Group E Finales

Let's hail Pavel Nedved. He is a gifted player, who came out of international retirement to help the Czech Republic qualify. When he gets bumped, he keeps trying to play, rather than offer Razzie quality acting and diving. And one of my friends pointed out that he has the best hair on the pitch since Carlos Valderrama. Today, he played with a passion and persistence that was inspiring. Milan Baros did
his best to energize the proceedings, but his timing was understandably off, and he eventually ran out of gas. If ESPN's (screen hogging) lineup graphic was correct, Rosicky was playing as striker in a 4-4-2 formation. Whether he was supposed to be in the midfield or up front, he was a ghost during the game. This was the same man who wreaked havoc on the US, and scored those two magnificent goals?

As for the rest of Czechs, they kept their game in check. It was disappointing to see Nedved work so hard, with his teammates as spectators. Even if they didn't feel the desire, couldn't they have respected his drive and determination? Nedved provided opportunities, had the best shots on goal and, in the 93rd minute, two goals down, still chased after a ball. After the game, he laid down on the pitch, exhausted. It seemed that every Italian player wanted to acknowledge him. I am sorry to see him leave the World stage.

For every goodbye to familiar figures, we have opportunities for hellos to newcomers. Ghana, in its first World Cup, advances into the secound round, keeping alive Africa's streak since 1990. Even without the two goal scorers from the victory over the Czech Republic, they found the net twice. On their first goal, I do not understand why Keller did not rush off his line. There were three US players heading into the box to cover possible passes, and Keller's stance gave Draman ample opportunity to slow down, collect himself, pick his spot and drill the ball past Keller. The penalty call against Onyewu was a harsh assessment. Onyewu has a problematic tendency to defend with his hands, but on this occasion he went out of his way to refrain from doing so. He was also unfortunate with his header, which barely missed the net. It was sad to see Claudio Reyna hobbling off the field from an injury caused by being dispossessed just prior to the first goal. He was obviously in pain, yet he tried to keep playing. Eddie Lewis joined the Brian McBride "grit club" by getting cut, getting treated, and getting back on the pitch. Several US players showed a great deal of character in the face of adversity.

Which is more than I say for Bruce Arena. He is absolutely correct that the penalty call was dubious, and it greatly influenced the game. For better or worse, the referee's bad calls or missed calls is a part of soccer. Other managers get upset with bad calls, or bad fortunes, but they seem to recover and urge their players to move on. Arena seems to assume that if the game had remained 1-1, the US would have won. Maybe so. But instead of dwelling on this, he should have been urging the US players onward, and dealing with reality. At the press conference after the game, he was still talking about the penalty. I didn't see the entire press conference, but I sincerely hope he recognized the efforts of his players, and applauded them for picking themselves up repeatedly. Perhaps it's time to look beyond US borders for a manager, someone who might bring out the best in this team and remain positive in adversity. I'm sure someone would relish the challenge of taking the US team to new heights. It's too bad Guus Hiddink has committed to coach Russia.

As for Ghana, they deserve great recognition for an impressive accomplishment. Apparently, Ghanians admire Brazilian soccer. They'll have a close-up opportunity to admire Brazil's offensive firepower. Ghana's keeper still looks suspect to me. He looked completely frozen during Dempsey's goal. If McBride had managed to direct his header a few inches to the right, he would have beaten Kingson on the near post. I could have sworn Kingson dived well after the ball banged off the post. Essien's second yellow card will be costly. While he has been called on for offensive duties, his defensive midfield skills will be missed even more. Gyan and Muntari return from suspension, which should provide more offensive options, but it's a rare team that can outscore Brazil.