Like many critics of the US Nat’l Team, I have to take back a few things. I didn’t give them a shot in hell in qualifying after a hard-fought but disheartening loss to Italy and a complete no-show against Brazil. Frankly, I figured Egypt would mop the floor with this US squad. Happily, they proved me quite wrong yesterday.

But. We also need to recognize a few things. Like that Egypt were a shadow of the team that played Brazil to the wire and beat the Italians. And that the Italians had to completely capitulate against Brazil in order to help the US go through. However, all you can do is take the tournament one game at a time and forget the past. That’s exactly what the US did and it paid off big time.

Donovan played well and Bradley and Clark played very well. Onyewu put in one of the best, if not the best, performances of his USMNT career. Demerit, Spector, and Bornstein played pretty well. But you can’t gloss over the fact that Dempsey played poorly for about 70 minutes, giving the ball away way too cheaply. If it wasn’t for his crucial goal (and a nice header it was) then it would have been another disaster outing for me. Charlie Davies had highs and lows. Altidore didn’t do much, and neither did Guzan.

So while the US passed this crucial gut check, it may be a Pyrrhic victory as they play Spain next. Now, after the US, Spain is a close second. A close second. I can’t root against my own country, but I do hope that if the US loses (which I think they will) then they do so with dignity. Spain has the ability to hang six or seven on the US, and the US has the ability to prematurely end the careers of some of my favorite players. It should be a riveting watch.

Current Mood: Wow |