Three And Out

It was not one of their more inspiring performances. Despite overachieving at the 2002 World Cup in Korea, the U.S. national soccer team was far from a shoo-in for the Round of 16 this time around, especially after being placed into the Group of Death. But the lackluster effort against Ghana, leading to a 2-1 loss in the one game everyone thought the Yanks were sure to win, sent the Americans home after three games in one lone point in hand.

I'm not going to criticize any strategic decisions made by Bruce Arena. There's a reason why he's the coach and I'm not. Would putting in certain substitutes into the game ten or fifteen minutes earlier have made a difference? I doubt it. What I will criticize, however, is that the U.S. failed to play with the aggressiveness that brought them such success last time around. I did not detect urgency in the U.S. play until twenty minutes were remaining in the game. Even then, the Yanks couldn't serve the ball into the box if their lives depended on it (which, figuratively, they did). So many successive corner kicks and free kicks and crosses went high or wide. Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley both had opportunities on breakaways to sprint forward into open space, but they squandered their chances by holding back and waiting for their teammates, and consequently the Ghanian defenders, to close in, shutting down the open room.

Clint Dempsey's goal for the Yanks late in the first half was the lone bright spot. Throwing caution to the wind, Beasley sprinted up the left wing and sent a cross over to Dempsey inside the penalty area. Without breaking stride, Dempsey made a perfect redirection and set the ball home. However, the equalizer was quickly wiped out with a weak penalty kick call on an Oguchi Onyekwu "foul." I can criticize the call all day, but the fact of the matter is that unless the Yanks managed to score a second goal, their tournament would have been over anyway.

My hat goes off to the Black Stars of Ghana. It is wonderful to see an African national team defeat the second-ranked and fifth-ranked teams in the world, en route to a Round of 16 berth. While the European and South American teams do continue to rule the soccer world, the occassional African or Asian team can give them a run for their money and exert itself as a member of the world's elite. Soccer is truly the world's game, and rest assured that I will be pulling for Ghana to notch an even more improbable upset as they challenge the Brazilians on Tuesday.