US out of WC

June 22, 2006 in Sports

Watched the US WC loss to Ghana today. Slightly bummed. I didn’t really expect the team to advance, but hoped like h*ll. And because Italy downed the Czech Republic 2-0 this morning, with a win over Ghana they would have gone on.

That’s pretty good when your third game in the first WC round still counts. And I’m Ghlad about Ghana. The only African team to move on. I admit I have a soft spot for scrapping underdog Africans ever since Cameroon’s remarkable run in 1990.

But that’s about all the good I can take away from the US’ play this WC. They looked terrible against the Czech Republic, fantastic against Italy, and somewhere in the middle today. Their midfield is world-class. The defense was much better than 2002. Keller was adequate in goal. No bone-headed mistakes. But no amazing saves, either.

The refs killed them this tourney. And let’s face reality: the US will never get breaks from WC refs. What’s in the best interest for FIFA, a strong US showing, or a strong Italian showing? Follow the money…

But what really killed the US was their offense. They scored one goal in this tournament. (The other was an own-goal, people.) One. Their best striker is Brian McBride, whose weird upright stiffness makes him look more suitable for English tea parties than soccer. Their set plays are atrocious. Donovan’s weak kick out of bounds on a direct kick just outside the box in the 80th minute today pretty much drove a stake through the team heart. US crosses are weak, flat, and inevitably off-target, yet they rely on the lob as their main offensive arsenal. The forwards can’t beat anybody. They’re slow.

And look at all the awesome African strikers! There’s about six on the Ivory Coast and at least three on Ghana! Let’s start handing out some passports, people! If France can “naturalize” players from Morocco and Africa for their national team, why can’t we? Aren’t we a “melting pot”? If we can’t make strikers, let’s buy ‘em!

Of course no one wants to move here anymore.

I’ll definitely be pulling for Ghana. Other than that, I’m open to suggestions. I was pulling for Holland until I watched them play the Ivory Coast. I just don’t like ‘em. Germany?