U.S. World Cup Preview Part I: The Rebirth of a Soccer Nation

It is that time again. Every four years the greatest sporting event occurs (sorry Olympics). We are now just a mere 10 days away from Mexico and South Africa kicking off in Johannesburg at 10:00 A.M. EST. The biggest question on everyone’s mind in the U.S. is which team we will see. Will we see the improbable run to the Confederation’s Cup final last summer? Or will we relive the disappointment of the 2006 World Cup lamented by a very poor team effort. We seem to never know what you get with U.S. soccer. The rebirth of soccer took place in 1990. In the 1990 World Cup the U.S. failed to record a win, dropping all three games to Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Austria. Then in the 1994 the U.S. advanced to the knockout stage where they feel to eventual champion Brazil 1-0 that featured a red card for both sides. Then the 1998 World Cup came along. Expectations were high, but not unrealistic. The U.S. put forth a pitiful effort failing to emerge from a group that while it included Germany, also featured the pitiful Yugoslavia and Iran. To make matters worse the U.S. recorded a single goal in three games. Then along came the 2002 World Cup. The winner of the 2002 Gold Cup gave U.S. soccer fans a glimmer of hope. However, they many saw firsthand the demise of past teams. The U.S. put together a sparkling run that ended in a controversial 1-0 loss at the hands of eventual runner-up Germany in the quarterfinals where a clear handball on the goal line by Frings prevented a game-tying U.S. goal. As the 2006 World Cup approached the U.S. team had extremely high expectations, perhaps a bit unrealistic as well. The U.S. drew a deadly group of Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana. This team had its ups and downs in the tournament looking pitiful against the Czech but played exceptional against eventual Italian champions to record a 1-1 draw in a hard fought match that featured three red cards. While it seemed unlikely for the U.S. to advance heading into the final group game against Ghana there was a chance. U.S. just needed to beat Ghana and get help from the Azzuri. The Azzuri delivered with a 2-0 win against the Czech and all the U.S. needed was a win. Instead then fell to Ghana in disappointing fashion that included a mysterious penalty kick called against the U.S. The U.S. team has certainly had its ups and downs; the question is which team will we see in South Africa?