2010 USA Recap (Knockout Stages): The Road Not Taken

Heading into the Round of 16, USA fans were giddy with excitement as the team's tournament had been flipped right side up. In the span of a few minutes, the USA had gone from a disappointing group-stage exit to topping their group (full details in Part I). Furthermore, the knockout bracket setup could hardly have been kinder to the USA.

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It's possible to find a workable matchup in the Round of 16 as there are some average teams that make the knockout stages in every World Cup. Winning your group as the USA did usually helps as it means you're paired with a group runner-up as opposed to a group winner. Rarely, however, does a team have a clear path to a World Cup semi-finals, but the USA found themselves minimally obstructed. There was no Brazil. No Argentina. No Spain. In their way stood a very ordinary South Korea and a dangerous but beatable Uruguay. And Ghana. Before the Americans could concern themselves with the Koreans or the Uruguayans, they would have to deal with the only African team remaining in the tournament. There would be an element of revenge in the game for the USA as Ghana was the team that essentially knocked the Americans out of Germany 2006 four years earlier.

One of the harmful trends of the USA team in South Africa 2010 was a tendency to concede an early goal. England scored four minutes into the opening game, and Slovenia opened the scoring on 13 minutes. It happened again against Ghana with the USA falling behind after only five minutes. USA midfielder Ricardo Clark received a pass in the middle of the park under moderate pressure. He tried to sidestep the defender but had his pocket picked in the process. The turnover left the USA defense out of position, but it hardly seemed that a goal-scoring opportunity was imminent; Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng had half the pitch and both USA central defenders between him and the goal. Boateng drove towards both defenders while Clark chased him from behind. Neither defender closed Boateng down which proved a critical mistake. Boateng kept coming and surprised the defense and USA keeper Tim Howard with an early shot. 1-0 Ghana.

After the goal, the game turned into a back-and-forth affair. Ghana's speed continued to trouble the USA backline while the Americans began to find some seams in the Ghanian defense. Forward Robbie Findley had a gilt-edge chance when he was put through by Clint Dempsey, but he scuffed his shot tamely towards goal. Kwadwo Asamoah nearly doubled Ghana's advantage, but his low strike produced a sharp kick save from USA keeper Tim Howard. The teams went into halftime with the score still 1-0.

The USA came out with intent after the break and attacked with real high-quality. Altidore slipped Benny Feilhaber through on goal before Ghana keeper Richard Kingson expertly denied Feilhaber's shot. Donovan hit an inswinging cross inches wide of Dempsey at the far post. Although Ghana threatened on the counter-attack, you could feel a USA goal coming, and the breakthrough did indeed arrive in the 61st minute. Dempsey nutmegged a defender at the top of the box after some slick interplay, and he caught up with the ball a split-second before Jonathan Mensah's slide tackle. It was a clear penalty, and the referee showed no hesitation pointing to the spot. Landon Donovan assumed responsibility, and USA fans held their breath knowing this would be a defining moment in the match. The Americans deserved to be level, and this was their chance. Donovan collected himself and side footed to the keeper's left. The shot was too close for comfort, but it caromed in off the post restoring hope for America. 1-1.

After Donovan converted the penalty kick, the momentum was there for the USA to go on and win the game. Twice Altidore found himself one-on-one with Kingson only first to be denied by the goalie's brilliantly-timed slide tackle and later by pulling his shot wide of the goal. Ghana failed to produce any clear-cut chances, and when the full-time whistle blew, there was an uneasy sense the USA had missed their best opportunity to win the game.

When the two teams came back onto the pitch, the stakes were clear. Two fifteen-minutes halves followed by penalties if no winner was established after thirty minutes. It didn't take long for the status quo to change. Only three minutes in, the USA hit a long ball towards the Ghana back line. The Africans headed it clear and socked the bouncing ball upfield without any real intent. It was at this moment that the USA central defense crumbled. The two American defenders, Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit, were long on experience and moxie but short on pace. Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan was not. Starting from at least a five yard deficit, Gyan burst between the two USA center backs, rode a shoulder challenge from Bocanegra, and hammered a volley right past Howard's face. It was a spectacular combination of pace, power and accuracy, and the USA had been sucker punched. The USA pressured for the rest of extra-time but never really threatened. When the final whistle blew, Africa could celebrate a team in the quarter-finals, and the USA were left to rue missed chances. Full-time score: Ghana 2, USA 1 (ET).

(FULL HIGHLIGHTS: USA-Ghana)

The USA team was greeted warmly upon their return to the States. Landon Donovan made the rounds on the late-night television circuit. His goal vs. Algeria won the 2010 ESPY Award for Best Moment beating out the Saints post-Katrina Super Bowl victory. And the USA deserved the kudos. In South Africa, they had played attractive soccer, gone toe-to-toe with every team they faced, and provided some very memorable moments (don't forget about Michael Bradley's game-tying goal against Slovenia).

Yet there was still a feeling of what could've been. The 2010 team may well have been the best-ever USA squad, but they were not elite by international standards. Brazil, Spain, Netherlands or Germany they were not. Due to the bracketing gods though, they didn't have to be. If the USA had beaten Ghana, they would only have had to defeat Uruguay to make a World Cup semi-finals, and that would've been something. After it aired, the USA-Ghana game became the highest-rated soccer match ever televised in America drawing 19.4 million viewers (that was later topped by the Spain-Netherlands final). There's no doubt a USA-Uruguay quarter-final would've drawn significantly more viewers and a semi-final exponentially more. America is a country that likes winners, and the USA had a golden opportunity that slipped away against Ghana. 

Onto 2014.

(To see Part I of this article, click here)