So far, it’s USA 0, Ghana 1 in the first half.
AT THE HALF: USA 0, Ghana 1. I think it would tear the time—space continuum for the USA to score first.
UPDATE: Donovan takes the penalty… and scores! USA 1, Ghana 1.
AFTER TWO HALVES: USA 1, Ghana 1. One day the USA will learn to play two halves. We’ll be getting an extra 30 minutes.
UPDATE: Shit! Ghana scores.
GAME OVER, MAN: Ghana goes on. USA goes home.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Howard was out of position on the goal. Left foot coming down left side there’s no excuse for getting beat near post. Pretty even match otherwise.
Calls have been fair so far, but conspiracy theorists will note that Ghana is the last African team left in the draw in a WC in Africa. You do the math.
The US so far has looked much like they did in the first half against Slovenia…like shite. The good news is that they’re only one goal down instead of two. Could they possibly have any magic left in them?
So far this match is going the total opposite of the way I thought it would. Ghana are playing way better than they did in the group stage.
That’s more like it! Come on U.S!
Okay. Here we go!
Penalty well-deserved and well-taken. Looked to me like the third time Ghana committed a foul in the box too.
Tied up, PK off the post. Ghana seem to be following the Uruguay passive defense sitting on their lead in the 2nd, and it backfired just as it did for Uruguay.
Nah, the first two were clean. Ghana has started to sit back, but the US has also been strongly pressing. I hope they keep it up rather than settling back now. It seems to work for them.
What the fuck was that from Bradley? It’s finishing like that that worries me.
Holy crap, how many great chances can one miss in a game?
Nice Mike Bossy-esque effort from Altidore, though.
That’s what you call a finish. Fuck.
Everything balls said about Korea…the same holds true for the States. A wasted opportunity.
Was gonna say same thing Berg.
FUCK!
Well, that’s depressing.
let’s all get together and root for japan.
pilsung jepen!!!!!!!!!!!
必勝 ジェペン！！！！！！！！！！！！！
Hey i hate to say i told you so but i knew it was goin’ to be an insidious game for the Americans…anyway American fans don’t feel bad: your time will come, soon
Can’t control the ball. Passes to nowhere. Those that somehow arrive to a teammate need 2 or 3 touches to be controlled. Most of the time can’t advance the ball past midfield, so it’s lob it in and hope for a ricochet to another American. Poor finishes. Donovan came close to botching that penalty, and he did poorly delivering the ball from corners. US came off as lethargic. Korea played the same game until through the 90s until Hiddink whipped ‘em into shape.
There was nothing insidious about it. Ghana finished, the USA didn’t. And what seouldout said.
Mr. Koehler i still believe, call me idiot if you want but i still believe that somehow Germany would have been a better match for Team America
Seems to be the standard of this abysmal World Cup except for Argentina and sporadically Brazil and Spain
Germany displayed utter control of all facets of the game when it faced Australia, and it dominated Serbia despite being a man down. I think the Germans would have shredded the US.
And Chile, chile were great to watch. Brazil v portugal wasn’t the spectacle it was meant to be it was the most foul ridden cynical diving expo. But now either Uruguay or Ghana through to the semi. Well at least Korea gave it a go (when they were trailing). I think Ghana wer given many favours in the group stage, but it seems like they earned this one, or the US deserved it less.
So looks like it is out of Spain, Germany, Argies, Brazil to win this bad boy.
Which is like saying they did good in the Guyana snowboarding scene. Germany seemed really a modest team against Ghana, a game that could have gone either way.
Podolski also is so awful he wouldn’t seem out of place in Marcello Lippi dream team
A good game. The US played well. Ghana played better. The energy level of these African teams are amazing and they have been getting better in ball handling ability as well.
Both teams passed well.
American team needs a go-to guy. A superstar player, like Messi, who can go through players and create chance. Or, a super-killer like Suarez.
Without the world-class players, a team is just a bunch of kiddies passing the ball to each other. No breath-taking attack.
This thread is giving me de ja..lu.
“American fans don’t feel bad: your time will come, soon”
A LOT can happen in the next 4-12 years. All kinds of good and terribly deep shit, including one’s death. Soon is never soon enough.
Anyway, only one thing left to say…Ganbatte, Nippon!
i understand it’s part of the game but damn the ghana players for wasting time at the end. floppin like a mofo. it was getting ridiculous at times. the ref should’ve done something about it.
Australia’s had one poor game in the last 7 world cup appearances – and that was against Germany. We dominated Ghana with 10 men for 80 minutes. The US and Australia are actually very similar teams, both in terms of ability and style.
The idea that the US would have done better against Germany is ridiculous.
It’s a dissapointing loss, because this side of the WC has opened up. I think the US could have beaten Uruguay, and with momentum could have gone on. Korea, for mine, would have been the tougher opponent.
In fairness, a top 16 place is still a decent result for the US, and they played positive football, which is more than can be said for some teams. They’ll only get better.
One sad fact that US Soccer needs to confront: In the last 4 World Cups our strikers have been comparitively awful.
1998 – One goal from McBride in 3 games
2002 – Two goals from McBride in 5 games
2006 – Zero goals in 3 games
2010 – Zero goals in 4 games
Outside of a couple game-winners from McBride in 2002, it’s been rather abysmal. Altidore is still young and has potential, but it’s time to start turning potential into production.
Maybe it’s time to bring Alec Baldwin in for a motivational speech a la Glengarry Glen Ross. “‘FUCK YOU,’ that’s my name! Coffee’s for closers!”
See also: Ben Affleck doing Alec Baldwin in Boiler Room.
So now the U.S. is ghana. (Get it? gone-a? Too juvenile for the sophistes at The Hole? OK never mind.)
Here’s my beef: why the 2.5 hour gap between World Cup games? Can anyone explain why there has to be two and a half hours from the end of the early game till the start of the late game?
I’m ghana give that a thumbs down.
I’m ghana take my ball and go home.
Gee, who doesn’t? I’d settle for someone like Miroslav Klose.
“Can’t control the ball. Passes to nowhere. Those that somehow arrive to a teammate need 2 or 3 touches to be controlled. Most of the time can’t advance the ball past midfield, so it’s lob it in and hope for a ricochet to another American.”
Yup, throughout the tournament this seems to have been our method for trying to advance the ball downfield – have Tim Howard boot it as far as he can, rather than for the midfielders to gradually advance the ball while maintaining possession – like the good teams do. Maybe this strategy acknowledges that we simply lack the skills to string several good passes together, and this at least gives us a chance. It also can be fun to watch if it works. But, you’d think that with all the professional experience these guys supposedly have, that they’d be better at passing.
But… What would winning in World Cup get us that “letting” Ghana win won’t?
We’re not as smart as Russia, it seems…
“One sad fact that US Soccer needs to confront: In the last 4 World Cups our strikers have been comparitively awful”
Agreed, if America ever wants to consistently get farther in the world cup, they need a striker that can execute on occasion. Altidore isn’t that guy.
Midfield play has been solid the last few world cups.
Some defensive lapses to be sure. There always is.
Anytime America makes it to the second round, it’s a little victory. But I think America had a good chance this year of beating Ghana and Uruguay to advance to the semi finals this year.
With Korea and America out, I can get some sleep.
BFD.
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