I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm really pumped up for this game. Go USA!

I'd say Ghana with the way they played last game but since they are missing 2 key players because of cards I say US wins 1-0 on only 1 shot and their 2nd of the tournament but still fail to advance.

Not that I know anything about the strength of Ghana, but if the US plays like they played Italy, then they'll win. If Italy plays the way they played against the US, the US won't advance.

Ghana is a physical and athletic team and the USA showed real heart against the Italians playing two men down. I want to see Eddie Johnson get in there because I think he has the ability to break the game open with some goals. Im pulling for the US, but for the Italians even more. I'm calling for an optimistic 2-1 win for Sam's Army.

The US hasn't scored a goal yet int he tournament, and they're missing two very strong players. Ghanna has looked very good. My magic eight-ball says "outlook not good".

I think this'll probably be a draw. It's a tough one to call.

The Czechs kicked your *** and then Ghana beat them. But, Italy beat Ghana fairly convincingly and you nearly beat Italy.

Ghana has their two leading scorers out for this game due to yellow cards, don't forget that.

QFT

I think the US comes out pumped and wins 2-1 with Ghana getting a goal late. GOOOOOOOOOOOO Italy!

Yeah, but the USA is sitting two key defenders for the same reason. That's kind of a wash as I see it. Fact is USA needs to score to win, and they haven't proven able to do that yet. I think it's going to be a great game either way.

Probably, but let me have my hope damn you!

Well Ghana is now up 1-0....

Hope this holds so I can win some cheddar!

What a stupid mistake by the USA.........just horrid play.......looks like four more years for the U.S??

Italy is up 1-0..so if the U.S. can pull of the comeback...they go through.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Perfect ball by Beasely....wow. One goal changes it all.......Italy is up....things are falling into place...just need to get one more goal baby!!!!

Wow, USA actually scored a goal all on their own.

Edit: and now 2-1 Ghana on a Penalty

This sport is officially broccoli. That is all.

Oh my f*cking god....the ref just handed Ghana a PK.....that is flat out bullsh*t.


The U.S. hasn't played great this World Cup, but the refs are f*cking them over big time....that is rediculous.

Were not even getting a reach around

Czechs are now down a player thanks to a Red Card. So that just opens the door for the US, but can they find their way through it?

Ghana is up 15 men to 10 when you count the refs

I'm not watching the game but there is talk that the goal Dempsey scored was offsides? Are these just haters or was there a case that the refs might have flubbed that as well as the alleged no penalty?

Disclaimer: I am not a US hater, just not a believer. Sure it would be nice to see them move on but I didn't believe the hype. Glad I didn't or I would be completely pissed off. My heart lies with Portugal.

As a non-soccer expert I can't definitively say. But the US player did not seem to be behind the Ghana player when the pass was made to me.

It didn't look like offsides to me when I saw it, but I must admit that I didn't really look for an offsided either, so if it were replayed it may be there. Sure, no one is saying that EVERY call is going against the U.S, but come on, anybody can see that the U.S. has been on the bad end of some pretty bad and harsh calls...that was not even CLOSE to being a penalty kick..and our cards in the Italy game were bullsh*t.




The pass was took a long time to get there...so I think the player was onsides and just snuck behind the defense over the course of the pass rolling across the box...but I'd have to see a replay again, I didn't look for an offsides and am certainly no soccer expert either.

Ummm did anyone else see on that last US Corner kick a Ghana player blatantly pushed a guy right onto the ground who had a chance at the ball. I give up on this sport. Can't wait for real football.

I will say that the USA got ****ed over hard and fast by the refs in the Italy game. Can't comment on this till I see it on replay tonight.

It's not like I expected the US to advance anyway - I'm not one of those blinded "US rules everyone else sucks" types. I know they aren't even close to the talent that is out there.

But I like to think we at least had a shot to advance a round. All these terrible calls, blatant non calls, people faking injuries and going off on a stretcher only to return 15 seconds later. I can't take this crap anymore.

To the world: you can keep your soccer.

They must be calling something since I see Ghana has been called for 22 fouls which is absolutely ridiculous!

I love Soccer. Played it all my life from 5 years old till last year (33).

Ahh, Eddie is finally in (should have been in games ago).

Yeah but it's fcking exciting, no?





USA is pressing so hard now...good thing Landon can't even trap the ball, much less get a quality shot off. He gets added to the dead-to-me list with Bruce, Reyna and Marcus Merck when/if we lose/tie this.

