We were robbed

Through 45 minutes, it seemed the US Men's soccer team was living up to their reputation as a somewhat talented team that wilted on the big stage. Here was the "underdog" Slovenia leading the US 2-0 at the half. Looked pretty bleak for the Americans.

But, unlike in World Cups past, the US came out and attacked the opposing goal with an intensity that is often missing for this side. Landon Donovan slammed home a goal to cut things to 2-1 and gave the team some hope. After a few squandered chances, Michael Bradley, the son of the US coach, fired home the equalizer, and the match was tied.

This would have been a fine result considering the early deficit, but the US kept pressing, and won a free kick late in the second half. Landon Donovan sent a beautiful ball heading toward the box. The ball found sub Maurice Edu, who seemed to put the possible game winner in the net at the 86th minute. But -- just as the team and announcers started to celebrate, the referee called off the goal. The first thought was that it was an offsides call, but replays showed that all of the US players were, indeed, onside. The call was a foul on the US. I'm far from a soccer expert, but have not seen anything close to a foul committed by a US player in any replay. ESPN's experts have not been able to explain the call, either.

The final match of the day saw England draw with Algeria at 0-0 -- a result that will no doubt have the Brits feeling pressure at home that most of us can't understand. This result was nearly as shocking as the horrible call that denied the US the win vs. Slovenia. The English team looked to be afraid of screwing up the game, and the end result was a game that was ....well, screwed up. The only parallel I can draw to what it must be like to play for England is playing for the New York Yankees. Some players thrive, but many find the white hot spotlight that comes from playing in NY to be too much to contend with, and their game suffers.

The US controls their fate. If they beat Algeria, they are through and advance to the next round. Should the US earn a draw in their next match, and England also earns a draw, the US will likely be through on goal differential. Things are looking up, but the US team can't take Algeria lightly. They held England scoreless, and while you put most of that on England's talented squad, you do have to give the Algerian's credit. Today was the first game in US World Cup history where the Americans came from behind to earn a draw. If we can build on that momentum, then we're moving on to a round that validates the supposed improvement in the team.

Celtics, World Cup and some music

Game 7 didn't disappoint -- unless, of course, you are a Celtics fan. This is the great thing about the 7 game format....I started the series thinking "The Lakers are going to win, just don't get embarassed." After Game 2, I was basically happy because the Celts proved they could hang with the migthy Lakers. Game 3, hung tough, but lost when Derek Fisher decided to be clutch. Game 4 - same as Game 2. But then we get to Game 5, and the Celts take us back to LA with a 3-2 lead and a chance to shock the Lakers on their home court. That was the point where this series changed for me, and I knew that I'd be upset of the Celtics didn't win the title. But they played Game 6 like a team that knew it had 2 shots at winning it all. They acquitted themselves well in Game 7 and played with the heart of a champion -- and for that I'm glad. But I can't help the fact that I have a bitter taste in my mouth this morning because I know the Celtics could be champions right now.

All of that being said -- I really don't care for him, but I have learned to respect Kobe Bryant as a player. I don't think he'll ever be considered the best player ever -- He simply is not as good as Michael Jordan was. What I do think he is, though, is the best player in the game today, and one of the best of the current generation.

Switching gears a bit to the World Cup -- the first round of games have been somewhat boring....and I mean that in the context of someone who DOES NOT find soccer boring. In spite of the slow start to proceedings, though, the week has produced some interesting results. First there was Spain falling 1-0 to Switzerland. The Spanish team played a solid game, but couldn't net an equalizer despite numerous chances late in the match. Thursday saw 3 very compelling matches. First, Argentina took down South Korea 4-1. Argentina's my pick to win it all, and they showed a bit of flair in this match. Then we saw Greece eke out a win vs. Nigeria. Maybe not the most technically pleasing match, but anytime you've got two teams clawing for their survival, it tends to be compelling. The day finished up with Mexico downing France 2-0 in a very entertaining game. Can't muster much love for the French team, even though they are stocked with players that I have followed in the EPL. Maybe it's because of the whole Thierry Henry handball against Ireland that I can't let go of.

Today is off to a good start as Serbia stunned Germany 1-0. Germany breezed to a 4-0 victory in their opening match, so this was a bit of a surprise. As I'm writing, the US and Serbia are just about to get underway. This is a huge match for the US -- much bigger than last Saturday's game against England. True, producing a draw against England gains some respect for an improving US team, but these next two games are against opponents that the US is expected to beat. That's a different kind of pressure to play under, and if the US really wants to prove that it has started to become a power in World Football, then they have to take a minimum of 4 points from these two games. Doing so should get them out of the group stage.

So wrapping up a longer than necessary post with a quick note on music. I heard on WGN 720 this morning that Billboard has determined that Michael Jackson's most popular song of all time is "Say Say Say", which most will remember was a duet with Paul McCartney. Since his death, most have focused on Jacko's talent rather than his...ummm....unique personality. While it is true that Jacko shared writing credits on the song, I find it somewhat ironic that his most popular song was one that appeared on a Paul McCartney album.