For once, it looked like the USA could actually advance in the FIFA World Cup. After holding soccer powerhouse Italy to a 1-1 tie while playing shorthanded, it looked like the Americans could make it to the second round if the stars aligned. And everything was in place as we took the field to face Ghana yesterday. Italy posted a win over the Czech Republic, meaning that if the US won the game, the three points would put them into the second round. Unfortunately, the Americans didn’t hold up their end of the deal.
Scoring kicked off in the 22nd minute (there are two 45-minute halves for those unaccustomed to the game) when Ghana’s Haminu Draman stole the ball right in the box by the US goal and kicked it past the keeper to take a 1-0 lead. The red, white, and blue also lost their captain to injury on the play. Not to be outdone, Clint Dempsey put a pass from DaMarcus Beasley into the back of the net to even the score. Things were looking up until the stoppage time at the end of the first half (that’s the time they add to the end to compensate for time lost during running clock). A horrible foul was called on Oguchi Onyewu in the box, which meant that Stephen Appiah was awarded a penalty kick. He sneaked it past Kasey Keller in goal, giving Ghana the lead at halftime, which became the game winning goal. Ghana 2, United States 1. What did I learn from this game? That international refs seem to think that any time somebody falls down it was because there was a foul. With all the feet running and complex maneuvers that these athletes try to make, some are bound to fall by their own accord. That penalty kick cost us the game, and you can’t just subtract that from the final score and call it a tie, either (which wouldn’t have helped the US anyway). The Americans had momentum heading into the dressing room, and that goal was a devastating blow.
Well, maybe we can advance in the next World Cup. It’s only four years away…
2 Comments
June 24, 2006 at 6:04 am
[...] USA Eliminated from World CupAfter holding soccer powerhouse Italy to a 1-1 tie while playing shorthanded, it looked like the … And everything was in place as we took the field to face Ghana yesterday. … Well, maybe we can advance in the next World Cup. . [...]
June 24, 2006 at 6:06 am
[...] USA Eliminated from World CupFor once, it looked like the USA could actually advance in the FIFA World Cup. After holding soccer powerhouse Italy to a 1-1 tie while playing shorthanded, it looked like the Americans could make it to the second round if the stars … [...]