It was exciting when we weren't getting bent over to touch our toes. I think i'd rather watch Saved by the Bell re-runs then the rest of this game

2-0 Italy. We need 2 goals to move on as a tie is worthless.

Has anyone seen this man???


Looks like the U.S. will be waiting for 2010....

I for one, unlike Dreamclown, will not be waiting.

I've seen him. He's busy shooting the ball 50 feet over the goal, then passing up a wide open shot from inside the box.

When? When can the US not fu ck up in the World Cup?

When. Unbelievably disappointing. Who's coming up? Who do we have in the future?

The US team is a joke.

I wanted to slap him so hard for that...




We have some talented young players, but until they start going overseas and competing in the top leagues we are always going to be behind the rest of the world. MLS is like double A ball.

New sig for me.

By the way, good for Ghana. They played 2 (really, 3) great games in a row and deserve to advance. They were definitely at least the 2nd best team in the group. I hope they give Brazil a good one.

Yea, Ghana should be proud, they played well in all thier games really and advanced when no one was giving them a shot.

I am happy for Ghana because well, I won money, and because I think it was good for one of the first timers get on to the second round. Sadly they will meet their demise playing Brazil. US didn't have a change of getting any further either so at least we don't have to watch one more USA game.

I put all my blame on one person. That would be Brucey. I don't like Brucey. I don't like his style, and I hate his choices before and during matches. Get rid of him...NOW!

GO PORTUGAL!

Me too.

well that sucks for the USA but i think it showed several things:

1. Bruce Arena seems to have been outcoached in at least 2 of the games so I wont be to disappointed to see him leave

2. we sure got the short end of the stick when it comes to getting any calls from the ref. Not sure that we deserved to be playing down from the start but we definately were.

3. If this wasnt a wake up call for donovan I am not sure what will be. He needs to get overseas and get with a real club where he can really improve if he wants to continue to be the star of the USA. His "homesick" bs just isnt going to fly anymore if he wants to get the respect he thinks he should have

4. Hopefully its a wake up call to american soccer in general that it still has a ways to go. We showed we can stick with teams now we need to show we can beat those teams. In 4 years we need to have made significant strides towards being a better team

i hope that with arena being on the verge of getting the axe, this will mean that Jonathon Spector will start getting a game for the US and that we will put on a full court press to get Guus Hiddink to be the coach and to somehow get Giuseppe Rossi playing for us.

Rossi said that last summer BA made only a nominal attempt to get him to play as he checked through ManU if Rossi could play. Arena claims that he offered asked Rossi if he wanted to play and Rossi turned it down. Personally I believe Rossi.


This WC showed me that we need to radically change how we approach the game and our style of play. If we are supposedly one of the most fit teams there, then why on earth were we not pressing and attacking left and right. Eddie Johnson barely played and most of our players outside of Clint Dempsey looked like crap. Donovan showed that he hasn't come along at all as a player, and Beasley was sleep walking through the tourny.

BA poorly coached the whole way, by constantly insisting on a 4-5-1 and even in using the 4-5-1, setting it up in a way that didn't do two things:1) provide long balls to McBride to knock down and 2) have the midfield set up as such to have two attacking midfielders in the middle supporting McBride. He also didn't use the last sub in the Italy game when Eddie Johnson was desperately needed to come on and provide some fresh legs and someone that can put the ball in the net and make Italy's life miserable in the back. He did a generally poor job of scouting and stuck with his veterns way too long along with continuing to play a defensive style. THe world figured us out after WC 2002 and the world has studied how Greece worked the defensive style to perfection.

Getting back to what needs to change. We need to really focus on scouting in this country and trying to identify flair players. We also need to stop over coaching young players and just let them play. Players shouldn't be heavily coached until they are at the U-14 Level IMO. What we have is players as low as the U-10 level being heavily coached and put into positions that may stymie their natural attacking flair. We also need to stop it with the politics crap and put on the best players and best team.

We need the MLS to stop playing a industrious style and start encouraging a more attacking style of play. We also need to get in touch with the fans that have gone to games where european sides play in our big stadiums and somehow find a way to get them to watch MLS. I'd be willing to bet that if the league was a bit more exciting then they would be able to put up with a lesser quality of football. We need to get more latino and African-American people coming to and watching MLS and we need to find a way to make them want to do both. THere is no reason that it can't be done.