The U.S. dream is over

After a tremendous emotional win over Algeria that got the country energized to get into the round of 16, the U.S. blew it against Ghana.

Anyone that watches any type of sport understands what could happen and the similar story line of a team that gets that huge emotional win to get to the next round only to come out flat footed and lackadaisical. There is almost an attitude of "we've arrived" as they go into the next game/round.

That is exactly what happened to the U.S. They started off slowly and Ghana took advantage scoring a very early goal. Most of the first half belonged to Ghana as we just looked flat. Not sure what Bradley said to his guys before the game but I would have made sure to tell them that we have achieved nothing so far and that Ghana is going to come out firing so be prepared.

U.S. looked very good for much of the second half and seemed to be dominating and had good opportunities but again, could not finish. Donovan got the penalty shot and made a perfect shot that ricocheted off of the right post. The goalie guessed wrong but even if he had guessed right, there's no way he would have stopped that shot. When it was tied 1-1, I was feeling good and felt like it was our game. However, momentum started to shift later in the second half and regulation ended with the tie.

In the OT, Ghana again struck first and quickly. After that, the U.S. never seemed able to get a good opportunities. Ghana won 2-1 ending the U.S. dream.

After the game, people were disappointed but commended the U.S. team for their effort. I, on the other hand, am a bit more disappointed. We shouldn't be consoling. We blew it. We came out slow and we have difficulty finishing shots. You look at some of the other/better teams in the tourney and they know how to finish. We had a great opportunity to advance and we blew it. The thing is for some of these players, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have to wait another four years before we get another shot. Disappointing end for the U.S.