They've Done Us Proud

The US team can hold their heads high today after a grueling tie with Italy. The Masteoni red card was total bullshit. And that changes the game. We won the game of possession, played creatively: Donavan, Dempsy, Convey, these guys looked good. We were dangerous in the air with McBride and Bocanegra.

I am very pleased. At least this result makes the Ghana game matter and we'll hopefully see another game played with heart. It also makes the Czech-Italy game a must see as well. Rumor is, they will be played at the same time, so no teams will know the result and all will need to play assuming the worst.

I'll make my obligatory downside comment about the US - we've still yet to really score a goal. And I'm not sure if Donavan has EVER scored a goal in World Cup...

....so are we world class? No. Are we close? I'm not sure. But playing with heart can mask deficiencies in talent.

Good job, Arena, on the formation change and substitutes. He figured out our strengths and played towards them, rather than around them. I don't really like the guy all that much, but he's a good soccer coach.