In the aftermath of the US’s 2-1 loss to Ghana, a nation the size of Oregon, no fan in the US should be grumpy as well. Yes, it was a bitter, tough defeat. Yes, Landon Donovan spoke for many when he said to ESPN afterward, “It sucks man…. Soccer is a cruel game.” Yes, the US seemed overmatched in the first half, and as coach Bob Bradley said, “fell behind one too many times.” But it’s not a day to cry in our beer. It’s a day to appreciate the electric excitement of Ghana’s victory and look back fondly the terrific run by the US team. We should remember the rugged grace of Ghana’s goaltender Richard Kingston who made save after save. We should also appreciate the play of US keeper Tim Howard who fought his way all the way up the field into the Ghanaian goal box and almost scored on Kingston himself in extra time. We should be satisfied that, despite the best efforts of Glenn Beck’s lunatic, nativist, anti-soccer rants, the sport has taken a major step forward in the USA, with the ratings to prove it.
