While America can breath a collective sigh of relief
following their progression through to the knockout rounds of the World Cup
(despite losing 1-0 to Germany), the reality is that the hard work will have
just begun. At this point of the
proceedings all the lesser sides have been eliminated, and every opponent lying
ahead has won games and found success in Brazil. While questions will surely remain as to how
far the USA can go and if they can keep the dream alive, for now the reality is
that America remains in the World Cup, and they will go as far as the players
can take them!
Despite the defeat, the USA was competitive and could have
even snatched a draw against a vastly superior team. Germany sent in wave after wave of attack
throughout the game but the Americans repelled each assault very well. Omar Gonzalez, Jermaine Jones, and Tim Howard
all played great in the match, but ultimately the squad was undone by a
fantastic strike from Thomas Muller. Due
to the result in the Ghana vs. Portugal game, the USA would prevail even with
the loss.
But while we can stand proud and tall having emerged from
the “Group of Death” with a win over Ghana and a tie with Portugal, the road
ahead is going to take an altogether higher level of display than what we’ve
seen so far from America.
First up is Belgium, who is actually a pretty favorable
opponent for the USA. While they have
one of the most talented rosters on paper, they are quite young and
inexperienced. In their 3 victories at
the World Cup, Belgium has looked quite a bit lackadaisical, though each match
finished with a flash of pure individual talent that got them their wins. They showed especially strong character today
in overcoming a red card to defeat South Korea while playing a man down. Also, they defend strongly and don’t give up
many chances. For America to win they
will have to fight tooth and nail to the end.
But as is the nature of a World Cup, the path ahead will
only become more challenging should the USA prevail. The likeliest of roads through to a title
would include Argentina, the Netherlands, and then Brazil in the final. America would have to win each match to claim
the 2014 World Cup! Realistically, there
is no hope…
But while the team remains alive, USA fans can always hope
and dream. Additionally, this current
matchup with Belgium presents the perfect game in which to make a
statement. While the Belgians are
overloaded with young stars like Eden Hazard, Marouane Fellaini, and Vincent
Kompany, they don’t seem to have nearly as much fighting spirit as do the
Americans. While superior raw talent has
been their savior in each group stage match, they haven’t really clicked into
top gear, which I suppose is to be expected for a side at their first World Cup
since 2002. The USA could pounce on this
opportunity and really make their mark at this tournament.
While progressing through the tournament’s toughest group
surely will mark Brazil 2014 as a successful endeavor, if the team can start
winning games in the knockout rounds, this run can be seen as a tremendous
achievement, one that silences all doubt over the team’s merits, and fully
kicks the sport into mainstream popularity within America! The World Cup is where soccer legends like Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) are
made, and the current USA players have taken their first crucial step in the
pursuit of soccer immortality!
No comments:
Post a Comment