| The United States lost 2-1 to Ghana in their final game of the opening round of the 2006 World Cup. The U.S. needed a victory to advance -- and for Italy to beat the Czech Republic, which they did -- or else they'd go home. The U.S. is going home.
Just as the game against Italy, this game was marred by controversial calls by the referees. After the U.S. tied the game just before halftime, the referees awarded Ghana a penalty kick during stoppage time -- though replays show that the "foul" was quite clearly a dive. Actually, every bit of contact from the U.S. seemed to cause three minutes of moaning and suffering from the Ghana teammates. I couldn't tell if I was watching the World Cup or an NBA basketball game.
Though the penalty kick sucked, the U.S. certainly didn't play well enough to win. Our captain, Reyna, decided to play footsie with the ball in the backfield instead of clearing it, leading to Ghana's first easy goal. In the second half, the U.S. couldn't capitalize on a number of excellent opportunities. Donovan -- who stepped in as "captain" when Reyna left -- completely overshot a free kick, and then later in the game chose to dribble out to the middle of the field instead of taking a WIDE OPEN diagonal path directly to the goal. Suffice to say, the "inspiring" efforts we saw in the game against Italy were sorely lacking in today's game.
I think it's time to go watch my Rose Bowl DVD, and see some real football... |
