Landon Opportunity

USA 1-0 Algeria

What a game. I must confess, I came very close to turning it off at various points in the second half. The Americans couldn't buy a goal, it seemed, and as the minutes dragged on I felt worse and worse, a bundle of nerves, feeling almost physically ill. The worst part was that every five minutes or so, the tension seemed ready to erupt into joy and relief, and then it never quite happened, which only made that tension worse. Finally it came, in injury time, as Tim Howard made a save and flung the ball to a streaking Landon Donovan, who found Jozy Altidore, who crossed it to Clint Dempsey, who once again was denied by the keeper... but Donovan, running in on goal, cleaned up the rebound and then was off to the left corner flag to be mobbed.

The US topped their group for the first time since 1930 and won a game they were not leading for the first time ever at the World Cup. It's tempting to ascribe great things to the US team following this win, but I think we should probably keep in mind that Algeria didn't score a single goal at the World Cup and nearly got yet another early goal were it not for the crossbar. The defense played well overall, I thought, or at least better than they did against Slovenia, but I don't know if this is the defense of a team that can really make a run in the knockouts. If a team that doesn't score goals can create 19 shots (even if only four were on goal), what will Ghana do? What would (potentially) Diego Forlan and Uruguay do? It's easy to look at the side of the bracket the US are on and salivate - we avoided Germany, we avoided Argentina, we won't face a top ten team until the semis (when the survivor of what could be a loaded Netherlands-Italy-Brazil-Spain bracket arrives) - but we're talking about a team that barely drew Slovenia and were two minutes from leaving the tournament against one of its worst teams.

I thought the attack looked pretty good, along with the play in midfield. The US still lacks great finishing as a team (US strikers do not have a goal in this tournament and Altidore missed a gift-wrapped chance today) and they still aren't great passers. Against Algeria these things were more easily swept under the rug; I doubt that'll be the case against Ghana, much less even stronger teams that the US could run into in later stages of the competition. The defense continues to be suspect. For as exciting as this game was, you can't really look at it and say the US played a great game. They played a good game and were helped by not facing top-shelf opposition. Rafik Djebbour rattles the woodwork. Diego Forlan scores.

Am I excited to get to keep watching the US? Of course. And the Donovan goal is one of the greatest sports moments of my life. But I think we need to be measured in our response here. Even in what will probably be the easiest - or anyway least imposing - of the four quarterfinal brackets, we can take nothing for granted with this team.

England 1-0 Slovenia

Even in finally getting a victory and dragging themselves into the round of 16, it still seems like England are not all there. To make the semis they would have to go through Germany and Argentina - and while both games, if they were to happen, would make for very interesting stories, it's hard to imagine England coming close to doing that the way they've been playing.

Germany 1-0 Ghana

A perfect result because it means the US avoid Germany. Part of me was paranoid that the Germans would rather have played us than England and would leak a late goal, but it didn't happen - Ghana were probably fine facing us instead of England and weren't chasing it. I would rather not have faced a team that's going to be the Pride of Africa here in the round of 16, but given the alternative of facing Germany, it's cool.

Australia 2-1 Serbia

Both teams go out. For a little while - with Australia up 2-0 and Germany up 1-0 - it looked like what failed to happen in Group A would happen here. And then the exact same thing came to pass - Germany never really looked like getting a second, Australia gave a goal back, and that was pretty much it. The Socceroos end their World Cup with a win, and with the core of their team so old, who knows if they're going to be back in four years.

Interesting, if not massive, games tomorrow. Netherlands-Cameroon is basically a friendly, but Denmark-Japan is winner-take-all, and Group F has all to play for, with New Zealand holding out hope that they can earn a matchup with the Dutch and Italy trying to avoid being the second defending champion in three Cups to go out at the group stage.