Well, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news: Italy leads the Czech Republic, 1-0 early in the second half. If that result holds, the United States would qualify for the second round with a win over Ghana.
The bad news: Ghana leads the United States, 2-1 at halftime.
U-S-A! U-S-A!
UPDATE: Liveblog of the USA-Ghana game here. Apparently Ghana’s second goal was scored on a penalty kick off a bulls**t foul call. So perhaps the score should really be listed as USA 1, Ghana 1, Refs 1. Unfortunately, rage against the refs won’t get the Americans into the second round.
Liveblog of the Italy-Czech game here.
UPDATE 2: Ghana wins, 2-1, and advances to the second round, along with Italy (which beat the Czechs 2-0). Considering the Czechs were #2 and the U.S. #5 in the official FIFA rankings coming in, I think that officially proves that this was a “Group of Death.”
Apparently both of Ghana’s goals involved questionable calls, so the win will doubtless be very controversial, here in the States at least. Which is a shame, really, because Ghana is clearly a good team and deserves credit for its excellent play. Though if the U.S. really did get screwed by the refs, as people are saying (I wasn’t watching, so I don’t know), obviously that’s an even worse shame.
Anyway, Ghana’s reward is most likely a matchup with defending champion Brazil in the Round of 16.
P.S. Roger: “Damn the referee.”
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Categories: Olympics & the World Cup
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June 22nd, 2006 at 8:10:01 am
The US needs to put things in high-gear. This is getting old.
However, it doesn’t help when the pathetic ref gives Ghana a penalty kick on a dive by Ghana. I mean come on.
And another dive by Ghana. Holy Crap.
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:12:53 am
Is Beasley even aware of what the hell is going on?? Did he forget the object of the game is to score??
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:24:40 am
Actually give the circumstances of that first goal where Ghana committed a flagrant fowl on the tackle going on to “score, the score is more USA 1, Ghana 0, Refs 2…. but who’s counting…
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:26:14 am
It’s a conspiracy. Clearly, these refs are a bunch of America-hating, Bush-bashing liberals. :)
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:39:44 am
Drama. What a fitting name for a Ghana player. too bad his drama didn’t work this time.
And what’s with kicking the ball out of bounds so the player can be carted off??!!? DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE!!!!
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:43:09 am
My vote for the man of the match is the ref. He has 2 goals.
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:43:39 am
What the fuck kind of kick is that?!?
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:48:31 am
Look at this crap. pingpong with the dive for the PK and now he’s pulling this crap to kill time.
I thought I didn’t like the cheap tactics of the Italians. These goons from Ghana beat the cake.
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:50:06 am
Oh well. Let’s go England!!!!
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:54:25 am
And there is Landon Donovan in a nutshell for this Cup. Has an open chance to take the shot and…………….passed the ball away
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:02:22 am
Tuned in to watch a soccer match and had to see the Ghana diving team instead. I think I’m heading to the pool now.
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:03:43 am
Go England indeed. Or the Netherlands, I like that country.
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:08:55 am
Tuned in to watch a soccer match and had to see the Ghana diving team instead. I think I’m heading to the pool now.
It’s nice to see that Ghana now has two new Olympians for the diving competition.
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:19:16 am
From my post:
UPDATE:
I just want to say Italy vs. USA amounted to 3 red-carded players. Ghana had 40+ fouls against the USA. It is obvious to me that Ghana played a dirty game, meticulously fouling Americans players left and right. The referee did not enforce the rules and simply handed out Ghana a few warning cards to pacify any protesters. Damn the referee.
It’s Italy and Ghana from Group E of the Fifa World Cup tm.
USA was eliminated after its defeat, today. More on the story, here.
Ok, so my calculations were wrong, but at least optmimistic. Should have eliminated that margin for error.
Up next, Ghana vs. Brazil? Who cares.
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:29:08 am
Oh, maybe I should root for Aussies!
Because Aussies are cool.
