USA

Team USA looks like a decent squad this cup and we have been given an easy chance to make it to the knock-out phase (compared to other groups). Have we finally arrived? Well, I would argue that we arrived eight years ago when we made it to the quarterfinals against Germany. We didn’t earn advancement to the second phase as much as South Korea put us through that year, but our performance in the second round was world-class. We beat Mexico and we deserved to win as much as Germany.

Flash forward to the current tournament and we find ourselves in a good position to make a name for ourselves internationally. We didn’t do so well in our first two games, but we can redeem ourselves. While it is true we haven’t lost a match yet, we really should have done better. England gifted us a draw and we really should have beaten them – England has looked terrible their first two games. The US also should have beaten the Slovenia team, but we played lazy football during the first half and were luckily able to come back on them in the second 45 minutes of play. We should have also gotten the win there because of the disallowed goal, but that’s another topic altogether (refereeing has been inconsistent, but overall poor).

The team is OK and I must admit I’m learning to like some of the guys I’m less familiar with. I’m still not sure about Onyewu though. I think he still makes bad decisions at times, but he is a solid presence in the back that no one else on the team can fill. I’m impressed by the solid play of Michael Bradley, who I really didn’t know well. I continue to be impressed by Altidore and felt he and Donovan were the best field players for the US so far. Tim Howard has been great in goal and continues the history of world-class American keepers. Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit and Maurice Edu are all playing well – as I expected they would. I wish Charlie Davies hadn’t been in that car wreck because I think he would have been another solid player for the US to draw upon.

With one game to go in the first round we hold our future in our hands. If we win the game against Algeria then we are through to the next stage. If we tie the game, we might get through. If we lose the game though, we are done in South Africa. Once again we have been helped by the play of the other teams in our group, but now it is up to us to make the next stage happen. We have to come out playing like we did the second 45 minutes against Slovenia, and not like the first 45 minutes. If we can get an early goal from Altidore (or even Donovan) I think that will spark the team to victory. We need to play hard for 90 minutes though and punch our ticket to round two. One thing is for sure, we can't keep letting the other team score first.

I’ve already said that I will quit cheering for the US team if we don’t make it out of this group stage and I meant it. I don't want that to happen. So, Go Team USA!