Kevin Prince Boateng’s Goal Against the United States

Kevin Prince Boateng’s Goal Against the United States

Filed under: Ghana, Goals, Highlights, US National Team, World Cup, us soccer

A bad giveaway in the midfield leads directly to Ghana getting the first goal of the USA v Ghana World Cup match.vv

Group Wants to Improve Safety at Convenience Stores

KANSAS CITY, MO - A murder victim's family is working to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to someone else. Tony Singh was shot and killed in March as he worked at a 7-Eleven in South Kansas City.

Two people held up the convenience store where Singh was working on March 17. Singh turned over a bag full of money, but the gunman fired a single shot that would later kill the 35-year-old.

"He handed over the money and the guy shot him," said store owner Syefd Asif. "It was cold blooded."

School teacher Sharolynn Hancock said she was inside the store before the shooting happened. Other than the killer, she said she was the last person to see the father of two alive.

"If I could have traded places with his children, I would have so they could have one last conversation with their father," Hancock said.

That type of emotion made people come up with an idea to gather signatures to change a state law dealing with convenience store safety. If the group gathers the needed signatures, they will march to the Missouri State capitol with the Tony Singh Bill. The group said the bill would make gas stations and convenience stores a much safer place.

Convenience stores would install security glass around the cashier as well as provide a panic button. The bill also proposes the addition of a security guard and a second on-duty worker after 10 p.m. for safety.

"Four eyes watching is better than two," said Asif.

The bill proposes that no store could stay open past 10 p.m. if the criteria are not met. The group now plans to share the Tony Singh Bill with other cities across Missouri.

"Life is too precious," Hancock said. "It's too precious to waste, so something must change."

The group plans to support its effort with a 100,000 signature drive.

Photos: Bill Clinton at US vs Ghana WC 2010

Former US President Bill Clinton watches the closing stages of the match as the USA lose to Ghana during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Round of Sixteen match in Rustenburg, South Africa.

Clinton salutes fans before the start of the match.

Bill Clinton stands for the national anthem with US news anchors Wolf Blitzer (2ndR) and Katie Couric (R) prior to the match.

World Cup: Ghana defeats the U.S., 2-1, in overtime

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan prepares to shoot on goal -- and score -- as U.S. defender Jay DeMerit begins a tackle attempt in overtime of their World Cup second-round game on Saturday at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images / June 26, 2010) Reporting from Rustenburg, South Africa - The U.S. team's manic run through the World Cup came to an abrupt end Saturday with a 2-1 overtime loss to Ghana that was decided on a splendid goal by Asamoah Gyan as the clock here ticked toward midnight.

The Americans never led in regulation time in the tournament -- and never lost in regulation either. Yet they came within a goal of the quarterfinals only to be sent home on Gyan's shot in the dark.

"The finality of it is brutal," said Landon Donovan, the L.A. Galaxy star who scored three of the five U.S. goals in the tournament. "When you realize how much you put into it, not only for the last four years but for your whole life. There's no guarantee there's another opportunity. It's disappointing."

After fighting back to force the extra period on a Donovan penalty kick in the 62nd minute, the U.S. saw Ghana retake the lead three minutes into the first 15-minute extra period on a play that started innocently enough with the U.S. sending a long ball into the Ghana end. A Ghanaian defender headed it forward to Andre Ayew, who was simply trying to clear it back across the midfield line.

But his clearing shot found Gyan on a dead run, cutting between two U.S. defenders. Gyan grounded the ball with his chest and got off a left-footed shot that went over keeper Tim Howard and into the goal, sending the U.S. home and the Black Stars on to the quarterfinals to play Uruguay, a 2-1 winner over South Korea earlier in the day.

"We had a great opportunity. But you have to prove it over 90 minutes and we didn't do it," Howard said. "We're going home so there's an opportunity missed. We should have won the game."

In was a painful way to lose for a team that hadn't done anything the easy way in this tournament, coming from behind to earn draws with both England and Slovenia before beating Algeria on a Donovan goal in stoppage time to qualify for the second round.

"I think we can hold our heads high at how we did," Donovan said. "Obviously you hate losing. Obviously the feeling is bitter.

"But the effort, the energy, the attitude we had, the belief. I have no qualms with that. Sometimes you lose games. That's part of the soccer.

"At this point we lost the game and we're out of the World Cup."

This is the second time in as many World Cups that Ghana has sent the U.S. packing with a 2-1 win, having knocked the U.S. out in group play in 2006. That came in Ghana's World Cup debut and it carried the Black Stars into the second round. This time they're going to the quarterfinals, where they will meet Uruguay on Friday night at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

In the first World Cup on African soil, Ghana, which rode to the game Saturday in a bus painted with the slogan, "The Hope of Africa," will carry the continent's flag forward as the last of six African teams still playing.

"We must fight, not just for us, but for the other teams that are not here," Ayew said

Despite the bitter end, for the U.S. this World Cup has been equal parts good soccer and good fortune, a two-week roller-coaster ride that ended in the same place where it started -- tiny Royal Bafokeng Stadium, squeezed on a South African plain between the old mining town of Rustenburg and the modern resort playground of Sun City.

