Well, it's been over 24hrs now. There's been no futbol today so I've been processing the US loss to Belgium. Some thoughts:
- The better team won.
- Howard made 16 saves, a World Cup record! Problem is, he shouldn't have had to work so damn hard.
- Donovan should have been in the roster. This became especially clear once Altidore was injured and Dempsey was forced to play alone up top.
- Bradley was not at his best. Here again, we could've used Donovan's creativity in the middle.
- Our back line was super nervy. Gonzales was generally great. Cameron was generally not.
- In MLS, Zusi is known for his great crosses and corners. Where were those?
- Jones and Dempsey are both BEASTS.
- Green and Yedlin were bright spots.
Our boys played with tons of heart. Battered and broken they never quit. I'm extraordinarily proud of them for that.
On the other side of the coin, I'm sure that even the casual observer can see we need to breakthrough to a higher level if we're ever going to be world-beaters.