Twistity Sports Exclusive: GOING, GOING, GHANA

 
The United States soccer team had come to dread the sight of Ghana in the World Cup. In each of the last two gatherings of the globe’s qualifying teams, Ghana had knocked out the United States. Ghana could have been the reason the United States thought of Group G in the World Cup as the “group of death,” powerful Germany notwithstanding.

Yet on the same day that Germany destroyed Portugal 4-0, the USA came to terms with Ghana. A sudden goal by Clint Dempsey in the first minute gave the USA a lead it protected desperately for the next 84 minutes.

Then Ghana scored and its seeming tide of endless pressure augured poorly for the USA. The USA, however, prevailed. Prevailed without its striker, Jozy Altidore, who left early with a strained hamstring. Prevailed on a header by John Brooks off Graham Zusi’s corner. What a moment of joy on the sport’s biggest stage.

Ghana, at last, was a goner.

USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann had repeatedly said his team could not win the World Cup, that it simply wasn’t good enough, that it would have to play its best soccer seven games in a row to achieve something it never had before.

If one game is the laboratory, he is certainly correct. Ghana pressed the attack and contained the action in the USA’s end most of the game. The USA looked comfortable on the attack in the first two minutes and really never after that. Germany, as expected is the class of this group.

Still, a win is a win. It puts the USA on sound footing moving forward and permits a little margin for error. No, the USA won’t win the World Cup. Nor does it have to. We’ll settle for the sort of thrills and excitement this team brought us in Monday’s opener.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .