Was USA's World Cup run a sucess?

No, it was not. It was a good step forward, but over all, it cannot be a success.

I don't claim to know international soccer well, but from a competitive perspective there shouldn't a reason to call it a success for the lone reason that in the last two World Cups they have a total of 1 victory.

Not two Demps....just ONE!

Of course, we are competing at a higher level then we have ever seen the stars and stripes do, and we have much more national and international attention than ever before. But, although we have made large strides forward in regard to American soccer, you can't call the individual team's performance a success just because it had higher TV ratings than ever before.

ESPN has made the American public more interested in soccer, based on the fact that they have a sports marketing monopoly. What is said on their channel is always regarded as the bare-line truth, what ever that is fortunate enough to be endorsed by ESPN will gain enormous amounts of attention that was not around before the sports entertainment power offered their help.

Look into every sport that has exploded in the recent years......

-Soccer, perhaps?

-Hockey (before Versus screwed it up)?

-X-Games: Winter & Summer?

-TCU Baseball?

-College sports in general?

-Poker even?

Point is ESPN can make anything (besides bowling) cool.

This does not mean that our team performed up to AND PAST the teams expectations. They were irrationally high, but still, two ties, a loss, and a 90th minute goal in the lone victory are not enough for me to claim success. Especially since it has been shown that our group was more flawed than we thought.

I'm sure the US's second loss to Ghana has to imply something. That we aren't that good....yet. We had times during the cup that we look like a top 5 team. Everyone would be running, pressing, even when not around the ball, on defense. At times on offense they were capable of showing great discipline and ball control, with players making clean runs into open spaces and never turning the ball over. This lead to an influx of scoring 'opportunities.'

The problem is that they didn't seem to capitalize enough times during those good stretches to make up for the last-luster performances they put up the rest of the game (Usually only reserved for the first half).

I have been told by someone who knows soccer a whole lot better than I that this was all because that is Coach Bradley's soccer philosophy....to make streaking passes up-field and capitalize on quick runs. The only problem with that is our 2 forwards are indeed quick...very quick but they have little ball handling skills. So even when they make a nice run along with a lead pass the forwards do not have the control to capitalize. Sorry.

Bradley's performance in the midfield was phenomenal. He showed great confidence holding onto the ball and distributing it properly. The problem was the lack of scoring upfront caused Donovan and Dempsey to play up more leaving him paired with one other in the true midfield. The guy he was paired with was less than phenomenal. Ricardo Clarke was rewarded most of the playing time for only God knows that reason. Maurice Edu look much more worthy of the starting position in the lone game that he started, the last game of group play, but, was benched for the first 28 minutes of the important knockout game only to be subbed in after Ricardo Clarkes pitiful performance. Early subs hurt bad in soccer, especially if the game goes into etra time. Findlay instead Gomez was another eyebrow raiser.

So, once again, no this years World Cup was not a success for the American Soccer team. Ask any of the players if it was a success, most likely they will say no or decline to answer. I am glad, sort of, that more people watched the Cup. But they, like me, are not going to all of a sudden start attending Dallas Burn (or whatever) games. We are American, we are attracted to greatness, not mediocrity. We tuned into the WC partially because we had a solid squad, but mainly because it is the lone opportunity most bandwagon fans have to watch the greatest players in the world compete in a sport that is religious in the rest of the world. Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore, Demrit, Bradley, all those guys are cool and all, but it is plain to see that they do not compare to the players that make up some of the more upper echelon teams.

We are getting better, but we are still not 'there' in American soccer. Honestly, it will take more than a miracle for soccer to jump into one of the top-3 sports in America. Until the Kobes, LeBrons, D-Wares and such take up soccer....I would expect to invite friends over for the MLS Cup game. Keep your Real Salt Lake City jerseys in your closet, at least for another 4 years.

Donovan you are the F'n man regardless. I can't ignore clutch, US and especially Donovan made some major clutch plays in their mid-length run.

Didn't mean to write that much.

I am currently reading a book about one of my ancestors by the same name. He wrote in his journal that he often kept in 1773:

"When I sit down to write, I must confess I know not where to begin, or where to end, or what to say."--Ditto John...ditto