USA Out, 2-1 Ghana

I am not a sports fan. I understand the basics of most major team sports - football, baseball, and soccer. I understand the softball is baseball for girls, with an underhand pitch and generally associated with lesbians. I understand that NASCAR is racing cars, and the Formula 1 cars are faster.

I say all this to say, I do not follow sports.

That said, I started following the FIFA World Cup. About four years ago, a Brazilian friend of mine invited me over to watch their match (against whom, I forget). It was exciting, and interesting, and full international pageantry. Thus, this year I tried to follow it from the beginning.

Knowing how soccer is not as big in the US as it is elsewhere, I expected to have to follow another team. I thought I would follow Germany, since I live there as an adolescent. To the surprise of many people worldwide, the US did well, advancing to the Round of Sixteen. This is how I found myself in a midtown pub Saturday afternoon, watching the US play Ghana.

Sadly, they lost. From what I saw with my own eyes, diluted by my general lack of knowledge, the US gave up an early point and had trouble maintaining possession of the ball. The only goal scored was from a penalty kick, and an easy one at that - not the one where four or five guys get to line up in front of the goalie. So it was with a large group of moderately drunk Americans that I saw the US lose to Ghana, the same nation that had thrown them out of the World Cup in 2006.

It was great to watch though. I'll keep a closer eye on soccer, pick a team or two to following in the intervening years between World Cups.