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.

2010 USA Recap (Group Stage): One Shining Moment

The United States' performance in South Africa 2010 was different parts encouraging, stressful, joyful and disappointing. Going into the tournament, hopes were high. The USA was spurred on by a surprising run in the 2009 Confederations Cup that saw the team advance further than ever before in a FIFA tournament. After beating Egypt 3-0 in their final group game to make the knockout rounds, the USA shocked #1-ranked Spain in the semi-finals and led 2-0 at halftime in the final against Brazil before falling 3-2. And unlike 2014, the 2010 World Cup draw was favorable to the USA placing them in a group with England, Slovenia and Algeria; the English press also felt this was a workable group.