The Morning After: Thoughts on USA-Ghana

For fans of the USA, yesterday was not the best of days, as Ghana proved to be too much for Bob Bradley‘s group, and picked up the victory 2-1 in extra time. For some, the World Cup in South Africa will be a disappointment, considering the possible path that was lying ahead for the United States. But others will consider this venture a success, in that it sparked an interest in soccer in America like we’ve never seen before. Let’s get right to some thoughts on yesterday’s game.

– The bad starts didn’t cost this team a lot before yesterday. They had managed to draw with England and Slovenia after bad starts out of the gate, and managed to beat Algeria. Sure, you can argue that they could have won all three games without the slow starts. But yesterday, it was simply too much. While the U.S. did tie the game up, the early goal from Kevin Prince-Boateng set the tone for Ghana, and allowed them to pack it in quite a bit on defense, which hurt any early chances for the U.S. to score goals.

– And in talking about the start of the game, you have to immediately question Bradley’s decision to go with Ricardo Clark. Clark struggled against England in the first match, and then Bradley opted for Maurice Edu. But for some reason, Bradley felt like yesterday was the day to insert Clark back into the starting lineup. It made no sense to me, and it cost the team an early goal because of the turnover in the midfield by Clark. However, while Clark probably should have never been starting, I want to give some blame elsewhere as well. As much as I hate to do it, I have to blame Tim Howard as well. Prince-Boateng’s goal wasn’t all that difficult to stop, but it was just in an odd position, and Howard couldn’t get a glove on it. It was a joint effort on the first goal, and unfortunately, it put the team in a bad position early on.

– The other questionable decision was of course the idea to start Robbie Findley. Findley had been starting in every game before he picked up a second yellow in the Algeria game, which forced the one game suspension. Problem is, Findley really didn’t do much the entire tournament, and while his quickness helps, he didn’t offer much more than that. He was fast, but he wasn’t efficient. He played well in the friendlies before the World cup, and I suppose Bradley was basing his decision off of that. But Findley’s role should have been more of a sub than that of a starter.

– The biggest question I have concerning the entire tournament is this: where was Edson Buddle? We saw Buddle for only a short amount of time, and I thought he made some things happen when he was in there. This guy can score goals (as he’s proven with the LA Galaxy in the MLS), and I think he’s a great option to have alongside Jozy Altidore. But there was clearly something that Bradley saw that we didn’t. Perhaps he wasn’t great in training, and that attributed to the decision. That’s just something I don’t get. We should have seen much more of him in this tournament.

– Speaking of Altidore, this was not one of his best games. He tried and tried to create chances, but he could never get anything going at all. He seemed to be a step slower than his normal pace, and just wasn’t getting the same type of opportunities that he usually does. Altidore has his critics, and for good reason. He has moments where he looks like all-world player, and then he has moments where he struggles mightily. They needed him to score more in this tournament, but it just wasn’t to be.

– To speak of a positive for a moment, let us look no further than Benny Feilhaber. He came in at halftime (which was the norm for him throughout this event), and gave the team a quick burst of energy. He almost scored a few minutes into the second half, and he sort of changed the complexion of the game. He was passing well and setting up key chances for his teammates. Of course, that’ll bring the questions about why we didn’t see him sooner in any of these games. However, Feilhaber played his role to perfection, and there’s no doubt that he’s only going to keep getting better.

– In talking about all of the problems that the U.S. had in this game, there’s something that simply can’t be overlooked. Ghana was a very good team. Prince-Boateng is a dangerous scorer and can strike at any time, and he’s going to cause problems for Uruguay in the quarterfinal matchup. Richard Kingson was just awesome in goal, and made some key saves. Also, defensively, Ghana was physical and always in the right place at the right time. They were ball winners, and that’s what you need in elimination games. They made the plays they had to make, and that’s why they are advancing and the U.S. is not. Some may have felt entering the game that the U.S. was the better team, but that means nothing now. Ghana was the better team yesterday, and that’s all that matters.

– The most significant question coming out of this game will focus around Bob Bradley, and whether or not he returns as coach of this team. It’s only the day after the loss, so in my opinion, it’s too early to make that call. I’m not basing my opinion solely on one game. Sure, Bradley has made some questionable decisions in his reign as coach, but he’s also made some good decisions. But I’ll give things a little more time before I start jumping to conclusions about what his future should be with this team.

– As for where this leaves the U.S. as a soccer country, who knows. Without question, this team had more backing and support than any team in history, as fans were taking down Twitter on a regular basis. People everywhere were talking about this team, and that’s good news. The exit will leave a bad taste in the mouth of some, but I think that alot of fans will remember this for the enjoyable ride that it was. The draw with England, the comeback against Slovenia (with the disallowed goal), and the magical score by Landon Donovan that put the U.S. in the knockout stage. Expectations were certainly higher than they had ever been, but that means we’re heading in the right direction. We will see where this team goes from here.

What were your thoughts on yesterday’s game? Where does the team go from here? What changes need to be made?