The World Cup is always an exciting time for fans around the world, hoping their country is the lucky one to hold the trophy in the end. Unfortunately, soccer, or futbol as it known outside of the United States, is not the country’s strongest sport. Add in the fact that America was put into the “group of death” and all hope was lost on Team USA even advancing one round.
The United States Men’s National Team started off with some drama after head coach Jurgen Klinnsman left beloved soccer icon Landon Donovan off the roster. The team was still ready to compete in Brazil despite Donovan being absent. The team’s first matchup was against Ghana; their only victory of the World Cup. Ghana is a team the United States had lost to twice in recent history. However, the US team won 2-1 and gave hope to fans that this team was ready to compete.
They had a chance to prove their legitimacy as they played Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. It was one of the most exciting games of the entire tournament with the US leading 2-1 up until the last few seconds when Ronaldo scored a goal to end the game at a 2-2 draw. The US did not have time to feel sorry for themselves as they had to face powerhouse team Germany next. It was a tough game for the US who lost 1-0.
The US was still able to advance to the round of 16 despite only winning one of their matches. In their final game of the tournament, the US faced off against Belgium. The game will go down as the Tim Howard game. Howard did an unbelievable job at goalie, recording 16 saves, a World Cup record.
