The US and Ghana also played last night, and I don't have a whole lot to say about that one, either.
The US had a pretty goal in the opening minute, which had Klinsmann extremely excited. Dempsey got the ball in the box on a good feed, made a nice touch to set up his shot, and put it into the far side clinically.
And the Americans continued to at least look decent for a while (though under pressure) for another twenty minutes or so, until Jozy Altidore pulled up from making a run, grabbing his hamstring. There was no contact, so it was probably a straight pull, but he had to leave immediately, and likely won't be back for the tournament.
And the play of the US basically went to pot after that. What followed was an hour-long siege where Howard needed to make a number of good saves and defensive plays, grabbing the ball off the ground. Unsurprisingly, that strategy eventually failed, with Ayew finding the net (I think off a set piece, but I actually can't remember now).
That didn't really stop the siege, but the US did manage to get the ball down the field and win a corner, several minutes later. And fortune smiled on the US there, as Brooks was not well-covered, and cleanly headed it down and away (from the corner). That found the net, giving the US the lead again.
And despite Ghana's best efforts, they were able to hold on for the last few minutes (about four minutes of regulation, and five of stoppage), securing the vital three points.
We'll certainly take it, but by no means did the US deserve that win; they were badly outplayed for most of the game, and got very lucky.
Hopefully they can play a better game, and match the result, in the next game, against Portugal. And hopefully Germany can also pound Ghana. Those would be enough to guarantee the US passage through. We'll see, though; that's a big if and a small one.
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