It took a dramatic, last-second goal from Landon Donovan, but the United States made it through to the knockout stages, emerging as winners of Group C.
With the second round beckoning, each game is now a win or go home, starting this Saturday against the runner up in Group D. And as the USA showed last year at the Confederations Cup, anything is possible at this point.
Here's a question for SBI readers: how far do you think the United States can go in this World Cup? Have your say in the poll below.
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How did you vote? Think the USA can make a long run now?
Share your thoughts below.
Uruguay is a very difficult team to break down when they want to be, and Forlan and Suarez are both playing for new contracts and transfer fees…so I would say if we face them, 50-50 would be generous for the US on Uruguay’s current form.
Can I change my vote? I said quaterfinals. We could make the semi-finals, if our legs hold up.
unless he wins the golden boot and cup for italy in 2014…
awwwww…. eff ESPN hosts…. and most american sports writers in general. they’ve always hated soccer and always will. it will take the next generation of writers who cut their teeth at the feets of soccer senseis like SBI to show he masses the light
Having Benny as an option off the bench is great. Gomez looked great, but I think he’s a better option off the bench as well, his energy against tired legs is incredible, the only reason he didn’t do more damage in the first half was cause Algeria was the fasted team we faced and they had a full tank of gas against him.
I want to see Holden get some more time and I still think Torres has something to contribute in this tournament as well, but coming off the bench. With two days rest I’m sure we’ll see everyone again as we claw our way to the the Final (knock wood).
Piece of cake, huh?
Weren’t Slovenia and Algeria supposed to be a piece of cake? Didn’t England think we were gonna be a piece of cake?
Some cats never learn….
If we make it to penalties I’ll take Howard every time, including Cesar and Casillas and his backup Valdes.
It’s anybody’s guess now, folks. Heck I could see Chile or Paraguay raising the Pokal this time round, so why not us?
TELL EM. Are there things to work on? No doubt, but so far we’ve found ways to overcome the obstacles, so keep polishing that rock Senior, pretty soon you’ll have a diamond!
home field huh? helluva lot of good it’s done all the other african hoe teams that are packing their bags….
Where did this weird notion that Ghana are an attacking football team come from? They’ve played eight major competitive matches this year and scored six goals. (OK, they did score six against Burkina Faso in ANC qualifiers. But come on.)
Another way to put this is that they’ve played 13 games this year all told and scored multiple goals once.
They’re an extremely defense-oriented side.
I have to hand it to the guy– Feilhaber’s been terrific in his two games. I don’t know what got Aarhus relegated, but either it wasn’t him or he’s totally flipped the script since national team camp started.
I was confused why he was playing over Stuart Holden at first, but it looks like Bradley sees them as having fundamentally different roles on the team.
I thought Gomez was better than the announcers gave him credit for. He was certainly much better than Buddle, who was, frankly, the worst American player on the pitch today by a huge margin.
I think the USA would drub Switzerland, frankly. We’re one of the few teams that can match their size and the US players are far more creative in the attack.
Holland, Brazil, Spain and Chile would give me white knuckles though. Especially Chile. Christ, but that team is fast.
I’m not 100% sure on this, but I believe that the USA’s 2009 Confederations Cup may be the only time in a FIFA tournament (World/Confed Cups– it must have happened in a continental cup, there’s so many more of them) that a team has ever advanced on three points.
I know, from hearing the announcers talk about it, that certainly no World Cup team has ever gone through after dropping its last two matches, though Nigeria certainly gave a credible effort at it yesterday.
Mexico looked better than Uruguay for much of their match…but one great play from Uruguay gave them the win…. but Mexico out played them most of the way… and we can play with Mexico any day of the week.
The U.S definitely showed why they are the monsters of the concacaf. I though we were going to choke against a team that on paper is less than us, but my red-white-blue proved me wrong.
The U.S can definitely reach the Simi’s. Ghana,Uruguay,S.K, are in the same lever as we are. We can take them out and vice versa. It’s who will wanted more.
Wait, are you sure about that? I thought they were wiped out in the quarter-finals stage, but carry over through the round of 16.
What game were you watching? The only red card went to an Algerian.
Also – let’s not forget that it didn’t take the USA until stoppage time to score. Dempsey scored in the first half, but the linesman (yes, I know they go by a different title now) blew the call.
Agree. Uruguay is a pretty decent team under regular circumstances and have been playing exceptionally in the World Cup so far. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.
Are they beatable? Yes, definitely. Will it be a struggle? Yes, definitely. Uruguay is a team that has to qualify with the likes of Brazil and Argentina, not to mention Chile and Paraguay. Don’t underestimate them.
Totally Off Topic…..Anyone know of a soccer bar in Marco Island Florida?
I think I’ll be the only yahoo screaming for the boys.
Landon almost broke the Internet.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-06/us-algeria-world-cup-match-may-have-set-internet-traffic-record