Along the way the team won the cheers of a Bush -- former USC tailback Reggie, who attended last Wednesday's win over Algeria -- and a Clinton, former President Bill, who extended his stay in South Africa to attend Saturday's game.

Clinton, by the way, was sitting with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones while the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, fresh off a winning run of his own, was also in the house.

They watched Ghana get its first goal in the fifth minute when Kwadwo Asamoah took the ball from American midfielder Ricardo Clark at the midfield stripe and fed Kevin Price Boateng, who raced up the left wing before letting go a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area that beat Howard cleanly to the near post.

It was the first time Ghana scored on anything other than a penalty kick in this World Cup and Boateng, Ghana's bad boy striker, celebrated by dancing off the pitch and up the track surrounding the field as his teammates gave chase.

World Cup: US vs. Ghana 2010Result

On Tonight: Nichols Honored, US vs. Ghana

So nationally, US vs. Ghana (ABC, Univision, 2:30 pm) is the big game of the day. Also scheduled: Uruguay vs. South Korea (ESPN, Univision, 10 am). … Read more…

World Cup: US vs. Ghana – KTAR.com

Ghana players celebrate following the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the United States and Ghana at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, on Saturday … Read more…

Watch USA vs Ghana Live Online Free – Gather.com

It’s very rare to have this kind of feeling before a soccer match – but today when we watch USA vs Ghana live online – our hearts will be pacing like never before. Fans have … Read more…

Ghana eliminates US for 2nd straight World Cup – MyNorthwest.com

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) – The nail-biter comeback wasn’t there this time. The U.S. soccer team relied on it once too often. Life on the World Cup edge came to an exhausting … Read more…

Mick Jagger and Bil Clinton on the US vs Ghana match – Meri News

TODAY’S USA vs Ghana match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a great one where Ghana took a quick lead over USA in the initial five minutes of today’s single elimination World Cup … Read more…

Soccer: US to face Ghana – Reporter

RUSTENBURG, South Africa — Whether buoyed or burdened by carrying Africa’s hopes at the World Cup, Ghana now finds its route to the quarterfinals blocked by a United States side … Read more…

Fans of the World Cup: US vs. Ghana

Sadly, United States was eliminated from the World Cup Saturday afternoon, June 26. Fans were packed in bars eating cheesy burgers and throwing back mimosas … Read more…

World Cup Update: Elimination Rounds and US vs. Ghana … – Paste Magazine

High Gravity is Paste editor-in-chief Josh Jackson’s daily round-up of music, film and culture – and even great (high gravity) beer. Greetings from North London, where I am … Read more…

US vs Ghana Live Update: Ghana Defeated US in USA vs Ghana World Cup 2010 Match!

The battle US vs Ghana was held in Rustenburg on Saturday, June 26. US was defeated badly by Ghana with a score of 2-1. The Black Stars were in full action, … Read more…

Esky’s take: US vs. Ghana

Overall thoughts on the game: It’s going to be the toughest game so far. Ghana is an extremely talented team, but it’s tough to really say which team is … Read more…

Ghana scores first, takes 1-0 lead over US in World Cup … – Hartford Courant

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) — Either buoyed or burdened by carrying Africa’s hopes at the World Cup , Ghana finds its route to the quarterfinals blocked by a United States team … Read more…

Glued to the tube on LI for US vs. Ghana soccer game

Saturday’s World Cup match between the United States and Ghana kicked off with people all over Long Island watching with anticipation. … Read more…

US vs Ghana: it’s more than winning the match

US vs Ghana match will be held at the Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, North West town at midnight, or Sunday (6/27/2010) pm dawn. USA: Howard, Cherundolo … Read more…

Big expectations as US meets Ghana in World Cup – Deseret News

RUSTENBURG, South Africa — For other countries, a second-round World Cup match is a big step. For the United States, Saturday’s game against Ghana is so much more. The television … Read more…

USA-Ghana World Cup 2010 Preview – Associated Content

The last USA-Ghana World Cup match was not technically an elimination game. Yet the USA-Ghana match in 2006 ended the USA’s World Cup hopes in round one. Of course, the Americans … Read more…

United States Vs Ghana Watch Online US Vs Ghana Watch … – Globe and Mail

United States Vs Ghana Watch Online US Vs Ghana Watch Online FIFA 2010 Knockout stage matches Watch On Live Streaming USA Vs Ghana Live Stream FIFA World Cup 2010, FIFA World Cup … Read more…

US Vs. Ghana: Crazy American Fans In Rustenburg

NPR’s Mike Pesca is in Rustenburg watching the US play Ghana. Here are a few shots of the crazy American fans in the stands: Read more…

US Vs. Ghana: Enough With The Do-Or-Die Stories

It’s painful to admit this, but after being in stadium for the greatest goal in US soccer history I will be on a plane during the knockout … Read more…

World Cup 2010 Round of 16 Results; Uruguay vs South Korea & US Soccer schedule.v

More Mexico News

What’s the news that you should be aware of while you’re giving thanks for not having Sven Goran Eriksson as the Mexican manager?