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:30:15 am
I think the FIFA rankings were a bit suspect, though. We got to be #5 by playing weak competition.
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:40:10 am
Landon = Bode?
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:48:44 am
Landon didn’t play while he was wasted (to my knowledge).
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:53:54 am
“And the Oscar for ‘Best Flop with No Foul’ goes to….well….goes to……THE ENTIRE GHANA TEAM!!! COME ON UP HERE, GUYS!!!”
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:22:15 am
Oh well, I’m over it.
Go Toni Blair–I mean, England!
“And the Oscar for ‘Best Flop with No Foul’ goes to….well….goes to……THE ENTIRE GHANA TEAM!!! COME ON UP HERE, GUYS!!!�
[…music in the background] ….and of course, we would like to thank the referee….and…[…yawn]
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:31:34 am
As this learned crowd surely knows, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is a Ghannan.
As the right-wing anti-globalization crowd also knows, other Ghannan Annans (Kofi’s relatives) faciliated the nefarious oil for food scandal, sabotaging the US in the process.
Might Annan the Ghannan have been behind the nefarious refereeing at the World Cup?
Who will be the first neocon to connect the dots?
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:24:06 am
Jazz - nice conspiracy theory!
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:47:37 am
Thank you B Minich. I may try to develop it.
To wit: when the wife and I were touring the UN last month, we learned that the Annan Ghannans apparently used their pull to get puny Ghana one of the 10 rotating spots on the security council.
Ghana on the security council! Have they been…watching us? Waiting?
(Oh, wait, my theory stinks. There are no Americans in the UN building).
June 22nd, 2006 at 12:02:39 pm
Naw they just hired the refs from the Super Bowl (i’m not still bitter or anything :D)
June 22nd, 2006 at 12:26:24 pm
Or the refs from the ND/USC game.
June 22nd, 2006 at 1:34:42 pm
You guys are starting to sound a lot like a bunch of Cubans….
Mark Cubans.
Yes, Ghana’s players faked hurt. Yes, there were bad calls against the U.S. However, the U.S. would never have been in this situation if they had played at the level they were hyped at before all of this started.
June 22nd, 2006 at 2:23:03 pm
“Or the refs from the ND/USC game”
You mean the refs from the USC/FeXas game.
June 22nd, 2006 at 3:44:15 pm
Roger, refresh my memory. What did the refs do to try to steal the win for USC in the MNC game?
June 22nd, 2006 at 3:51:31 pm
Coach Leahy has forgotten this: http://cardinalmartini.mu.nu/archives/151736.php
June 22nd, 2006 at 4:57:16 pm
Money quote from Landon Donovan (last paragraph in the story):
“The worst part is the finality of it,” Donovan said. “Even during the game, you don’t get the sense, ‘This is it.’ The whistle blows and it’s over.”
Well, y’know, maybe if he’d had that sense during the game, he might’ve, oh, I don’t know, played like it meant something.
Just saying.
June 22nd, 2006 at 6:11:43 pm
The PK was an awful call, but Ghana’s first goal was a clean tackle. It was a hard tackle, to be sure, but it was direct on the ball. Reyna made a huge mistake holding onto the ball too long being the last line of defense.
This game was a tie, essentially. Alas, the Americans do not go through on a tie, only on a win. Today they paied for being woefully unprepared and misaligned to face the Czechs, and although they were well prepared and ready to beat Italy were it not for the referee, they paid for that measly result as well.
June 22nd, 2006 at 6:40:38 pm
Prediction.
The USA will win the World Cup in the Tournament after the University of Texas wins the mens NCAA championship in soccer.
Note: The University of Texas does not field a mens soccer team at the present time.
June 22nd, 2006 at 7:03:16 pm
rich, Prediction: Neither of those events will occur until Title IX is repealed or seriously amended.
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:48:55 pm
Amen to that Andrew. I’ve always said you can have a men’s soccer team, or a (men’s) football team, but you can’t have both.
And that’s just sad.