Neither Here Nor There

Moments after Clint Dempsey’s effort was turned away, Kevin-Prince Boateng robbed Ricardo Clark of possession in the center circle, took off in an exhilarating run, and shot a low ball past Tim Howard for Ghana’s first 2010 WC goal from open play.

Perhaps Team USA had been lulled into complacency by watching their opponents’ rather easy-going style in their previous matches.  Perhaps they put too much store in the fact that Ghana’s 4-points had come from 2 penalties.  No question that the Black Stars’ crisp, forceful, organized start took them by surprise.  Kingson, who in earlier games had sometimes looked flustered and uneasy in goal, displayed polish and poise against the Americans.  He had less to deal with; Howard was the busier keeper.  More worrisome for those face-painted in stars & stripes was the ominous deja vú of watching the USA repeat their pattern of ceding early in the game.  Would’ve been nice to see them ahead for a while, or even at least, instead of chasing the game once again.

By the 2nd half, the USA calmed down and set about testing the opposition, looking for exploitable cracks in the Black Stars’ defense.  Their perseverance paid off on 62 minutes when Dempsey was brought down in the box and the USA was awarded a penalty.  Landon Donovan converted from the spot, evening the score on 62 minutes.  Great ball, well-struck… but seemed to me the Americans were a bit lucky with the call.  It wasn’t the best tackle, but I thought Mensah got the ball before the man.  Could’ve gone either way.

The half ended 1 – 1, pushing the match into overtime.  Unfortunately for the USA, OT was deja vú all over again.  Barely had they returned to the pitch, when Bocanegra tried to knock Gyan off a high ball coming down the middle.  Gyan weathered the blow, kept his balance, then took off, outstripping the American defense and beating Howard just as Boateng had done.  That the USA had gone down to Ghana in the knockouts in 2006 just added to the feeling of “been here, done that.”  Defeated by a nation smaller than Oregon, not once but twice… kinda makes the American Soccer Powers-that-Be think.  At least, we hope so.

Huzzah, USA, for getting the largest American soccer-viewing audience for a single match ever.   Ghana, good on you for the win and for progressing — and thanks for proving me right in my WC prediction that of all the African competitors, the Black Stars were the ones to back.

Off the post for the Korean Republic — so close!  Heartbeats later, a way too deep ball had Forlán backtracking like crazy to collect it, then returning it with a perfectly placed cross, dead between the Korean back line and keeper.  The keeper came out for it, but succeeded only in leaving the goal untended as master-striker Luis Suárez connected with Forlán’s low-and-center ball and sent it sweetly into the far corner of the net.  Korea threatening, Uruguay ahead, and the match only 10 minutes old.

There was controversy here and there (like that missed handball in front of the Korean goal near the end of the 1st half), but mostly it was the predominant WC-style football we’ve been seeing – shots screaming over the top of the net, wayward passes, over-hit crosses, and a scoreline that didn’t seem to equate with the energy the players were expending on the pitch.

Korea came out stronger in the 2nd half, though they didn’t show real belief in themselves until a momentary lapse in Uruguay’s concentration resulted in Lee Chung Yong heading the ball into the net to equalize.  Game on, with 20 minutes of regulation time still to go and both teams in attack mode.

They carried the fight end-to-end with wonderful pace.  Silver-platter chances were snubbed, mostly due to uncompromising midfield tackles, until late in the game.  A curling ball from a Uruguay corner fell to Suárez.  Miraculously finding space for his shot in the crowded box, the star-striker powered the ball into the net and racked up 2 for the game.  The keeper had no chance.

The Taeguk Warriors did have a chance to even the score, though.  Astonishingly, they flubbed it.  In a rare moment of back-line disorganization, Diego Lugano played Korea on-side.  The attempt on goal squirreled through the keeper’s arms and rolled toward the corner of Uruguay’s net — but so slowly, the defenders had time to recover, overtake it, and get it away.

In 1930, Uruguay had the double-honor of hosting the first-ever World Cup and hoisting the first-ever World Cup trophy.  After excluding themselves for the next two cups, Uruguay returned to the WC fold in 1950 and again lifted the cup, this time by beating Brazil 2 – 1.

Since then, Uruguayan players have carried the weight of their history with them every time they’ve stepped out on a WC pitch.  It’s been a lot to bear, but this time out they’ve cast their burden aside.  In their first single-elimination round, they were strong, determined and quick to exploit South Korea’s weakness at the back.  Korea may have been the better team on the day.  Certainly they played the prettier football, but it’s not always about the “beautiful” game.  Sometimes it’s about digging in and grinding out a result despite wind, weather and an appallingly lousy pitch.  Well done, Uruguay, and well won.