Well, the run is done, no more World Cup for team USA until 2014, not counting qualifying which starts in 2012. But either way, the 2010 World Cup is over for team USA, and even though it was a success, a bitter taste is left in everyone's mouth.
First off, the US met expectations. They got out of group play like they were supposed to. They made it interesting, but they did it. Tying England was a huge victory for the US, and the comeback verse Slovenia will go down as one of the best comebacks in world cup history, (if a certain ref didn't blow it, it'd be even bigger.) And the thrilling win over Algeria will go down as one of the top games in US history. There is a lot of positive in this World Cup for team USA; Donavon and Clint shined, Bradley looks like a future star, and the US won it's group for the first time in 80 years.
And yet, US fans are left bitter and disappointed. Why? Because there was potential for an even greater World Cup. The US had the most favorable draw to the semis imaginable, and it lost in the first game to Ghana, ranked 32nd and missing star Michael Essien. Not only did they lose, but they conceded early goals. First 5 minutes of the match then the first 3 minutes of extra time. It was a heartbreaking and disappointing defeat for the Americans.
What makes this loss even more upsetting is that this is the best the team will be for a while. Sure Davies was out and Gooch struggled, but in 4 years, things will be way different. Boca, Howard, and Cherundolo are now 30+, Donavon, Dempsey, and Onyewu will be 30+ in 4 years. This was the best US team in a long time, if not of all time. But they failed to meet their potential.
Overall, the 2010 World Cup was a success in the same way that passing a test is a success. Sure you passed, but you didn't get that A you were shooitin for and probably should have gotten. We'll see what happens in four years...
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