A long time in the making ...

... that goal, the American's success, this blog post.

In extra time, just as everything looked lost, this scrappy and talented American team tapped into unbelievable energy reserves to make one last, glorious, barnstorming run on the Algerian goal. And when Landon Donavan slotted home the rebound off Clint Dempsey’s selfless body thrust/shot, he made an emphatic statement for the future of this game in our country.

For 90+ minutes, over coffee instead of a pint, we cheered, screamed, agonized and celebrated. When it was over, I wasn’t sure how to shake the buzz. To the detriment of my considerable list of chores, I spent the rest of the day watching highlights, chasing that feeling of elation. It was without a doubt the most engrossing sports watching experience I’ve ever had. Choosing my words carefully, I told Krista it might well have been the best non-marital day of my life.

As it turns out the fallout from that goal is just as exciting. In topping Group C by virtue of goals scored (three, versus England's two), the U.S. has vaulted into what is without doubt the easiest quadrant of the bracket. Consider the FIFA rankings, however dubious they may be. The United States, ranked 14th, is the technical favorite (don't tell them that) for a spot in the semifinals, ranked higher than Ghana (32), Uruguay (16) and South Korea (47). This means it’s now guaranteed that from among this unheralded quartet there will be at least one surprise guest in the semifinals.

By contrast, in 2006, the semi-finals comprised Germany, Italy, Portugal and France — for those of you new to this, that's a who's-who of traditional football powers. The quarterfinals were equally stacked with the football establishment — Argentina, England and France. And if Spain had opted for more cynical gamesmanship and allowed winless Saudi Arabia to win their final group game, they, rather than Ukraine would have drawn Switzerland in the Round of 16 and found easy passage to an all-favorites quarterfinals.

Eight years ago in Korea/Japan, the Round of 16 resembled the one now set in South Africa. There is an argument, made tacitly or otherwise, that the tournaments not held in the cradles of football (Western Europe, first; South America, second) cannot provide an optimal environment for the tournament. There’s another argument that says if the best can’t perform outside the comforts of home, then they really shouldn’t be considered the best. I prefer the latter.

As it stands, France and Italy, the two finalists from four years ago are on their way back to the comforts of the Western world. I couldn’t be more excited about what their departure means for the rest of the Cup. As for those two [former] powerhouses:

Amazing.

USA 1 – 0 ALG

(USA) – Donovan (90' +1)

This game — the near-misses and the tension, the agony and, finally, the elation — it's the reason this sport and this tournament are the world's greatest.

Jozy Altidore was sensational — same, too, Michael Bradley. Dempsey finally showed up, peppering the Algeria goal. And Landon Donovan, reverting for most of the game to the timid Donovan of told, finds the goal that puts the U.S. through to the second of I'll check back a little later with a recap.

Meantime, celebrate. We're through the Round of 16, and top of the group, no less.

PREVIEW — USA v. Algeria

The blogging has slipped over the last couple days, but I'm up watching the Americans' final group game, and you should be too.

Yesterday's South Korea/Nigeria matched showed why the simultaneous final groups games can be so thrilling ... and so devastating. As Argentina trotted their way to a late-ish 2–0 win (the powerful Albiceleste didn't break the Greek defense until the 77th minute), second place—and with it, qualification for the second round—hung in the balance. It was edge-of-your-seat stuff. As South Korea clung to a 2–2 tie, Nigeria looked the stronger of the sides. But the African team couldn't find the final touch and they head home.

The U.S. finds itself in a strong position—win and they're in. They'll have to avoid the early let-up that has troubled them in each of the last two games. And they'll have to find goals. Not much more analysis than that. There is a series of other scenarios that, should the U.S. tie today, still sees them through to the second round — look 'em up. For me, all those scenarios are moot — just win the game.

My prediction: 2–0. I'll check back in after the game.

UPDATE: Just saw the lineup — Bornstein at left-back is troubling, almost mind-boggling. He's had more than his share of slip-ups in a U.S. shirt. But he's also had some big games — here's hoping he digs one out tonight.

Criminal!

Slovenia 2–2 USA

SVN — Valter Birsa (13')
SVN — Zlatan Ljubijankic (42')
USA — Landon Donovan (48')
USA — Michael Bradley (82')
**USA — Maurice Edu (86') **

We'll get to the goal that wasn't, but first a quick recap of everything leading up to it.

Entering the game with arguably higher expectations than for any World Cup game in their history, the United States neglected talking point #1: no early goals. To make matters worse, as they pressed for a first half equalizer, they gave up a second goal on a quick (and poorly defended) counterattack.

But, as we've seen time and again, this U.S. team is made of stronger stuff than any earlier version, and they came out in the second half looking to get back in the game. Landon Donovan's vicious strike from a narrow angle was perhaps the finest moment of confident, powerful football that U.S. soccer's longtime golden boy has ever produced. And while Slovenia rode out the Americans' subsequent momentum surge, the U.S. continued to look dangerous.

In the 82nd minute, Jozy Altidore, who was less than convincing in the preceding 81, finally made his mark. As AT&T keeps telling us, if you do it right, it only takes one second, and Altidore picked that particular second to use his muscle effectively — finally. His cushioned header off a long ball from the midfield found Michael Bradley streaking through the right of the box. The coach's son, somehow still battling charges of nepotism, will have finally have put those ignorant claims to rest, as he showed tremendous skill to keep the bouncing ball down. He may also have unlocked the key to taming the Jubulani: hit it with the underside of your boot.

