Pregame: The big news for me isn't anything about the players, but the TV schedule. ABC and ESPN share the games and I figured ABC would show this big game, but no, God forbid we preempt The Tony Danza show. This stuff only comes along every four years. I mean for the Olympics we have to deal with 24/7 coverage of how some 13 year old's one-legged mother had to get up at 4 AM to take her to gymnastic practice on a rickshaw, but we can't upset middle-America's morning TV schedule for the biggest sport in the world.

After the last game I have a new lucky hat I'll be wearing. Thanks Jess and Darren, I'm hoping the hat works again and carries over to Oregon's football season.

First 10 mins: Lewis gets a complete BS yellow for an incidental handball. Luckily their star Essien also received a yellow. Both teams look flat.

20th min: Except for a corner for each team, nothing much yet. Both teams look like the teams from their first games, not second.

21 min: Reyna makes a horrible -- kid's soccer -- mistake and loses the ball while going down, giving Dramani a direct line to the goal, which he pushes past Keller with ease. Reyna doesn't look good.

26th min: The news comes in that Italy is winning. Looks like this game really is for second place.

34th min: Mcbride heads a great ball down to Donovan who launches it into the stands. This is the difference between the US and the top teams in the world -- Gerrard would stick that in the net everytime. The US just doesn't put great shots on goal enough.

40th min: Reyna off for Ben Olsen. I hate this move. You're playing for everything, ditch the defensive midfielder and bring in Eddie Johnson already!

45th min: I yelled at DaMarcus Beasley for sending the ball in instead of taking it straight to goal, but what do I know. It was a beautiful pass to Dempsey who crushed a one-timer into the back of the net. We're back baby.

46th min: After my "Nuremberg" post you'd think the US would get all the calls today. Not so, perhaps the German referee Markus Merk is taking revenge. He wins the "Asshole of the Day" award after giving a ridiculous penalty on a 50/50 ball foul in the box. Easily the worst call of the Cup and the US gets screwed by the refs once again. The Ghanans are flopping all over, and Essien should have earned a second yellow for his flop in the box earlier.

47th min: Appiah predictably puts the Penalty in the net.

Halftime: Arena has his excuse for the loss after that horrific call, but let's see some offense now. Time to go all out and attack that goal. The US has never come back when being down in a Cup game. Wynalda predicts a US 3-2 win...go lucky hat!

50th min: It's after 11, so I think it's time for a drink or two, or ten. I'll try to add some notes from there. What the hell is Arena thinking? You have 40 mins. to score twice. Bring in Eddie Johnson already!

53rd min: A great ball on a short free kick for the us and somebody (maybe Demspsey) completely whiffs it on what should have been an easy header in front of goal. Just sailed over the top of his haircut. And here comes Ghana flying with a long shot and a nice save by Keller.

61st min: Finally! EJ comes on for defender Cherundolo. They just flahsed the stat that the young Johnson scored 5 goals in his first 3 games with Team USA, begging the question: where's he been for the previous games?

64th min: A dangerous first touch for Johnson. My spirits are rising a bit, or maybe it's that first beer.

66th min: Oh, man! Mcbride just drilled a header straight into the post. They still looked dangerous around goal until a horrible touch by Donovan loses the ball. He hasn't scored in the last 17 games.

68th min: Onyewu (Guch) has a good look off a corner but heads it just over the top of the net. This is much better play...damn, that weak penalty kills. And another bad offside call against the US -- been happening all day.

85th min: Hmm, it's looking bleak. Brian Convey and Eddie Johnson came in this half, but far too late. I said it at the outset and I say it again, the US needs a new coach -- preferably one from outside our borders (Europe?). Donovan makes a great run and finishes with another uninspired pass instead of shot. The guy hasn't scored a goal in a year...he plays for the frickin' LA Galaxy, uugh.

91st min: It's practically over. In these final moments, and all throughout the match, the US team didn't look like they were fighting tooth and nail. They aren't the same team that played Italy on Saturday, and don't give me that "tired" crap. They had 4 days to rest, injuries yes, fatigue no. You should be able to handle 90 mins. of play every few days at this level, unless you're fat Ronaldo.

