, they never really pressed their advantage. It did seem they had their tactics right in the first half. Their five man midfield meant they could both crowd Bradley and Clark (witness the first goal) with a two on three in the center while also keeping incredible width on the flanks. Each time they switched the ball from one side to the other, Donovan and Dempsey, who had been trying to help defend the three central midfielders, had to sprint back out to the sideline to help defend the flank. All this running early on certainly didn't help keep them fresh when extra time rolled around.

As for the US, again with the early goals. Maddening, truly maddening. You would think Bradley would emphasize this to the point of scaring his players into not making mistakes. After such serious lapses in the first three games, I would personally send my team out with the express goal of keeping a clean sheet for twenty minutes. Don't take too many chances, smash it upfield when necessary, get behind the ball, whatever. Just make sure that it is 0-0 after 20 or 30 minutes pass.

But no. Ricardo Clark, poor guy, decided to try to beat a man at midfield with very little defensive cover, coughed it up to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who carried upfield with a lot of confidence and speed. His low shot was good, but Howard should always have his near post and he knows that. Not totally his fault, but he should've done better. It still took the US another twenty minutes to really start playing, and from then on out we had the better of the chances if not the possession. Bradley again covered all kinds of ground, but his final pass was just a few inches off. We deserved the penalty and then had three golden opportunities to take the lead, but wasted all of them. We don't have a great finisher. We don't really even have a very good one, and we paid for that.

So what's the final verdict? It's a respectable showing, a deserved 2nd round berth but no more. I thought the quality of soccer, on the whole, was good. They passed better than they had in previous tournaments and created their own opportunities in a way they usually don't. I think we are one of the sixteen best teams in this tournament, but just barely. Certainly no better than Ghana.

I do hope fans stick with the Cup, with the national team, and with the MLS. What we're seeing now is the fruits of the MLS - basically every one of these players grew up in the league and cut their teeth there. It may not be the English Premier League, and it may be boring as hell to watch a 1-0 game between Kansas City and Dallas on a Thursday night in front of 4,000 fans at Pizza Hut Park. But the quality is always improving, and the young players you see now will get a chance with the national team.

I live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, where there are literally a dozen pubs and sports bars within a five or ten minute walk. Each and every one of them was packed to the gills for every game the US played. Anyone who watched the Algeria or Slovenia game in a bar or restaurant will tell you what an incredible atmosphere it was. Soccer may never pass the big three (or four) in this country, but can't question its growth. I just hope it carries on and that people take a chance on the MLS and our national team over the coming years.