Filed under: FIFA World Cup, Soccer Posts, US Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team, Ghana, United States
RUSTENBURG, South Africa — There is something about those few moments after kickoff that bewilder and bedevil this U.S. national team, which otherwise seems so confident and composed. Twice during Saturday evening’s World Cup round-of-16 match against Ghana here in the mining outpost of Rustenburg, the Americans yielded a goal shortly after the referee’s whistle. The second one, and fourth overall in this tournament, would spell their doom.
In a game of shifting momentum that saw each team hold sway at times, it was Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan who would settle matters. His brilliantly-taken goal just three minutes into overtime lifted the Black Stars — Africa’s only remaining team in the tournament — to a 2-1 victory and a priceless berth in the quarterfinals. For the U.S., a stirring run that galvanized so many fans at home came to an abrupt end, just a few days after that memorable win over Algeria.
Several players on each team had the result in their hands at Royal Bafokeng Stadium. The inevitable loser would of course look back and rue the plays that could have gone differently. Either team could have won. Gyan, and the U.S.’s continuing tendency to sleepwalk after kickoff, proved the difference.
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Sat, Jun 26, 2010
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