Games Over: Suddenly, the people who went into work just like a normal Thursday seem to have made the right choice, and didn't miss much. In Ghana, they had a National holiday, but we'll wait four more years to see if Americans will ever care about soccer. I say not until the US makes it as far as the semifinals, or Angelina Jolie leaves Brad Pitt for Brian Mcbride.

The Aussie's are next, and Matt is ready for a Socceroo win (or draw).

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Michael Davies and I are both thinking about the signfigance of Nuremberg for the US v Ghana game.  One of the commentators mentioned the location when talking about Iran's first game, as if the fact that their crazy President isn't exactly first in line at the Holocaust Museum has some relevance on their team's performance.  However, it's a bit different with the US.  I mean we are about 21 and 3 at Nuremberg -- well, more like 19-3-2, which is a pretty good record.  So we have some sort of freaky, morbid homefiled advantage going.  Too soon?

A long walk spoiled

First off, I know it's the elephant in the room, but I wonder what he-who-must-not-be-named would make of this whole World Cup. Nuremberg? Weird.

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So tomorrow's US World Cup game is on at 9:55 AM. So am I an drunk if
I go to a bar that early... No, I just really love America! And if you don't join me (even you west coasters at 6:55) than I have to question who you really want to win the war. As my hero, Anne Coulter, would say, "You traitors!" Get a beer tomorrow morning and support the team... and the troops.

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I've been a bit hard on the US guys and the US Soccer system, but in reality, who could stop this guy...
When he's not scaring babies or working on a Guy Ritchie movie, he's frightening defenders with his menacing eyebrows of doom.  Koller shaved and sculpted his skull to become a perfect heading machine as the US discovered in the opening minutes.

And who can blame the US side for being mesmerized by the pure Aryan beauty and ball skill that is, Pavel Nedved?
It's no wonder the US midfield and defenders parted like the Red Sea (hmm, lame cliche': "...parted like Paris Hilton's legs"?) every time he carried the ball to his strikers. He might get me to switch teams...if you know what I mean. Nedved says he's retiring from soccer after this; look for him to replace Mischa Barton as Ryan's love interest on next season's The O.C.

Enough looking back.  I've played both Winning Eleven 8 and EA's World Cup '06 enough to know the path the victory for Team USA. My extensive research shows that Eddie Johnson should be starting in place of Brian McBride (EJ played pretty well as a sub against the Czechs and even better in my game against Italy on my computer tonight).  Also, Bruce Arena should use the unlock code a-b-a-b-a-b-b-a up-down-up-down to create a Superhuman player named Wanker McWanksalot and give him a big afro in the edit mode. Or, just unlock Pele' from legacy mode.

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In every way, the US showed we are not ready for soccer with the big boys of Europe.  With the notable exception of our well-sung national anthem (in English of course), even the US fans looked and sounded out of place.

ESPN.com: Welcome to World Cup football

On the monitor in front of me, the stadium TV director cuts to a shot of Bruce Arena -- he looks like he just ate cement. Not funny, not fun. The U.S. fans are singing "Ka-sey Kel-ler" to the tune of "Let's Go, Hoyas." Lame.

Some people, like me, might blame the loss on the fact that the US team lacks a prolific goal scorer with experience playing with Europe's best.  Hell, even the Ivory Coast has a superstar in Chelsea's Drogba Didier -- they're in the midst of a civil-war but can still field a tough team.  While only three of the starters for the US played for a MLS club, the US team's go-to-guy doesn't play for Arsenal, or Real Madrid, or Chelsea...he plays for the frickin' LA Galaxy. 

Though Bruce Arena likes to talk about the US becoming a power-house playing "our" type of soccer, it's clear that "our" soccer is not a winning type beyond the weak North American and Caribbean region in which the US is lucky to play. Every World Cup is supposed to be US Soccer's coming out party, and every 4 years those hoping the US public will finally embrace the sport with half the passion of the rest of the world are deflated after the first 5 minutes of play.  2002 was a decent showing, but the US only escaped through their group with 4 points.  To become a true contender, the US needs to do what so many other succesful countries do and look for coaching outside our borders (will have to get the coach through our wall and National Guard border troops somehow).  We need to train our players in the foreign club system, not the college system here, or develop a similar club system in the US.  And we need some decent chants. USA! USA! USA!

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