And then the moment that the U.S. press will talk about for the next six days. There were no fewer than three fouls in the box before Maurice Edu coolly finished Landon Donovan's inch-perfect cross. But not one of those fouls was committed by an American player. Somehow, the Malian ref, who had demonstrated questionable judgment throughout, found a way to one-up his laughable yellow card on Robbie Findley. Only the referee knows who, but someone on the U.S. team was whistled for a foul. The goal was disallowed, and time ran off the clock.

What could have been the greatest comeback in U.S. soccer history (and one of the greatest in World Cup history), instead ended in a soul-sucking draw. With the game next week against Algeria now having even more massive consequences, the U.S. squad will have no time to mull over what-ifs. But if I'm any example, a nation of U.S. fans will do it for them. On the bright side, those were three of the finest goals I've ever witnessed a U.S. team score in a competitive match. The single-goal demons of four years ago have apparently been exorcised. Hopefully, that bodes well for next week's game, which may well come down to how high the U.S. can run up the score.

Unfortunately, I have to run to work, after which the wife and I hit the road for San Francisco — so I won't have a chance to post again today. (If anyone in SF wants to watch games tomorrow morning, give me a ring.)

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the game; please post some in the comments section.

USA v. Slovenia Preview (and prediction)

No two ways about this, the U.S. should win this game. Minimal talking points:

• No early goals — it's a fire that the US just can't risk playing with again.
• The defense must maintain their level from the last 86 minutes of the England game. Onyewu and Demerit were solid against a higher class opposition than Slovenia offers, but there's no room for a let-up tomorrow.
• Center of the midfield has to control the pace of the ball and find Donovan and Dempsey on the wings. If I were making the lineup, I'd pencil in a more skillful partner for Michael Bradley—Francisco Torres or Benny Feilhaber—but I expect that Bradley to stick with Rico Clark. No matter, our game might be bolstered by creative play, but it doesn't depend on it.
  
• Lastly, I mentioned in an earlier post that I think Buddle would make a better partner against Slovenia back line. I think he and Altidore share a physicality that might upset Slovenia's own. But I expect Bradley and I disagree on this point, too. The argument for Findley's speed against the large, and presumably slower, back line makes some sense. Either way, it's key for the forwards to have self belief and to test the defense and goalkeeper early and often ... ask Clint.

If we do those things, even just passably, we should win. And I think this team is more than just passably prepared. I predict a 3-1 US win. It's a bit of prognosticating that has as much to do with desire as genuine belief, but I've never believed in a U.S. squad more.

It seems that every competitive match the U.S. plays has broader implications for the sport in our country, and this match is no exception. Win tomorrow and we will further burnish our bona fides as a legitimate footballing nation, this time as a team who can win when expected to ... and, hey, even lofty Spain has trouble living up to expectations.

First Round Recap (part 1)

First round's in the books, and soccer's most exciting month has started, well, a bit drably. Too few goals, too little attacking, and, even for someone who appreciates the beauty of a tie, far too many ties.

Expect that all to change in the coming games. Despite the impression that everyone's on level terms, slight gaps have, indeed, opened. The teams that have the advantage will look to either defend it or extend it — everyone else will be chasing. Expect more goals and more excitement starting today.

The vuvuzelas have been one of two major off-field subjects (Jubulani ball being the other). The cultural implications still deserve discussion, but on balance these, too, have to be considered detrimental to the proceedings—both for the players (who, it seems, really can't hear above the din) and to the viewers (who, according to a Headers & Footnotes survey, just find it incredibly annoying). It's tempting to argue that the horn blowing betrays a lack of sophistication among its proponents and practitioners. The constant droning fails to register any change in the game—positive or negative—a trait that is the hallmark of some of the best spectator traditions (think a spontaneous, collective cheer for a great move or, more cruelly, chants of "olé" at each subsequent pass made around an overmatched team).

Football can be appreciated as a nuanced game, and, one argument goes, all those nuances are being flattened by the vuvuzelas' white noise. But it is also a passionate game (see: flares, hooligans, songs, etc.), and South African supporters have every right to vent their id how they see fit.

So instead, I'll just say that it's their arguments in favor of the horns that lacks sophistication. In story after story, the vuvuzela has been linked to indigenous tribal horns. Forgetting the fact that mass producing cheap, plastic horns is a dubious way of honoring genuine tradition, there are plenty of other holes in this argument. Presumably, the horns historically were used in isolation, no doubt creating a beautiful sound to resonate across the plains. En masse, these things retain none of that cultural significance.

One major historical lessons for the western world from late-20th century conflagrations in Rwanda and elsewhere is that westerners too often assumed all contiguous African tribes were the same. Fighting between Hutus and Tootsies, among other things, has gone a long way toward demonstrating how wrong and close-minded that assumption was. Nonetheless, arguments in support of the vuvuzelas draw on that very same fallacy by positioning the vuvuzela as an historical symbol for all South Africans. If divorced from issues of football, that suggestion could be considered borderline insulting in today's world. South Africa, after all, is a country of 11 official languages.

A last word on the horns: I expect (and hope) that some foreign contingencies, who we've been told have adopted the "instrument," will self-organize and, at the very least add some intentional rhythm to the incessant buzzing.

Ok, here's where we are in Groups A through D:

Ivory Coast v. Portugal

Ivory Coast 0 – 0 Portugal

The opening game in the so-called group of death ends with another scoreless draw. The first round of group games finishes up tomorrow, and I'll plan to post some thoughts on the preceding week. Regardless of what happens later today and tomorrow, though, the main talking point is this: the first round of a World Cup is invariably a cagey, cautious affair. In the lightening-fast group stages, an opening loss can spell disaster for any team, and four years of preparation can seemingly evaporate with one errant pass. Add to that pressure the jitters involved in finally realizing that four-year dream and, just maybe, a beguiling new ball (Jubulani post still to come, I promise), and it's no surprise that we've seen some tentative play.