So the US fails to advance to the second round of the World Cup. Perhaps a repeat of their exciting 2002 run was too much to ask, but I still can't help feeling bitter disappointment at their early exit.

They had a tough group. They got screwed over by the referees. Whatever.

Basically, only half the team showed up. The two players who showed so much promise in 2002 failed rise to the occassion. Landon Donovan and Damarcus Beasley were sluggish and disoriented. Bruce Arena deserves a huge chunk of the blame, though. His choice to go with Brian McBride as the lone striker was bizarre. McBride put forth a yeoman effort, but he's no speedster and the his hard work to win balls in the air was wasted due to the lack of support. I just heard the statistic of the tournament for the US team: 4 shots on goal in all of their 1st round games combined.

Oh, and can I tell you how awful the ESPN/ABC announcers are? Marcelo Balboa drives me nuts and Dave O'Brian means well, but he's just not knowledgable about the game. Adrian Healy and Tommy Smyth are the announcers to listen to. Them or the guys on Telemundo.