Rafael Marquez says ‘So what?’ to Argentina, Guillermo Franco says he’s Mexican, Maxi Rodriguez remembers his goal in 2006, plus a few other tidbits.

Speaking in a press conference Friday, Marquez spoke about Argentina and how Mexico has improved from the game against Argentina in 2006.

“We are changing our mentality. We are getting stronger, looking to get better. Okay, it’s Argentina. So what?

“We will look to do as much damage as possible and take advantage of the weaknesses they have. We will look to get the ball.”

===
===

On Twitter, Guillermo Franco dominated the Trending Topics list for some time after the game against Uruguay with the most popular tweet saying “The biggest Argentinian threat is Guillermo Franco.” However, the naturalized player told the Argentine press that he’s Mexican despite the place of his birth.

“I am Mexican. I fell Mexican 100 percent from the day I decided for naturalization.

Yes, I am Mexican. I made the decision to be Mexican. I didn’t decide where to be born, it was decided by God, but I decided to be Mexican and I feel proud to be it.”

===
===

Maxi Rodriguez spoke in anticipation for the game against Mexico. Rodriguez scored a goal for Argentina in 2006 that gave them passage into the next round.

“(Javier Aguirre) is an intelligent manager, but they should be worried. They know that they’re going to face the Argentina national team.

“I have good memories of what happened in that game. The most important thing is that the team won. What happened in that game is now history. Now, they’re a good team, they play football very well.”

The player also seemed to have an idea of how the Mexican team would play.

“I know Javier (Aguirre) really well. It’s not the same to manage a club than a national team. I don’t think that they’ll come out and look for the game; they’ll hold back and go for counterattacks. I think they’ll wait for us a bit more.”

===
===

Carlos Vela trained with a ball, up from just jogging in previous practices. That’s good news for the game on Sunday although he might not be fully fit.

And Mexican newspaper Mural is reporting that Guillermo Franco has trained since Thursday with the substitutes with Chicharito replacing him in the starting XI practice team. Cuauhtemoc Blanco has also been included in the starting practice team.

USA vs. Ghana (1 – 2) Post-Game Thoughts/Post-Tournament Thoughts/Wistful Goodbye Poem

Was I too soon to trust Bob Bradley? Or I am just a fickle fan? Maybe I should give Bob Bradley more credit, but I can’t help but feel his insistence on starting Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley single handedly cost the United States the game. Leave alone the fact that Findley can hardly put a shot right and Clark personally gift wrapped goals in every game he played in this World Cup. The fact that he had to waste substitutions on them so soon killed the tired US players at the end of the game and in extra time.

It’s true that Bradley made a number of game changing substitutions in the Slovenia game and the Algeria game (and even in this game), and we were all high on their success when we won or drew those games. But now we’ve lost. So now it’s time to ask why Bob Bradley had to make those drastic changes. It’s nice that Bob can change his tactics so swiftly when he gets them wrong, but this time his getting them wrong cost us big time. Why couldn’t he make the right moves the first time out? Why was he unable to predict that the midfield pressure of Ghana would be too much for Ricardo Clark–a player who is useful in tackling only.

I can accept that the USA lost to a good team, and that the players played to the best of their abilities. But when the team concedes goals in the first fifteen minutes of nearly every game (excluding the Algeria game, and they probably should have) when do I get to blame our suddenly brilliant coach for not being able to prevent this?

The USA finally found a hole it couldn’t dig itself out of and now it goes home after much talk of a chance to make it to the semi-finals. I won’t say I wasn’t endeared towards Bradley recently. He seemed much more on top of things than I ever considered him to be before the World Cup, but this game and his inclusion of Ricardo Clark has really soured the tournament for me.

With that said: Thanks to all the players (including Ricardo Clark) for giving their all in four World Cup games. There were the obvious standouts. Michael Bradley was excellent. Landon Donovan’s three goals were all huge. Clint Dempsey was dangerous and gritty as ever. Jozy Altidore was visibly tired in the fourth game, but he still managed to show a few moments of the spark and skill that make him such an exciting young prospect. Jonathan Bornstein, our much maligned leftback, played two very solid games. In fact, I’d go as far as to say if Bornstein always played like he played the last two games nobody would have ever complained about him in the first place. And maybe there’s something to be said about Bob Bradley’s coaching in that. I think he was wrong about Clark and Findley, but I think he was right to stick with Bornstein. That’s something isn’t it?

Let’s end on some happy thoughts because it was fun while it lasted. A short list of achievements. The US managed to embarrass the entire country of England just by earning a draw (a goalkeeping error may have contributed). The US managed to be one of the more exciting teams in the tournament by scoring several late goals. The team went undefeated in the group stage for the first time. International pundits heaped a decent amount of praise on players like Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey. Really, in all fairness, the team accomplished what it set out to do. A realistic goal. Getting out of the group. It was nice and we were all happy to see it happen because we knew this team could do it.

I have hopes that in 2014 we’ll have cause to set the bar even higher.

American Football

I’ve run the fields with
the other patrician boys
putting foot to ball
our cleats born towards
the screaming Earth
it lacerates and breaks and bleeds
and sprays on us
like something from Lucan

Do you recognize us?
The American boys
playing football?